During my dire month and a half (but basically two) of unemployment it seemed my luck couldn't get any worse and one bad thing just happened after the other. I was scheduled to leave my job at the end of summer and set off on my quest of beginning a career in September, however things didn't pan out exactly how I wished. Between the agreement and coming to actually leave, I had changed my mind and decided to apply to and start university in September 2014 (you can read more about that in a blog post here), which meant that I could no longer start a 'career' as such, and more needed to find employment to fill up and fund my gap year.
I didn't really know where to begin in my search for a job, but started in a place which I'm guessing most people would- The internet. I created profiles and uploaded my CV to about a thousand (slight exaggeration) different agencies took on scoping what they had to offer as a full time job... Woke up at 9am and applied until dinner time. I took the lack of (meaning no) replies on the chin for the first week, but as the ratio of applications to replies felt like 10 billion : none it was quite difficult to not feel useless.
I thought it was me; I was being too picky and applying for jobs that only experienced and highly desirable people would be chosen for. Thus, I took a different approach and lowered my standards. I applied for every job within travelling distance in my area. (Call centers, charity work, bar work, reception work, packaging companies...) and still the only replies I seemed to get were rejections.
Until I got my first email offering me an interview! *bing bing bing*. I had applied to a 'friendly pub' in a local area through Gumtree and manager Chris emailed me and asking me if I could come an meet him there and then. At the time I was out trying to get my university application sorted and unable to get to him in the 20 minutes he unrealistically asked me to get there for so we rearranged it for 9am the next morning. I was meant to be going out that night to celebrate a birthday but cancelled to especially make sure I was well rested and prepared to make a good impression. I was just stuck with one problem... The advertisement didn't actually disclose the name of the pub. I emailed Chris asking which one it was and didn't get a reply. I wasn't too worried though as he had already told me he had to leave at 4pm so he could just reply in the morning. Before I knew it it was time to leave my house and head off out into the pouring rain to go to my interview of which I still wasnt entirely sure where of. I arrived at the station at 8.50 (all the pubs in the area are in relative walking distance) and emailed Chris asking where it was again. Half an hour of waiting in the rain and I still had no reply.
I'll just give you a moment to envisage the depressing scene of my life that morning.
So I was cold, wet, tired and deflated outside in the rain for 45 minutes before I began to get angry, but I wanted a job so bad I was determined to find this Chris asshole. I walked around the whole area trying to pop into pubs and ask who the manager was in an attempt to discover where this cretin was hiding. However, it being 9.45 on a Saturday morning most respectable pubs were closed. The only one open in fact was good old Weatherspoons. Quite busy actually, so when I walked in and a good 25 people stared at me as I went to the bar, getting told 'I have no idea who Chris is lady, he definitely don't work here' having turn around and walk straight out was quite embarrassing.
Next job search failure consisted of yet another pub job; this one being a little more successful but essentially just as embarrassing. It was a nice Youngs pub just a short train journey away and I had been contacted and offered an interview. I was given a date, time and, this time, an address! So I turned up and the place was lovely- homely, rustic, friendly etc. I really wanted to work there. The interview also went really well, the manager seemed really down to earth and easy to get along with and at the end I was offered a second interview (which was essentially just a trial shift) for the following Monday evening. Baring in mind the original interview was on a Thursday (he said he didn't want to make me work on a weekend when it was busy) by the time Monday rolled around and I still hadn't heard anything I had another 'just my luck' moment. But, me being eager (desperate), gave him a call and asked what time he would like me to come in. He gave me ten thousand excuses under the sun about how busy he's been and what not and asked if he could schedule for me to come in tomorrow instead. 'Sure' I said and waited again for his call...
I never got that call. (Thanks Andy, you prick.)
Next up on my list of bad luck comes from another Gumtree application to do something as boring as making and sending out welcome brochures and answering phones. Simple enough eh? Even though it was the other side of London, by this time I had applied to hundreds of jobs and still not found one I was so desperate and past the point of caring. After a lovely telephone call arranging times that best suited me and agreeing on a good salary I was told they'd email me over the address and confirmation because I didn't have a pen and paper at the time (my life had become so exciting that I was on my way to drop my old glasses off at Specsavers).
...That email never came, so the day before my arranged interview I left my pride on the doorstep and called them. They gave me more excuses of systems being down and emails not working properly and said that it's now fixed and they'd send it over again.
Yeah, you guessed it. I'd been stood up... again.
In the end my self confidence was soaring pretttttty low... Was I really that undesirable!? I'm not thick and I do have experience and skills, yet every day I woke up and went to bed feeling useless! In the end I packed up my pride and instead of spending all day wasting my time and applying to jobs to get ignored, I decided I was going to better myself and go out there and try and strengthen my CV. You know, do something productive. I gave up my Saturday mornings and applied to a teaching assistants course (although when I found out it's not actually needed to become a teaching assistant I was slightly annoyed to say the least) and began volunteering at a local primary school.
Whilst still applying for a few jobs a day I was offered a job at a Caribbean restaurant and although deep down my heart loved working with children doing the volunteering I was doing, I knew I couldn't live off 10p a week and decline a paid job... so I scheduled a time for the induction.
But my luck suddenly changed and when I broke the news to the school I was at, they offered me a full time position! I am now doing something I'm passionate about and gaining experience (and money!) in a field that will certainly help me in what I want to do later in life. By no means do I ever have an easy or stress-free day, but there is not one evening that I come home and don't appreciate what I'm doing or rethink my potential career path.
I guess those months were just the pulling back of the arrow to let me shoot rightttt where I wanted to go.
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