My job search

Something I haven't mentioned. I haven't worked since November 1st last year. I decided that life is too short to be doing something that you don't feel joyous about 80% of the time and if I'm going to have leukaemia and not know when I'm about to pop my clogs then I had better bloody well enjoy my working life.

So I took 2 and a half months off to cycle, be with the family, organise the preschool Christmas fair and little else. It's been uterly wonderful frankly.But now I've started looking for a new job.

I did do a careers counselling course while I was having time off which was great, it helped me to clarify exactly where my skills and aptitudes lay. No ones actually ever done an appraisal of me so I thought I should get someone to do one. It was a great process to go through. I talked to all my old bosses and a load of people who've worked for me over the years and asked what I was best at and happily my people management skills came out very favourably, but more surprisingly my creative abilities came out really strongly. I've never particularly thought of myself as a creative being, but I think what it is, is that I'm a decent conduit. What that means is I hate silences and en passes in meetings and I tend to be the one who pipes up and says, errrr have we thought about this direction. It means that while I don't come up with good ideas I facilitate them fairly well.

It's been quite hard work changing focus and I've been applying for all sorts of weird and wonderful roles, but I have my first interview tomorrow for a recruitment consultancy. To become a recruitment consultant.

'You're fucking kidding me' I hear you say and yes that's what I would have said but damn they're a good company. Fabulous employer, the owner has won the Sunday Times small business leadership award twice in the last 4 years, the benefits are incredible. There is an option to take up to a 3 month sabattical every 4 years, half paid, half unpaid if you wish. The whole model works on a minimal commission basis so there's no cold calling or pushing people into the wrong roles to make your £500, it's a completely relationship led business.

So I'm going for a chat (interview) tomorrow. I had quite a long conversation with the owner at the beginning of this week and stated that the job sounds great, they're a company I'd love to work for, but the recruitment consultancy bit puts me off. She did laugh but said it's the best job she's ever had and she came from an agency background herself and I should come in and talk to a couple of the other business heads. I do believe her, well she's won those leadership awards hasn't she, she's good at persuading people.

Only problem is it's 9 years since I did an interview, so I'm slightly nervous. The nerves got to me a bit the other day and I went out and bought 2 new shirts and 3 new ties just to feel fresh. I didn't really consider that I can't actually wear them all at the same time.