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.

Oh...

I went to bed last night (well early this morning),thinking I had an interview this morning; but woke up to a call shifting it to early next week.

This wasn't exactly unexpected, as the interview had already been moved once; and the sector it is for is notoriously flaky based upon my personal experiences. I've worked in it for the better part of two years, and meetings being moved around is almost a given.. And what's an interview, but a meeting. So, not unexpected; but as you can imagine, it didn't exactly impress upon me their professionalism.

Some people reading that may think, "So" or, "Well, you want the job don't you?". Something to that effect. Something basically along the lines of suck it up.

I get that. I do.

However, my experience of the job market is a little different than that other people may have. I have people coming to me, asking if I'll work for them. Effectively, jobs apply to me!

Now I'm not going to say that happens all the time, but it has happened in the past, recently, and is happening now. I have a telephone interview lined up early next week, for a job where the employer came to me; and asked if I would be interested!

So, yes. I do want to apply for this job; but I'm not relying on it, and it's as much about the employer convincing me that I want to work for them, as vice versa. My CV grabs attention, gets me offers and all told I have three other irons in the fire at the moment.

I work hard, I work smart; and I can demonstrate this to people.

Now, a lot of this post stems from my annoyance at the general lack of professionalism and organisation that people seem only all too willing to put on display. Granted my griping at it, isn't exactly professional either; but I think that a lot of folks can relate to this kind of frustration.

So I guess the take-away point here would be that if this kind of behavior annoys you  (and it pisses me off royally), be the change you want to see. In everything you do, set out out to be as organised and professional as you can.

Nobody likes the guy who is always late, or always cancels last minute because they have a thing. Don't be that guy!

Being Unemployed - It's A Full Time Job!

I know it's a cliche, but it's so damn true.

I had been planning to play a few more games towards my 10 x10 Challenge over the past few days, and blog about how it was all going; but a combination of the great job hunt, and a pretty severe sprain / strain / trapped nerve took me out of commission.

Sitting around and doing nothing is really not my thing, but thanks to whatever that mystery injury was, my body gave me very little choice in the matter. Who would have thought that a pang of pain every time you move your neck, or put weight on your left-shoulder could stop you doing so much!?

Well I  soon realised gaming was out of the question. Looking down to see what's in your hand, or on the board? Nu-uh, that's way too much neck movement. Shuffling? I'll need my left arm for that. It's crazy to think just how much I animate my body to do something as simple as playing a card game. Something that I consider to be quite a leisurely pursuit.

Then there is the great job hunt; which today managed to take on a life of its own!

Having mostly recovered in the neck and shoulder department, I had hoped to get a little gaming in today. I had the day planned out using the time frames that the local Job Centre had given me, which prescribes approximately 5 hours a day looking for work..

7 hours into my job search and I was still going! Now in all fairness, I always expect myself to go above and beyond my responsibilities; seeing the 5 hour benchmark as the minimum standard (and then embellishing that with the very high standards I set for myself); but 5 hours a day isn't going to get anyone, anywhere.

The Job Centre is nice enough to provide all of its clients with a checklist of what they expect you to do, and roughly how long they expect you to do it for.. And it does add up to roughly 5 hours a day. So on paper, it works.

However, the only ways that I can see anyone completing those tasks in 5 hours is either:

A: Half arsing your way through it, so that nothing is up to standard; and the net result is that you come across as largely unemployable in your applications.

B: Working smart. Build templates, doohickeys and, McGuffin's to do all the "heavy lifting" for you.

My guess, for most people it's A; because B isn't an option.

Personally, I've made a lot of headway with B today. I've got a schedule for my job searches set up in my PDA, built a spreadsheet to help me manage my workload, and have written up a few generic cover letters that will offer up the impression that they have been tailored to the role; whilst being nondescript enough to be fully recyclable.

Now that may not seem like much, but given that a cover letter can take up to 10 minutes to write, and I'm applying for about 15 - 20 jobs a day; that represents a saving of about two and a half hours every single day! That almost brings me back to the 5 hour mark (where I'd like to be), without a drop in quality; and the work management spreadsheet should do the rest.

I'm still on the look out for other ways that I can optimise the way that I work though. One thing I'm trialing is combining the scope of my covering letters; so that each cover letter ticks off two of the items on my checklist (applying for jobs, and contacting employment agencies), by registering my interest to register with the agency on the cover letter itself; whilst I have their attention with the application.

The success of this does depend on whether agencies take me up on my offer or not, but as there's nothing to lose other than another "to do" item on my checklist; why not give it a try I figure? It'll easily save me another 30 minutes a week at the very least if it works!

The last thing on my agenda was to take the whole covering letters thing to the next level (semi-automated construction from a database of recyclable content); but as that is likely to take far longer to implement than I'll see in a return on the time invested, I'll likely give it a miss.

Working smart isn't just about automation, big ideas, and fancy tools after all. It's about knowing the value of your efforts BEFORE you commit to them.

From Sleeping Beauty To Prince Charming

Okay, sleeping beauty might be a bit strong; but I am still impressed with how quickly I can flip from asleep
to the king of customer service.

Drifting gently to the dulcet tones of Morpheus, somewhere in the magical land of Far Far Away; deep in the region of nod early on a Friday morn, a sudden bolt of electric filled the sky.. Electric guitar! It was my phone ringing, and I'd been Thunderstruck.

Stirring quickly  from my slumber, I forced my eyes open, rolled over, and reached for the phone; all in one deft motion. "Private Number". "Hmmm", I thought "It must be job related".

I was right! And from that moment I was only seconds away from being interviewed over the phone. Unexpected, unrehearsed, and having only 10 seconds earlier been fast asleep!.. And i nailed it!

Really, going from unconscious to positively witty and warm is a talent I didn't know I had the first time this happened.. And this is not the first time!

Personally, I am quite impressed with myself. Mostly because it may lead to paid employment, but also to no lesser degree that I still manage to amaze myself with what I'm capable of.

Officially Unemployed!

The title says it all. As of today, I am once again officially unemployed.

It's not through any ill means. My contract simply ran out, and my job no longer exists. That doesn't make the situation any less dire though. Especially having completed my monthly budget to find out that I have only £10 a week for food!

It's not that I can't get by on that pittance, and I do get that resorting to the welfare system is not supposed to be comfortable (so as to discourage it as a "lifestyle choice"); but £10 is not a lot. It means I'll have to make some particularly poor diet choices.

How ironic that a low income should lead to food of questionable nutritional value. The literal definition of a poor diet.

There is the suggestion of course, that I could tighten my belt. I am however expecting the effect of the foods of dubious content to be quite the opposite; and that I'll gain a few pounds! Not exactly a look I was going for, but never the less, something that is almost inevitable.

This is because I'll have to rely on high carb, "bulking" foods to make the budget stretch as far as it needs to. So stuff like bread, pasta, potatoes etc. These are foods that I would normally now avoid however, as I know how much trouble the human body has breaking these down.. And what it can't break down; largely becomes fat.

So, I need to develop a plan of action unless I want to become another casualty of the obesity crisis. Which looks like stepping up the amount of exercise I engage in every day (as exercise is free!), whilst monitoring the food that I am buying very closely; so as to make the best of a bad situation.

Nil desperandum!