Operation: Swordfish

I got to thinking as I sat on the bus yesterday on the way to work yesterday (well one of the buses, there are three), with all I'm posting about my quest to find myself a better job; I could really use giving the whole thing a name. The first name that came to me was swordfish, and it kinda stuck.

There was something instantly quite appealing about having an overly dramatic name for something so mundane. A name that sounded like it belonged in the allied headquarters during world war two, or as the title of a low budget action movies made in the late 70's. It was an instant hit with me, so I went with it.

So what of Operation: Swordfish?

Well, there is good news and there is not so good news.

Starting with the not so good news, I didn't get the job that I interviewed for Monday. Which is a shame, but as the feedback indicated that there were candidates with direct industry experience, I totally understand their decision. Business is business, and you have to do what's best for your business. If I was in their shoes, I'd have done the same thing.

This is in a way good news though, as the reason I didn't get through to the next stage wasn't based on anything that happened at interview. Given the hard time I have been giving myself about the interviews I have had so far, it's reassuring to know that I may be being hard on myself for no good reason. Which I know sounds odd, but knowing this now does mean I'm less likely to be critical of myself in future interviews. So I'm taking it as a positive.

Now for some truly good news, all be it with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

The biggest issue I have faced by far throughout the entirety of Operation: Swordfish has been my inability to make it to interviews that I am being offered due to having bugger all in the way of annual leave. This is a problem that has now been overcome!

Basically, I said "no more". No longer was I going to be held back, and hamstrung by the situation. So, when I made it to work yesterday I asked the boss if I could have a quiet word. So, we left the office, found a quiet corner; and had a chat.

I was upfront about where I was at from the start. Me looking for work elsewhere was no secret, but I brought them up to speed with regards to what was happening. How the invites where coming in, but scheduling the time off to go to interview was a bit of a nightmare. Partly because I didn't have a lot of time off due to me, and partly because I often got next to no notice.

They were very understanding. They didn't have an issue with me taking time at zero notice, and they were happy to settle on my offer of me taking unpaid leave if it came to it. Basically, they  were very accommodating; and I like to think that karmically that's my dividend for playing it straight.

However, as happy as I am for things to have taken this course (I'm bloody ecstatic if truth be told), my signalling that I am preparing to move on has set into motion a chain of events I didn't see coming. Not an all together bad chain of events, but we now definitely have a ticking clock.

By indicating that I am coming close to finding something else, I have inadvertently forced their hand into seeking my replacement! Which is good, as it means that my time there now has a definite end in sight, but as I currently only have interviews and leads; it could result in temporary unemployment again. Which would be bad. Very bad!

So where does that leave me?

I'm still very optimistic, as whilst I could say "I only have interviews and leads", I think instead prefer to say, "I still have interviews and leads". Any one of those could turn into a job, and agents are starting to take notice of me. I had a call off one today in fact. Whilst it wasn't viable, the client they were working did remark of my CV; "This one is a beauty". So people are being positive about what I'm putting out there, and that's what I'm choosing to focus on.

I believe in me, and that's a start. Other believe in me too, and that's a bonus!

Not So Unemployed.. But The Job Centre Are Still Being A Pain!

Papers still need to be signed, I's dotted; and T's crossed, but it looks very much like I'll be in paid employment come Friday morning..

.. And how does the Job Centre react? They don't want me to sign off!

Yeah, even given the fragile economy of the welfare system, they still want me to continue attending the Job Centre once I've started my job, and to continue looking for employment. Not that they want to support me in this financially; but the disruption they're looking to cause is free!

Their reasoning behind this is that my new job is only part-time, and anything less than 35 hours a week leaves you with two choices:

You either A, close your claim, or B leave your claim open.. And the person I spoke to is actually advising B!

Personally, I'd much sooner go with A; but if I do that then they've told me that they won't pay me what they owe me, for the couple of weeks that I've been unemployed. It's not a lot of money granted (£10.60 a day), but it's the bloody principal of the matter.

When I initially signed on, I was told that I'd be being paid monthly; but that benefit was accrued daily. Now however I'm being told that if I close my claim, I get nothing as I've been unemployed less than a month (so no payments have been made to me as of yet); something that I would have thought was a positive.

I can't help but feel they're trying to screw me though. There is no way I can attend the meetings they want me to, and they know this. I have explained this to them. Whilst I'll only be working part-time, it's an hour an half there, the same back; and it's spread over 5 days. The same 5 days that they're open. There is physically no way that I can attend their meetings, one of which is in a weeks time.

Not to take on a sense of entitlement, but I have worked damn hard to get myself into work; clocking up anything between 7.5 and 9.5 hours a day looking for work, 7 days a week! But it seems the more you put in, the less you get out.

It's not been easy, and I have jumped through every damn hoop with both grace and finesse. So, to get such a rebuttal feels like quite the kick in the nards. If they stick to their guns it means I could have taken things much easier. Easier would have been good! If they stick to their guns it means I spent a lot of time ticking their boxes when I need not have; and time is my most precious resource, not to be squandered on folly and bureaucracy..

If they stick to their guns, it's one hell of a dick move!

They should show more damn respect for their clients, and their efforts. They should make good on their debts.

Nothing is ever that straightforward when you're dealing with the Department of Work and Pensions though.