Your flexible friend...?

I actually started to write this post at 2am this morning - I didn't publish it then as I thought it might need reviewing but here goes. I had an attack of Sunday night insomnia - something I usually associate with the apprehension of the start of a new working week and all the tasks that need to be completed in a short space of time. This, for obvious reasons was not the cause of my insomnia (which - might I add was exacerbated by husband's VERY loud snoring!) I took myself off to the living room, made a hot chocolate, chucked a quilt on the sofa and settled down for the night; realising sleep was evading me I thought I would jot some thoughts down for my blog.

The cause of my insomnia was flexibility. Having spent the weekend in Manchester visiting my friend Emma from uni, I got thinking about the job market in general, and if there are geographical differences in the demand for candidates, or is it just difficult to find a job everywhere in the UK right now? I'm the first to admit that it's a lot tougher looking for a job than it was the last time I looked, and the question being asked by practically every recruiter at the moment is: "how flexible are you?" My response to this is "very." My cause for concern is how that one little word is interpreted: how flexible is very flexible? Should I be considering relocating to find employment? My immediate reaction is no, my husband has a good, stable job (touch wood) in London so relocating is out of the question for me, but in my saying I am very flexible - should I be considering locations other than London and the South East or is my flexibility purely salary and contract based?

I've had a look at some recruitment ads for Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham etc and was surprised to find that the traditional gap in salaries is closing, many roles are offering better packages to those advertised in London. If I wasn't happily married and settled in London I probably would be better off moving up north for a new job. If I moved up north then I imagine at some point in the not too distant future, I would be able to afford a house of my own. Living in London, credit crunch or no credit crunch, buying a property is just not possible (well I have to get a job first for it even to become a remote possibility!) Anyhow, moving up north is out of the question so I guess I'll have to continue my search in London Town.

When I was in Manchester, I rallied the girls into going to a nice big Irish pub to watch Ireland v England, I had conned them into becoming plastic Paddies for the day - you can imagine their horror when they clocked it was an England match! Anyhow, being 2nd generation Irish I was delighted with the score - was a cracking match and with a bit of luck Ireland may even get the grand slam. Just before we set off for the pub I spoke to my Dad who was checking that I had found a suitable drinking establishment to cheer on the boys. Now, my Dad is someone I go to when I want a bit of reassurance, advice, morale boosting and maybe even a sub of some cash now I am officially unemployed - he's great for making me feel good about myself: he is sure that the right job is out there waiting for me, I just need to find it. He works for one of the "Big 4" and has instilled in me that if you work hard and are dedicated you'll get to the top. I told him how things were going, that I did have a 2nd interview but "other candidates had more applicable experience" so I didn't get through to the next stage. Upon hearing this (now wait for it, if you're of a delicate nature I suggest sitting down) - my trusted, reliable Daddy darling tells me that "KFC & Asda are recruiting - why don't I try there?!" HELLO - I go to Asda to get my cheap groceries (I used to be a Sainsburys girl but they're too pricey now) and I go to KFC after a drunken night out, getting my bargain bucket full of greasy chicken and perhaps some corn on the cob to ease my guilty conscience. Sensing my shock, Dad tops it off by saying, "well, beggars can't be choosers - they are recruiting and you're the one banging on about flexibility!!!" So there we go, it all boils down to flexibility and I'm beginning to think that I'm not so flexible after all, if I was, I'd be taking a job in central Manchester serving up greasy chicken to the drunken masses!

Moving on from my shock I can report that I am still doing the right thing: calling my contacts, applying for jobs and chasing those recruiters that still haven't got back to me. It saddens me to say that after having some really good face-to-face conversations a couple of weeks ago with two potential recruiters, (who promised me feedback) that I am still waiting to find out what they thought of me. It's a good job I'm made of tough skin otherwise I would get paranoid and would be offended by their communication short-falls. Some of my friends have suggested that I take up writing after reading my blog (que beaming smiles). That's a lovely compliment but I don't think now is the right time to be changing career. I have a sneaky feeling that the moment I took up writing as a profession my creative juices would stop flowing, anyhow, I'm passionate about marketing and recruitment so surely there must be a role out there where I can utilise all my skills? On a personal note, I've started my training and am pleased to report that I am indeed getting faster, I did 6km in 31 minutes the other day which I was jolly impressed with. I've set myself the goal of being able to run 21km in 16 weeks time on the treadmill - (that's half marathon distance). I've figured if I am able to do the distance by then on the treadmill then road running in September should be a doddle...

So, I start week 3 of unemployment realising that running and my blog are keeping me occupied, I have the potential to be a writer and I'm not actually that flexible. I have a meeting arranged for Wednesday which sounds promising but I'm keeping the details of that under my hat. There are also some serious contract possibilities coming up. I would be over-joyed if I didn't have to spend next Monday morning with the SW16 degenerates so keep your fingers crossed for me!!!