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Published on Leave a comment on The first day of the future…

So, that came as a bit of a shock I have to say. Yesterday afternoon I got a call from recruitment at my number one choice of jobs, to say I had been successful in my application and that they would like to offer me the role, complete with a start date of August 12th. That is the date that my training would begin IF I accepted the role. After a moment of shock, and checking this was not a joke or a mistake, I expressed my delight (and surprise) and of course said I would accept the offer. 

Since that moment there have been a range of thoughts and emotions about the matter, as well as a lot of frantic planning to get myself sorted for that date. So let me run through some of them now,

Initially as I say I was pleasantly surprised, having come away from the interview feeling I had done my best, but having the niggling feeling that there would be a lot of candidates, and my chances were slimmer than some. Obviously I was wrong there, and this is one of those occasions I am happy to admit being wrong haha. The next step of course was to let those nearest to me know the outcome.So a barrage of WhatsApp messages were sent, as well as a couple of slightly cryptic social media posts. I am comfortable telling those closest to me all the details, but I assume like most, a little more guarded with details for the time being, "just in case, for the rest of the world.

After that, the next thought was more about money. From the start of the redundancy process I have been aware that I was getting a decent settlement, but that was a finite amount of money that would only last so long. Naturally I started looking for jobs immediately, and was fortunate enough to be offered a couple of them. One I could start when I was ready, another I passed all the interviews etc, but just needed to wait for a role to become available. Of course I had my redundancy buffer, so that was never a stress. Because of these opportunities, I have to say I have been lucky enough not to be in a position of panic or concern about the future in that regard. The only question was, what job out of the list I had would I decide to go with.

So a quick recap of the timeline of things. 
January we were told redundancies were possible.
End of Jan the first formal meeting discussing the possibilities.
Feb I started applying for jobs, and having interviews
March I had my first two provisional offers, with a 3rd on the table. 

By this point I was content that the roles available to me ticked the boxes of what I wanted to do moving forward, mainly "make a difference every day".

In April I was made aware of the role I have just accepted. After a bit of back and forth discussing it, and some deep thought, I decided that this was really a job I would love to do. It ticks all the boxes, it is something I think I am more than capable of doing, and the thought of getting it really excited me. So I put my application in. After a few days I got a notification of passing the initial sift, and going through to a simulation exercise to test abilities. I did that as soon as I could, and to my delight I received an email saying I had been invited for an interview. 

I had hoped for, but not expected to get through to the interview stage. A couple of weeks later in May I went to the interview (last week) and as we all know by now, got a call yesterday afternoon telling me I had been successful and was made a provisional offer, and given the start date. 

Now in the midst of all this, I had been quietly planning for worst case scenario, and having to go with my bottom of the pile job offer. The plan if it came to it was to take the summer off, go to the USA for a few weeks and get stuck into the new job in September. Given the level of my self confidence at times, I had been looking at flights, and kennels for mid August. They do say plan for the worst, hope for the best. 

So now getting this offer to start in mid August, the holiday plans need addressing. First port of call, contact the kennels and see if they can accommodate us for those dates. On the grand scheme of things, the holiday is something that can happen another time if need be, but it would be nice to hit the reset button before getting stuck into the 4th job of my life, and hopefully my last one. We shall see on that one.

One of the nicer things about having a clearer road ahead now is that I now have an idea of what is happening money wise. I know what my new income will be, I know what I will be paid in redundancy, so can plan ahead a little, and take the plunge on one or two things I have thought about. 

So back to the thought process. I spent most of yesterday researching the role a little more, seeing what my work / life balance looked like, and confirming a few things I was curious about. To be honest it is taking longer for it to sink in that I have got the job, than it did to accept I was being made redundant. I am still having daft thoughts about it now. 

Last night I went to bed and as my head hit the pillow I thought, "Michael is a common name, what if they picked up the wrong file and called the wrong Michael, and are now wondering how to tell me they made a mistake". Then it was mentioned to me about vetting and asking what level they do there. Obviously this has been something that has concerned me in the past too, so that got me worrying too. Again, no real reason for me to think I would not pass, but doubt shouts the loudest. 

I slept well, but was up early for a run this morning, and the first thoughts in my head were "imposter syndrome".. Do I really deserve this, did they really mean to call me etc.
It is important for me to say at this stage, I am not struggling, it is not bothering me much at all, but just instead a niggling voice of doubt in the back of my mind. I am sure as things progress, and I hear back with more info and details, I will feel more settled with it all, and most of all, believe in myself a little more. 

I am not panicking that I can't do the job, I am not worried I won't cope. I am confident with the actualities of the role, just guess I am still a little shocked. But honestly I think that is a good thing. I feel humble and "blessed" to have been afforded this opportunity, rather than cocky and over confident that I had it in the bag from the start. Anyone who knows me will know I would rather earn something on merit and feel I deserved it, rather than being given something I am "entitled to" on a platter. 

So, there we have it, the road ahead is starting to appear from the morning mist. From now til I start is 83 days. In that time I have my final day with Fedex in 10 days time, hopefully a trip to Florida in 65 days time, and I am sure a whole lot of information to process and absorb in the meantime. I don't know what will happen time scale wise with the new role, what I will hear and when, but know there are references to be done, and vetting too, so it will be an ongoing process until Day 1.

I am sure by next week I will be taking it all in my stride. But for now, I have a plan, I have a time scale of what I am doing next after leaving Fedex, so I can relax a little now, and enjoy the next 80 days or so.

So here's to today... The first day of my future.

 

Published on Leave a comment on Testing day for sure

I have known this day was coming for a couple weeks now, and quite honestly have done my best to bury my head in the sand about it, or that is how it felt compared to my normal approach. Not sure if its the right way to do things, but that is what it felt like. I suppose to some it is simply compartmentalising the matter until it is time to address it. When I say it like that, I change my statement, I was simply putting my thoughts about it on hold until nearer the time. Much better eh!

So this day, was a job interview for a role I can honestly say I would love. It transfers over some of my existing skills, and puts them to better use. Now I will caveat that by saying, I also don't think I have a huge chance at getting the role, but was always going to give it 100%, and try my hardest. If I am not the right man for the job when the decisions are made, so be it. I was hungry for it, and I tried. 

Now there are a few people out there who know the full story, but for the rest of you I will leave it as vague as that. Partially for dramatic purposes, and partially as it softens the blow when it goes no further. Even if it doesn't happen, I have the safety net of a couple of other roles in other fields that are open to me, but if I had to pick just one, it would be this one. 

Interviewing is not something I have done a lot of in recent years, although the last few months have seen a few at least. It is amazing how much the interview situations have changed over the years. Last time I interviewed properly was for Fedex in 2000. That was a simple get to know you, have a chat, show your skills, and wait for a call. There have been a couple since then, but also in the older style of getting to know you, rather than the structured format that most take these days.

Tell me a time when.... Give me an example of a time... Reply with structure, STAR... Geeez. OK I get it, it means everyone has the same chances, and interviews are not derailed by distractions, but some of it feels so false. Of the last few I have had before today two were structured with examples asked for, and the last was an old fashioned getting to know you, why you sort of interview. Two of the three went well to the point of job offers, so I guess I didn't do too badly.

Today however was a bit of a hybrid. As I said earlier I had managed not to overthink the day prior to it, went in with a clear head, but a bit of an insight into what to expect. Met from reception by the two people interviewing me, it was a few mins walk to the interview room. I tried to make some light hearted small talk on the way. When we got into the room I was told what the format would be, and that it would be almost an informal chat, with some questions along the way. I was told how long had been allowed for the interview, and that any variance should not be seen as any sort of sign, time was not a concern. So when I pointed out the clock perched on the  window frame behind one of their heads, there was a shocked and mortified reaction. They had been telling candidates all day not to worry about time, when there was a clock right behind their heads haha. It was OK and I said I was not worried by it, just making a joke.

As the interview went along I felt I was doing OK, answered quickly but with consideration. Having contemplated what some of the questions might be, I have prepped stories of talking a guy out of suicide, dealing with large scale traffic accidents etc. Needless to say there was no opportunity at any time to use any of the stories I prepped. Instead it was more about the teamwork side of things. While I was caught off guard, I felt like I remained composed and managed to give reasonable examples of applicable situations.

I had said at the start of the interview that I had been in the same role for 24 years, and was a little rusty with modern interview techniques. But given that I would like to think that I showed quiet confidence in my responses, and hopefully made a bit of sense too. 

Hearing how training works, and talking about any holidays I might have pre-booked always gives me a little lift, almost like they are interested in me, and want to know when I can start, but in reality I know these are just pieces of information for them to fill in on the forms, and not any kind of indicator. It is so frustrating being this close, having passed all the other stages, and feeling that the last step, the interview is my weakness. Not due to being incapable, just so out of the circuit having stuck with a job for this long. 

So now I wait. 2-3 weeks is what they have given as a reasonably realistic time to hear back. I checked that when we were wrapping up, and also asked about contact regardless of outcome, as some organisations are terrible for that. They confirmed I will hear back regardless. I am dreading seeing the email in my inbox, as I almost expect it to say "Dear Michael, thank you for attending, however unfortunately... " you know the rest. But we shall see, I have my fingers crossed, but not my hope locked in. 

As the interview wrapped the conversation returned to light-hearted chatter, which felt nice and relaxing. Interestingly my HR does not appear to have gone over 80 throughout the whole time, which was nice to see. Although I have to say I did feel at ease throughout. We had a nice chat on the way back to reception, and I took the opportunity to throw in a few more stories along the way, just to try and display my true colours.

One question that did arise was if while training I didn't understand something, what would I do. Obviously I was happy to say I would ask at the appropriate time, as I am always keen to learn new things, and gain new knowledge, so finding out the answer to the question is in my nature. Nerdy or what! 

Anyway, I just wanted to off load today onto the internet so I can sleep well tonight, without overthinking and over analysing it all. Under different circumstances I would have re-done the interview five times over by now, and answered the questions totally differently. I am pleased to say, as of writing this entry, I have not reconsidered any of my answered, although recall the questions quite well. 

Thanks for reading, and watch this space. This is the keystone to what happens next for me now, so lets see how it plays out. Will I have an extended summer holiday, will I go almost immediately from one role to the next.....