The end of my Marketing career as I know it???

I read a recent blog piece talking about the pressures of writing a blog; there is a constant nagging feeling that you should ALWAYS have to have something to write about, that there are people eagerly waiting to read about your exploits – and this is true! The dichotomy of writing a blog about unemployment and trying every trick in the book to get a new job is that you quickly run out of things to write about as life becomes simple and boring! I have gone from writing 3 blog pieces in my first month to one every 6 weeks. It just so happens that I have “stuff” to write about now! I have been living this roller-coaster life called unemployment and at this moment in time I feel like I have come to the end of my tether, so I thought I should share this with you, partly for a cathartic exercise and the pressure to write another blog post was getting too much!

Firstly - I’ve reached a landmark date in my unemployment: I have my 13 week appointment at the Jobcentre plus office. Not only will I be subjected to having to sign-on at 9.10am but I will have to hang around the Jobcentre plus office with the SW16 degenerates for a whole hour and half until I have my meeting on the first floor (I sign-on on the 3rd floor). At this meeting, we will discuss how my search is going, why I haven’t got a job yet (hmmmm, let me see – maybe it has something to do with the recession?!) and finally to look at what other jobs I have the skills to do. If I don’t have the skills perhaps I could be re-trained? I totally understand why I have to be subjected to this trauma, but why oh why must I go? I am intelligent, have attended loads of interviews, know how to apply for jobs and I also know how to make myself as visible online as possible. The prospect of having to explain to these numpties the complexities of financial years, and that the market is indeed picking up and I WILL get a proper job soon makes me want to slit my wrists. The thought of having to take an admin assistant job paying £16k a year fills me with horror. My degree (and the subsequent debt) feels like it was done for nothing, my years of office management, people management and HR training was for nothing, my taking a brave jump into the world of marketing, training up and working on getting my CIM Professional Diploma was for nothing, gaining oodles of online knowledge and running successful, engaging campaigns was for nothing! I suddenly feel like my destiny has been taken away from me and I am to become yet another paper-pushing, good for nothing Civil Servant whose reply to a member of public in need of assistance would be “the computer says no!”

My frustration has been compounded by being on the receiving end of incompetence in my job search. As mentioned in previous blogs, I have a brilliant relationship with Spotlight recruitment – they are a lovely bunch and are REALLY trying to get me working. A 3 month contract became available for a publishing company (I’m not mentioning their name as I’m quite cross and it wouldn’t be professional). I had previously attended an interview with their sister company so felt quietly confident, out of 6 CVs submitted they only wanted to see me which was a great boost. I met with the publisher, it was a strange interview - he spoke at me rather than asked me questions but I made sure I showed my relevant work and left with a feeling that I did my upmost best. The role was to segment their database, clean it, and develop targeted marketing messages so they can increase their ROI via various e-shots. A big but satisfying job; despite a lack of job description and being spoken at during the interview I was up for it, after all, it’s only for 3 months. Post interview I was told (and I quote) “The job’s yours if you want it.” Yee Ha!!!!! Work, money, I may be able to go to a few festivals this year – yippee!!! I even started to write a blog to you lot to say ciao for now! Anyhow, I get invited to meet the team which I eagerly accepted. The offices are just off the Goswell Road in a warehouse, the staff dress in “Camden chic” attire so I rock up in smart / casual clothes, with just a hand-bag to find I am indeed having an impromptu 2nd interview! SHOCK HORROR, I am totally unprepared and with-out my portfolio (queue disguised panic). I fluffed up a few times but feedback was good. I then received a text from Nicola at Spotlight asking me to call her on Tuesday (I was bridesmaid in Croatia at one of Best Friend’s wedding last weekend so I asked Nicola to text rather than call with news) – they had some further questions before I start. I followed up with an email. Suddenly the goal posts have been moved: do I have Quark, HTML & Java script?! Excuse me – I went for a marketing job, not a web developer’s job. So, this afternoon, I have gone from having a 3 month contract in the bag to having it retracted due to employer incompetence and wanting something for nothing: OOH – I COULD CRUSH A GRAPE!!!!!

What is it with recruiters thinking they can get candidates to jump through rings of fire at the moment? I’d had celebratory drinks, I’d updated my Twitter & Facebook status to say I had a 3 month contract, people congratulated me, I started to make plans, I started to smile and enjoy life again for it all to be taken away just like that – it’s wrong. I would have preferred to have not had an interview at all, rather than my hopes lifted and then dashed. It even reduced me to tears this afternoon: I have just had enough of it all.

There are lots of tools out there to help candidates get a job but what is the point in having these tools if recruiters think its ok to mislead candidates? I like Jamie et al have had a look round Workthing + and I absolutely love it. Just one problem: I don’t have £15 a month to spend down the pub or on nice M & S food let alone on finding the tools that will help me get a new job. To be honest with you, if a recruitment consultant is going to get 10 – 20% of my salary as a fee once they place me , then they should be briefing me, prepping me and giving me all the tools I need to get me a job. The problem being, there just aren’t the right amount of jobs out there at the moment and I can’t see how 50p a day out of my limited income of £64 a week is going to help me find employment (not when I used to give candidates advice on how to nail that job – very ironic that I should now be expected to pay to receive similar advice to what I have previously written!)

So chaps & chapettes, this is a plea: when you’re given a brief from a recruiter, make sure they fully know what they want, tell them not to muck candidates around as it’s just not fair. Ask them about internal candidates: I have now been pipped to the post 4 times over an internal candidate; totally understandable but so frustrating. One other thing, if you need someone who is desperate to get back to work, who is a great copy-writer (ask Jamie – I’ve been doing some bits and bobs for him), is passionate about marketing and campaign management, is a dab hand at utilising social media and wants to save her career from the jobs-worth down the SW16 centre for degenerates then I’m your girl! It’s my birthday on Saturday so finding a job – even if it is only for a month or so would be the best birthday present this South London girl could ask for.