Once again
it’s been ages since I last blogged. This has been partially due to a lack of
anything particularly interesting happening, but mainly because all my efforts
have been focussed on finding, getting and settling into a new job.
You will
remember that a while back I discovered that my post was being cut and I was
going to end up in the dreaded redeployment pool. This duly happened and I
spent quite some considerable time, with the help of my friend and mentor
Beryl, writing and polishing my CV, competences and career history in hopes
that it might attract a better class of job than I had previously seen
advertised.
The system
sounds very good in theory, but in practice I discovered that it wasn’t quite
as good as it could have been and threw up a few worrying moments. First and
foremost was the decision on what categories of type of job to choose.
Eventually I went for IT, Communications and Health and Safety as these are my
three specialist areas and I was desperate not to end up in a job where I was
managing people’s diaries and organising meetings (and topping up my boss’
Oyster card, as one job description said). I was aware that not putting Admin
and Support down as an option was going to limit the number and choices of jobs
I got put forward for, but was hopeful that what I did get would be more to my
taste and hopefully better quality.
I soon
discovered that I was not being matched on my shiny new competences that I had
spent so much time drafting (and as you are told you are during all redeployment-related
things that get sent your way and you have to attend), but purely on my choice
of location and the three job types I had selected. There wasn’t even any basic
checking to discover whether I was suitable for the job or had the competences
they were requesting. Assuming the job was in London
I found
myself pretty quickly matched to a post, but after several weeks had still not
heard whether or not I had an interview. A look at the website through which
all this is managed didn’t give any clue as it said I was on hold – although
there was no description of what that meant. A few weeks later I received
another e-mail telling me I had been matched – for another job in the same division
as the first – and once again I went on hold. However, a few days later I
received an interview date for the second job, although sadly, not a job
description and the division concerned weren’t very forthcoming with one when I
asked (i.e. I discovered I would be managing a group of staff DURING the
interview). The interview (the first I had done for twelve years) was nothing
like I expected (and I discovered afterwards was actually pretty much
completely wrong) and I knew almost immediately that I didn’t have the job –
but to be honest I wasn’t too bothered. From the way I had been treated and
their slapdash attitude I knew that I wouldn’t suit their division.
Imagine my
surprise then, when I was matched to two more jobs, both within that same
division (surely the high turnover of staff was cause for worry in itself). As
if that wasn’t bad enough, one of them was in the same section that I had
already been turned down for, which made me wonder whether there was any point
in bothering. The other, was a very specialised telecommunications post, for
which I’ll be honest, I didn’t really understand the job description. As it
asked for several specialised competences that I certainly didn’t have I sat
back, secure in the knowledge that I wouldn’t be called for interview for the
second job, and probably not the first either once they realised they had
already interviewed and turned me down once (they did not, as they were
supposed to do, provide feedback on why I failed my interview, but as I didn’t
want to work for them I didn’t bother to complain).
Surprise
turned to downright stunned amazement when I was informed that I had an
interview for both posts. Whilst I am aware that under redeployment terms you
only have to have 70% of the competences required to do the post, in the case
of the second in particular I didn’t have ANY of the 6 specialist competences
asked for. This actually worried me a little, because I had assumed that even
if I was spuriously put forward for a post, the sifting process would ensure I
was removed before it got to interview stage. But my experience showed that
this wasn’t an accurate assumption. What worried me was that having got an
interview for a job I didn’t understand and most certainly couldn’t do, at
least not without a lot of training, if I actually got the job I wouldn’t be
able to turn it down. Crazy as it seems I could end up being forced to take it.
I put in a
call to my redeployment manager to query the decision and find out how it could
have been made. My faith in the system being able to find me a decent and
suitable post had disappeared and all I could think about was being unhappily
forced into a position I neither wanted nor could do. I was told that I might
have got an interview because I was the only candidate put forward, but as I
tried to argue, quite fairly I thought, just because I was the only one doesn’t
mean I’m suitable to do the job and still shouldn’t have got an interview from
the sift alone. He then admitted that the branch might not be doing their job
properly (you think?) – which made me even more convinced that I didn’t want to
work for them.
It was at
this point that fate intervened and took a hand.
I received
an e-mail telling me I had an interview for a post that I hadn’t even been told
I had been matched with. This mysterious e-mail came with a job description and
was for an Admin/Support role job – which, as you will remember, was a job type
that I shouldn’t have been matched with as it wasn’t one of my chosen three.
A first
look at the job description wasn’t awfully inspiring to be honest. It sounded a
little dry and possibly quite boring. Certainly it was nothing like any of the
IT posts I had hoped to get. But after discussion with Beryl and others I came
to the conclusion that the post was actually a very good quality one, as admin
jobs go anyway, with a good chance to test my drafting skills in important
secretariat and legislation work. The interview, which was so informal it was
almost a chat over a cup of tea (which is apparently the level that all
redeployment interviews are supposed to be) sparked my interest further and it
seemed from the comments made by the interviewer that my competences were just
what was needed. Twenty minutes after the interview I was offered the job. I
accepted immediately and, being able to transfer quickly, I started in my new
post on 21 May to enable me to get a decent amount of on-the-job training from my
predecessor before he retired.
And so I am
now pretty much happily settled into my new post. There have been adjustments
of course, some of which I am still getting used to – for starters I had to
give up homeworking, which I had been doing for six years and return to working
in London five days a week, along with the travelling that entails and at the
moment I am still finding it very tiring. But as time goes on I know I will get
used to it more and it was worth the change for a good quality post with decent
work. I also get to visit the Palace of Westminster and Downing Street fairly regularly
as I am involved in a large amount of parliamentary work, which is quite a
novelty at the moment, although I am sure it will lose its allure after I’ve
been there several hundred times!
♥
So apart
from the excitement of a new job, we have also recently had the pleasure of an
extra long Bank Holiday to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Mrs H3 and I
decided to celebrate in style with an old-school garden party, which was
unfortunately, let down a little by the weather (and by a lack of guests
arriving at the time they were supposed to). Having held it on the Saturday we
were lucky that it stayed dry, although it was cold, unlike the rest of the
weekend which was sadly hampered by terrible weather conditions. But we’re
British and a bit of bad weather wasn’t enough to stop the celebrations
(although it stopped me actually attending any of them in person, choosing
instead to curl up in my warm lounge (shockingly, I had to put the heating on
in June!) and watch it all on the television). My mother and her friends had a
street party. They were luckier though and the weather was lovely for them.
Below are a few photos of our right royal knees-up.
On Sunday 3
June Mrs H3 and I went to Brighton Dome to see the wonderful Gary Numan. It was
quite exciting as it had been ages since we had been anywhere at all, and what
seems like absolutely forever since we had been to a concert. Supporting a new
greatest hits release, it was as always a fantastic evening and included a
surprise appearance of several members of Dramatis (Gary’s original band),
joining Gary for a tribute to Ced Sharpley, who died earlier this year, singing
the iconic ‘Love Needs No Disguise’. Support was provided by The Officers, who
I enjoyed very much and have been one of his best support acts to date.
Sadly there
still isn’t that much on the horizon due to a lack of funds and having not
bought tickets for anything. We did get tickets to a last minute warm-up performance
by Bill Bailey, which we saw last night and was, as ever hysterically funny and
we also managed to get tickets for Alice Cooper’s annual Halloween concert,
which is being held at Wembley this year, which has inspired us to start work
on our Halloween costumes. We did not however, get tickets for Muse (due to
being at work when they went on sale – sadly our old IE6 browser isn’t
supported by anyone and definitely not Ticketmaster etc.) I am still hoping
that I Am Kloot are going to release their new album shortly and then do an
extensive (in the South/East) tour in support. But that, for the moment at
least is just a dream.
