Lack of clear-cut success in job applications has made me tempted to try something i was previously dead-set against...i wonder, is that the power of desperation? nah, i'm not desperate yet, but my desire to fix upon a course of action for my next move is making me consider weird things.

before i talk about that, i wanted to mention the open day that a UK IP firm held yesterday. it was very well done, and made the company look very good, and it seems to be an ideal workplace. the speakers were all very friendly, and really sold the place. of course, the scientist in me is aware that there is an inherent bias here - which company would field speakers who hate their job? and not forgetting that they can be nice and welcoming on paper, but the selection process is so opaque that they can make up any reason to reject a candidate. so yes, pinch of salt, but still i figure it's worth a shot. the plan is to update my resume and cover letter, and send them in again. after attending their open day, i realize how far off the mark i was with my first attempt! hopefully they choose to disregard it and look at my most recent application with fresh eyes.

now, about the weird thing. about maybe a year ago, i was alerted to a japanese IP firm that had a reputation for being a "black" company, ie. one that didn't have good staff welfare practices. stories include higher-ups being verbally abusive to foreign staff, who are allegedly being required to work for 12 hours or more a day, and basically having to deal with a lot of stress from work and from the toxic culture. as a result, i avoided applying to them. but now, with singapore and UK both turning up neutral at best, i'm thinking that maybe i should just apply to see what happens. because after all, i'm already in japan, and they offer a 1-week trial - basically a free labour scheme under the pretext of "see if this is a fit for you!". i figure i can afford it, and my pay will be the first-hand knowledge of whether the rumours are true. if it's not good for me, then i won't accept an offer if they give me one. problem here is, it's in osaka, which means (1) taking leave off work, and (2) arranging accommodation in osaka for that week. i was also looking at their interview process, and it consists of 15 steps, with 3 of them being writing tests with deadlines, each progressively shorter than the last. it's a psychological trick, i think...make you invest effort in the process, make it difficult, and somewhere down the line, your brain will treat it as valuable because of the perceived scarcity, plus you're putting in effort for it.

so here's the plan. i will apply to the japan firm and see what happens. separately, i'll reapply to 2 UK firms, and see what happens there too. i've got a whole post about a recent happening that made me irrationally negative sitting in the archives, but i don't think now is the best time to post it because it's pretty heavy. going to work on the applications and submit the UK ones before bed tonight, and the japan one by tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Falling asleep at the computer again.-