It’s always nice to be recognised for one’s efforts and I was lucky enough to be nominated for PA of the Year in the “Interim” category, thanks to a very wonderful ex-boss that I worked with earlier this year. After the initial nomination and acknowledgement, I was invited for interview at a London location and then found out via e-mail just a week later that I’d made it through to the overall finals, along with three other nominees in the same category.

On 7 November, I rolled up to the Ivy in my finery for an absolutely wonderful evening. I had to chance to meet some fantastic fellow PAs, not to mention sample some of the loveliest wine and well-cooked food around. There were around 60 of us in all, of which 13 were PAs up for awards in various categories. In addition to my fellow nominees in the “Interim” category, there were also potential award winners in the “Legal”, “Social Networking” and straightforward “PA of the Year” categories.

Although I didn’t win overall, I’m completely blown away to have made it to the grand finals after finding out that these awards attracted in excess of 130 applications. I’ve got a lovely certificate out of it, along with a renewed and increased confidence and self worth. A great big dollop of appreciation and thanks goes to my ex-boss at the OIA, Rob Behrens, who is an absolute gentleman and a joy to work with, along with the wonderful bods that put these awards on; namely secsinthecity.co.uk.

My blog can be found at: http://dena850.wordpress.com/

My deadline is fast approaching (four days, to be exact), and I still can’t face the thought of having to leave the area. The good news is that there are lots of irons in the fire right now – on the strength of a telephone interview yesterday I have a face to face interview on Friday, coupled with an interview tomorrow and another on Thursday at other companies.

I had a third interview at a firm last Wednesday, which I’m STILL waiting to hear back on. I was quite hopeful about that job but given the length of time now elapsed I’m not optimistic any more, so I’m concentrating my efforts elsewhere. Luckily, the consultant who put me forward for that position has submitted my CV for another contract role starting on Monday.

In a nutshell, that’s it. I have to say in all my years of being employed/job hunting, I’ve never known the market to be this bad. Despite the reports on the news about how the economy is meant to be picking up, I don’t believe a word of it. People are staying in their jobs and those who don’t generally don’t appear to be replaced, especially on the administrative support side of things.

Still, as I mentioned in a previous blog (“The mindset”), it’s important for me to remain positive, so here I am, staying hopeful. The fat lady hasn’t quite sung yet…

Please check out my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com 

Weeks on the intensive job hunt so far: six

Agencies registered with: at least 10

Job applications submitted: MILLIONS…!

Interviews gained: five (three of which are next week)

Return on applications: approximately 15%

Job offers: none

The numbers aren’t looking good at the moment, it has to be said. My deadline is fast approaching and I’m starting to look worriedly around my flat wondering what I can keep, what can go into storage and what should be thrown away.

I’m starting to get a return on my efforts, though, albeit minimal. I’ve registered with some more agencies, all of which I’m pleased to say have been wonderful, and I’ve had some great interview experience with some true professionals at a small number of companies around the area. My position as it stands is that I had an interview last week for an interim job a few miles away and a third interview at a local firm just this morning (I really liked that place today, so I’m hoping I get an offer). Next week, I have a telephone interview on Monday, another interview on Wednesday then another on Thursday. 

The numbers are stacking up. Will the returns….?

Please check out my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com 

As that well-known advert says, “Every little helps”.  In this case, Deskdemon and PA Enterprise magazine have helped by publishing an interview with me! Enjoy!

It’s still fairly quiet on the job hunting front, save for two interviews at two separate but equally lovely companies. Fingers, toes and eyes are still firmly crossed in the hope that I get the holy grail of a job offer within the next two weeks….

http://www.deskdemon.com/dnet/userpage_ar.php?page_id=950

Please check out my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com 

An ongoing job search yielding few results can be incredibly soul destroying. Application after application turns into a blur and after a while you’re losing track as to how many companies and agencies you’ve sent your CV to. What makes things worse is apart from an automated e-mail acknowledgement, you know in your heart that you probably won’t hear anything further.

I’m pretty much at that point right now. I have a non-negotiable deadline of a month today (3 June) to get a job paying what I need it to pay. If that deadline passes then I have to give my landlord notice and move over 100 miles away from the area I live, to live with my parents. For a woman of my age that’s an almost unthinkable prospect, especially given that work in the area my parents are is scarce at best and very badly paid. 

Yes, things are getting desperate. Since my agency appointment last week, I’ve had another meeting with a different agency, plus I have another meeting booked for this coming Friday. I’ve lost count at the amount of jobs I’ve applied for; it must be between 10 and 20 per week. Although my preference is to work in Reading town centre, I’m looking county-wide and even looking in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and London. My problem is that no agencies seem to have anything on their books and I’m getting little return on my job hunting efforts. This is a dangerous time, not only for my bank balance and independence, but also for my mindset.

However, it’s essential to maintain a healthy and positive outlook, even when things do seem hopeless. If you let despair take hold then it’s likely that you’ll end up losing hope. So cheer up! Go for a walk, have a break from job hunting for an evening or so. Spoil yourself with a bath, buy a (cheap) bottle of plonk or just have a bit of “you” time. Call a friend and have a chat, watch a mindless DVD or jump round the living room to some energetic music for a bit. Get constructive – make an action plan and a list of new places to send your CV to. Even getting angry is better than losing hope; go punch the bed if you have to – getting the aggression out of your system can be very cathartic.

So my seemingly impossible quest for gainful employment continues – for a month at least…

Please check out my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com/

It’s a well-known fact among serial temps that the first hurdle to any temping contract is the employment agency. These agencies come in all shapes and sizes; from the tiny independent operating from home, to the UK-wide chains, commonly spotted nestling above shops in the local high street. They can range from very good to very bad, but good or bad experiences are generally subjective and dependent on when you register and who you deal with.

I’m currently temping through a wonderful agency; my contact there has been established at the branch for a few years now and I’ve had many dealings with him on both sides of the table, so to speak, mainly when I was looking to employ an assistant myself (in a past life when I was permanently employed). It’s reassuring to know that I don’t have to keep chasing him to find out what’s happening with my job hunt; I know that he’ll call if something comes up. However, that’s obviously not the case with every agency I’ve dealt with (brace yourself: token horror story alert).

Another agency I registered at some time ago were fantastic – the consultant and I hit it off immediately and she found me a placement very soon after. However, I’ve tried registering with the agency since and her colleague seems extremely disinterested. I’ve tried calling and e-mailing but I’m not getting any response. It’s a shame, as I could potentially be earning this consultant some serious commission! Another agency I tried registering with had actually forgotten I was booked in and I ended up having to wait around for ages for each step of the process because the consultants were out of the office. That appointment took almost three hours and was utterly fruitless.  I also remember another agency I registered with some time ago putting me through the ringer (almost literally). Registration was scarily regimented and I was pleasantly surprised not to have a barcode tattooed on my forearm at the end of the appointment (which was, again, fruitless).

Which brings me to my agency experience today. It was never going to be spectacular; I had to virtually sprint from my office, dodging the half term families strolling along the street, out for a rainy day shopping expedition. I had to wear my sensible flat shoes that put me at the approximate height of a child, and I had less than an hour to travel to and from the office (including a cosy 15 minute jog each way). After I’d completed the forms, I was briefly interviewed by a very nice, if seemingly a little distant, consultant. I fully appreciate that I’m probably the umpteenth person through the door today looking for work, so I can understand her feeling as if she were just going through the motions. I did have to confirm with her that she had no suitable vacancies, though, and she didn’t give me a business card either. Still, I have an appointment with another agency on Monday morning that I’ve dealt with in the past and they’ve always been very good, so here’s hoping.

I’ve temped in various parts of the UK; in three separate countries (and probably about 10 different counties), and I’ve found agencies to be very similar whether they’re chains or not, irrespective of location. In the current market, it’s an employer’s field; there aren’t that many vacancies right now and those that do crop up get filled very quickly. Both consultants and job seekers have their work cut out to get placements and an agency is only as good as its current consultants and candidates.

Ultimately – and this is going to sound hugely mercenary – it’s up to consultants to spot and focus on their most employable candidates, which involves really getting to know the people that register. Why? It maintains the good reputation of the agency and earns the consultant commission. It’s also up to me, as a jobseeker, to make myself as employable as possible, which will sometimes involve me bending over backwards and having that metaphorical barcode tattooed on my forearm after all.

So my hunt for permanent employment (via the temping route) continues. Next…!

Please visit my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com/

Welcome to my new blog. I’ve been searching for a job for about a month or so, and in collaboration with those lovely people at deskdemon, I’ve decided to start writing a blog about my seemingly never-ending search for gainful employment.

Just to fill you in (after all, I could be anyone!) I’m an administration professional with about 15 years’ experience as a senior level PA (including CEO and Board). I’ve also managed to get a few years’ worth of very enjoyable PR and copywriting experience under my belt in my spare time, thanks to working for a high profile UK-based progressive rock group on a voluntary basis.

I guess my ideal job would be to use my administration skills to get a foot in the back door of a copywriting or PR-type position, possibly within the media or music industry. However, back in the real world, I’m more than happy to capitalise on my administration experience and utilise my PA skills. Size of company is immaterial as I’ve worked for all sorts of organisations in the past My skills are inherently transferable, and as for location I’d rather something closer to home (which is Reading), but I’ll travel for the right position. I’m flexible, proactive, well organised, a good team player, reliable, unflappable and approachable with a healthy dollop of good humour. Coupled with a lot of senior experience, bagging a job shouldn’t be that difficult, right?

Wrong. Despite a great relationship with a number of agencies and my job hunt taking up a lot of my time, my virtual pile of rejection e-mails grows exponentially. I have a great CV that reflects a varied but steady career progression but the jobs just don’t seem to be out there at the moment.

At present I’m temping at a wonderful company in Reading town centre, but the contract will be coming to an end fairly shortly, so my job hunt has started in earnest. I have no idea as to when I need to find something (the company don’t know themselves as yet) but it should be anything between two and four weeks. That sort of timeframe is somewhat concerning when I have to support myself. After all, my witty repartee and amazing good looks will only get me so far… *

Please wish me luck, dear reader, in finding a new job. I hope you’ll find this blog entertaining, and with any luck it will reflect the trials and tribulations of trying to find gainful employment in a somewhat lean and very employer-orientated market.

* That was a joke, obviously…!

Please visit my blog page here: http://dena850.wordpress.com/