Baaargh so fed up and frustrated.

[Jim]

I have another interview lined up


Excellent.

[screengreen]

Having been through 3 NHS interviews recently and been successful (hence new job see my other posts) I moved as a result of bullying though I did not quite say that in my exit interview.

May I suggest a few things both for the interview and to make sure you do not do as I think I may have done and jump out of the frying pan into the fire.

Saying that you seem quite clued into what your organisation are offering in terms of redeployment so you may be a bit wiser than me who just needed to get out.
1) get the person spec and think of examples of how you meet it then practice articulating that either to friends and family just say it out loud
2) find out if your organisation do mentoring I made use of this to prepare for mediation [ that never happened because I left] and to prepare for my exit interview, but they may be able to help you preparing for interviews [internal or external]

3) Ask enough questions about your new position to ensure that it will be suitable, if I had done this I would not be in a role with no admin support and other staff relatively new in post.

Good luck with the interview I know how exhausting it can be going to interviews


Sorry if this comes across as patronising

[Jim]

Thanks Screen, my latest interview was on Friday, they prepared the interview process really quite well and asked probably the most detailed questions I've had in a job interview for a long time, I even found myself forgetting what the questions were half way through my answers!

But it actually went quite well and they seemed pleased with my answers. I've had three recent NHS job interviews now, the first was a disaster and the other two have gone quite well.

I won't know for a couple of days if I get this job or not, (and I'm trying to be as dispassionate as I can) I think it depends a lot on the competition on the day and is now partly down to luck because I am preparing for and performing in interviews to the best of my ability and receiving encouraging reactions to my answers. I'm positively confident I have picked the right job role for me now, I just wish I got there ten years ago

I wouldn't be sure about jumping from the frying pan to the fire, as I'm pretty sure that I've actually been in the very deepest depths of the furnace already, and I hear on the grapevine that things at my current workplace (I'm still signed off work) have gone from worse to catastrophic. It was going that way anyway, but I gather the decline has really accelerated because they've lost some of the key people who were holding the place together including myself. But this is what happens when systematically deteriorating working conditions are mixed with office politics.

[screengreen]

Sounds like you are pretty sorted, and will have remember to ask for feed back from your interviews, like you one of my interviews was completely disastrous, but the feedback was useful all the same. Good luck with your search, hope you find a job you love soon!

[Jim]

Well, I've been unsuccessful again

They let me know this afternoon, they said I did really well and got the 3rd best score on the questions and I got full marks on the typing test. It's just that old snag that there was someone that little bit better on the day again.

I've just got to keep chipping away at it, I know I've found the right field for me now and my luck has to turn soon.

[Tom fod]

Keep going you'll get there.Whoever it is will get a valuable new addition to their team!

[screengreen]

Keep on keeping on....Good luck with your continuing search, by the way I amazed that admin is your thing but then I am dyslexic as well so I try to avoid admin like the plague but dyspraxia is a bit [just a bit] like autism in that when you have met one dyspraxic person you have met one dyspraxic person (adapted from Temple Grandin...she said it of autistic people) we are all so different yet share common frustrations!

[Jim]

I'm too am dual diagnosed as dyslexic and Dyspraxic.

My difficulties with speech, handwriting, short term memory etc on the face of it would seem detrimental to a admin based role. The good thing is that admin is largely computerised and the technology can help with many of these difficulties. For example I could use a dictaphone to make taking minutes easier, word processing software makes editing and correcting written information easier and quicker.

I've been around computers from an early age which has resulted in an intuitive ability to find my way around a keyboard, user interface and application software.

IT were my stronger subjects at school. I took office applications at GCSE and I achieved A*, and although my A level in computer science wasn't sucessful as I found learning new programming languages to be a step to far for me, my tutor was impressed with my aptitude for systems analysis.

I am then at the very least computer literate, I can touch type and am at home with most desktop publishing applications.

I've also taken on more recently courses in business management and business administration which both have returning very positive results for me.

So most of my strengths are applicable to admin and it's here that I'm beginning to find my comfort zone.

[Jim]

Finally... I've got another job interview lined up, funnily enough at the same Human Resources department who are dealing with my so called "redeployment".

Progress has been slow recently, there hasn't been many vacancies worth applying to and I've also moved house in the last week, we're still living amongst card board boxes and clutter.

Today I applied to about 8 jobs and got a rejection on one off them within an hour of applying for it.. thats how harsh the job market can get

I've successfully completed my diploma in business administration as well, the tutor said it had been a pleasure to mark work as detailed and thorough as mine.

[screengreen]

hope the interview goes well

[Jim]

It didn't it was an unmitigated disaster. Nerves built up within me and crippled my thought process.

But, I had another interview today at a different employer which went a bit better. I'm trying not to get my hopes up though.

[Jim]

Whilst I'm waiting to hear back from those two interviews, I've got yet another lined up towards the end of the month.

Well, I just wish I was as good at getting jobs as I seem to be at getting interviews

[screengreen]

Just hope you don't do what I have done and jump from the frying pan into the fire!! It feels like you can cut the atmosphere where I am working with a knife and I don't know how I have upset my colleague.

[Jim]

This saga is still rolling on

Still no closer to getting a new job. I'm currently organizing my "second formal meeting" at work which is designed to get me back to my current job, which I don't want because it's slowly killing me from the inside. Although I managed to get occupational health (who I'm not too impressed with at the moment) to recommend a return to "non clinical" duties, if this can be provided for me, and I don't know how long for because it's likely to be temporary basis as it's not an official role change.

I don't know yet, but I envisage dismissal or redundancy as a increasingly likely prospect.

I'm having my CV professionally re-written in an effort to attract more interest from non NHS employers. If I'm honest I am quite skeptical of this, but the first draft has drastically improved my personal profile and yet described me accurately so I will be interested to see if it catches any recruiters eye.

I've had a few interviews since my last post here, but still no joy and I admit that I'm finding it difficult not to feel dispirited about it, especially since some people I know of have have practically walked straight into new jobs recently at first or second attempts.

Still, I shall sally forth.

[Tom fod]

Jim

Glad to read you're still persisting. I hope you have a positive outcome soon.

Are you a Union member? (Unison?) and/or have you sought their assistance/representation? I can equally appreciate you may prefer not to seek their engagement. But maybe an idea/avenue if you hadn't already considered/tried it?

All the best