I've decided to join the great wide world of internet blogging though the intention is to create more of a "column" than a journal.
I decided to see how it would be if I branch out a little and just put across my general opinion - having contributed my football/soccer opinion on http://www.Stretford-End.com since 2007 I figured the time was right and perhaps I would at least generate a little bit of interest rather than just starting a blog that went nowhere. This might still go nowhere but the odds are slightly more in my favour than they would have been if this was 3 years ago.
So, a little about me. Not too much but enough to make this relevant. I was made redundant in January of 2009 and have had little luck finding a position since. None of the positions I have ever held or, indeed, have applied for, have been my "dream" job as a creative writer / journalist. The time has passed (well, it hasn't, but the motivation for that isn't as strong as the motivation for money as instant as possible) and at school although writing and English were my strong points, the accompanying qualifications which required knowing the intricate details of which camera is the best to use weren't. I have a keen interest in films but then again only in the kind I like. Does that even make any sense? I suppose not. I'll elaborate on that later, I guess.
That will do as an introduction as I have a juicy subject to open with.
I have had two what you would describe as long term jobs, that being positions I could have seen myself developing a career. The first was in the private sector and the next was for an educational company - this was the role I was made redundant from.
Unfortunately the timing of that was pretty poor. I had recently gotten engaged and we were planning our wedding, which we thought we had plenty of time to do. Decided on what at the time seemed a practical decision to have a long engagement. Discovered that it would be more cost efficient to get married in Florida - fortunately, a mutual dream.
Well, 15 months have passed since the redundancy, and a handful of temporary and agency positions and failed interviews later mean that I've been unable to really contribute to the wedding so far.
I suppose it's as good a time as any to ask the first poser, what price your dignity?
My role in the educational company was one where I felt I had a degree of importance; that I was a crucial part of getting the job done, and that my opinion was valued. And yet being made redundant at the time didn't phase me; I felt bullish and confident enough in my own ability that I would walk into another job.
Time passed - 9 months, to be exact - and I was getting no joy so I signed up with an agency, they found me a role at one of the country's most well known delivery companies in a customer service based capacity. We were given limited training - 8 hour days that could probably be best described as 3 hours relevance, 5 hours talking about Facebook of all things (Isn't that supposed to be the other way around? I missed the change when you talked about Facebook in real life rather than your real life on Facebook). Anyway, the fallout was inevitable. During the training one of the new starters fell asleep - full on asleep - we all had a joke about it but the next day when that new starter came back, it was no longer funny.
I then had clashes with the trainer who turned out to be an employee of the company who was merely on the same level we were, just with over 3 years experience in the same position. With no hope of promotion. Perhaps understandably he was a bit of a jobsworth and perhaps deliberately he witheld information that would help us later on so he would seem more knowledgeable. The problem was that when most of the new starters received enquiries these would be issues he had no idea about, and after I had to deal with a particularly distressed customer the jobsworth bloke was, shall we say, disrespectful of me in front of other team members. Perhaps it's my own elevated sense of self importance or maybe I just find it difficult to understand the concept of speaking to someone like rubbish either in a personal or professional sense, but I wasn't about to stand for it. After a similar thing happened two more times, I found myself walking out after informing the manager of the circumstances. The initial relief of finding and starting the job - which, jobsworth aside, generally had a good team - was replaced by a feeling of having let down my family and fiancée.
I had to counter that with the thought that every now and then there comes a line where you have to personally evaluate and weigh up the professional and personal costs. Would this position be something I miss - poor money aside, I felt I had really lowered myself to get it because there was nothing else. Having come to the conclusion that my dignity was worth more and hopefully my family would understand, I felt a little more secure. My underlying thought was that I try to be a man of principle and I would hardly be that if I allowed myself to be spoken to as if I was a nobody.
The first time you make such a decision it makes it easier to do again - and I did, twice, once after a week at a local surgery and once after a few days at an online travel agents fielding calls from customers who had paid for their holiday and had not received confirmation that they were going sometimes on the day before they were due to leave. Classy move, and the customer service team were given the mandate (may I add, the only training given) that customers would get a call back within 48 hours. When that 48 hours expired and angry customers called back - some now on holiday with a hotel who didn't have their names down - I was told to stop asking people for advice. By the manager! Customers then quite rightly demand your name and use it whe slagging off the company. I know, I've done it.
Finally I got a temporary 2 week job through an agency at an online bookmakers to take calls from customers over the duration of one of the big sporting events - 4 days into that, I got a call that I thought would change my life. An invitation to an interview for an amazing position, closer to where my fianceé lives, the only catch being I would have to miss 2 days of the next weeks work to take it. The agency were completely uncompromising and inconsiderate and told me not to come back, that to me was a minor blotch, because it was a dream job. Not a journalist or writer but something that would properly make use of my qualifications, something that looked like it would become a true career, and something that would properly reward me. So, to me, it was a risk worth taking.
After going through 3 interviews (one after I was told the first role I applied for was being 'restructured', and the second after it didn't exist at all) and after encouragement from the head resourcer who had made me feel so confident that I felt I couldn't NOT be working there soon, the inevitable happened and I didn't get the role. And that's where we're at now, about 7 months to the wedding, no job, no-one likely to take me on for a full time role considering I'll be taking almost a month out to get married, and no way of cancelling the wedding and holiday that won't be almost as financially punishing as going through with it.
I know there are people worse off than myself. Rather than dwell over what I don't have; I count myself extremely lucky to have the family and friends that I do have, the people who like me for me and want to spend time with me.
I resigned myself, after weeks of thinking that borrowing from loved ones was less degrading, to signing on. I hate it. I hate the feeling of it and without being disrespectful the company that puts you in. I know from where I grew up that most people signing on don't want a job. They're just out to see how much money they can scam; people who live off the state and through credit, somehow able to afford plasma tv's and a cannabis addiction. Automatically by signing on you become one of "them", a statistic. Having spent all of my time out of work looking for it it is ridiculous to find myself having to prove that I am looking; from my own experience trying to help the unemployed or lower skilled, I know that they have very little motivation to even look for a job let alone pretend that they are. So how do they get away with it, and I have to prove it? I don't mind doing it for myself, but the same rules don't apply to everyone.
It seems they're more interested in how to catch you out and stop people claiming than actually helping them get a job. I still check the agencies but one in particular that I use - Randstand (I was going to protect names, but sod it.. they're one of those agencies that screen you and can send you into a position without the need for an interview) rung me up the other day. I missed the call and returned it, got through to a different person, it turns out the person I got through to was the same person (Sean, if you were wondering) who had put me forward for the travel agency position. The voice message I had received said they had an "interesting position" for me, when I got through to this guy he remembered me and said that the phone call was just a check up. So, it would seem that some agency staff will decide that you won't be allowed to apply for a position if they don't want you to. Is that abusing his position or does he have a right to do that considering I walked out of the role he had found me? Either way, I'd advise against p*ssing Sean off if you're with Randstad and need a job. He has the power. Honestly.
I suppose it's a little tame for a first post, but there it is. What are your own experiences through the economic crisis? Your experience with agencies? Your thoughts on "signing on"?
If you have an opinion or would like to hear my opinion on something, please comment or email me at yolkietalkie@yahoo.com
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