Dyspraxic Adults

hope the interview goes well

I had a phonecall from my manager yesteday evening, to confirm that I meet the criteria (and I should think so too!) of the job identified as a transfer possibility and that it's been agreed that the job will be put on hold for me to have the four week trial.

This is the single biggest bit of promising news that I've had in a very long time. At long last it's a chance to get a foothold in a job that is right for me.

It's by no means secure yet, but it's a start and a rare reason for me to feel hopeful.

I'm also doing my best to keep my emotions in check, I'm not going to get excited about this until I'm securely in the post full time.

And I still have the interview for the other job too

That is such good news!

So I begin a "phased" return to work on Monday.

The plan being to build me up to normal working hours before commencing my four week trial at my new job. I'll be going into the regional head offices to carry out some e-learning and some general admin type duties.

I'm relieved that I do not have to do my phased return within my old ward environment and also hopeful that this represents a fresh start for me.

I'm still not taking anything for granted though, in the back of my mind is the possibility that the job isn't officially mine until I pass the trial period. So until I receive formal confirmation that the job is permanently mine full time I will be treating it as an opportunity that is yet to be secured.

In truth I'm a little bit nervous, but this is normal since nerves accompany change and the adrenaline should be useful to help me focus and perform well.

Yet more bad news to share

I've been carrying out my phased return to work at the head offices, and it's gone relatively well. Everyone has been positive about me.

I've worked myself back up to full time hours in anticipation of my proposed trial period for my new role only to be informed today that the funding for that team has been reduced and there will no longer be a job available for me there.

So it's over before it even began, I didn't even get to do any of the trial period and now I feel like I'm back to square one again. And I've also been taken off the redeployment register.

I've been told that I can continue working where I am for the time being (i.e. continue with the phased return away from my old job), but it'd only be short term since they have no permanent vancancy there.

In the meantime, my manager will "support" me in looking for another job.

Otherwise the options are;

Returning to my old role which I detest and which makes me ill
Returning to my old role but at a different location, which soles none of the issues
Going back off sick again, risking a hearing and dismissal

I've had a couple of other job interviews in-between but as ever I've unsuccessful.

So.. yeah, I'm thoroughly fed up.

Jim

Sorry to hear that things are back to square 1 again! Do you have anything in writing anywhere concerning the trial post. Could you be instructing your Union Rep to be asking some serious questions on your behalf and/or making representations to managers at the senior level?

Appreciate you might prefer not to go through any additional stress. I hope another door will open somewhere for you soon and it will be one you can leap through with confidence.

Unfortunately nothing in writing, just verbal. And it's the "senior" management who have inadvertently messed it up by fidgeting with budgets.

I had a gut feeling that something like this would happen, I just knew that somehow somwhere an excuse would be found to not give me a this job.

It turns out that this time it was a higher level senior management decision, not the line management I've been dealing with, but if I get wind that this place recruits again anytime soon then I will complain.

So... I'm still stuck in limbo somewhat, in an unofficial temporarily role within my current employment. I'm quite happy and relaxed there, but I'm aware that it's not a secure future. To make things worse my NHS Trust has once again gone out for tender and it's now been confirmed that we'll be changing ownership and management yet again. So there is likely to be yet more overhauls in the future and yet more uncertainty.

And I think, this is having an impact with less internal vacancies currently arising, certainly I think this played a factor in my trail period being canceled before it even started.

However, I'm still applying for jobs outside of the trust, and I had an interview which went really well yesterday. Going by past results I can't say that I'm confident about it, but I am at least feeling positive since it was my best interview performance for a good few months, and good for little moral boost even if I don't get offered the job.

Now, only if my manager could get together with payroll and put me back on full pay.. which they should have done already for the past two months.

Well poo.

I didn't get the job.

So the gist of my last supervision at work was that I'm an asset to the organisational and team.. but unfortunately there isn't any budget to keep me there in an office role, there isn't anything within the company to deploy to because of other budgetary politics. There's every chance I'll be dismissed on grounds of ill health unless I'll go back to my old role... which would push me back to ill health.

So it's a bit pessimistic on that front.

However.. I've got three (yes three) job interviews lined up with the next two weeks. Including one arranged today when I received a 'head hunt' call from a recruiter who read my CV of one of those many job/CV sites.

That's one of the very few times my CV has ever got me an interview without me first having found the advert and applied in the usual way.

So... yeah... staring unemployment in the face, very worried intimidated etc... but three interviews lined up, so actually feeling positive and determined.

Good luck with the interviews

I hope the NHS come to realise what they are throwing away.

It's a bit of a emotional rollercoaster for me at the moment, I've now got four interviews lined up next week, with two of them falling on the same day. So there's got to be something in my applications which looks good.

I've attended two interviews this week already, which have both been unsuccessful for me. Again, I really put my back into my preparation and felt I did everything I could have done. But I'm just not getting that break through, it's so dispiriting. It's almost as though the nearer I get the further away I'm actually am.

The feedback this week hasn't been particularly helpful either, I've asked for feedback and elaboration both times but haven't received anything I can practically learn from.

One said that I "was too detailed in my answers" and couldn't elaborate further, so what does that mean? I am too good for the job? Or did they think I wouldn't be focused?

The other basically trotted out the generic patter "you did well, have the attributes blah de blah, we interviewed a lot of people blah... someone else did better". Ok fine, but what did they do better?

I sometimes wonder.. If simply walk around with an aura which says "do not employ this man".

Hi Jim

You might already know this, but they reckon an interview is decided within five minutes of the applicant walking into the interview room. Also, something small that sways it the most is a smile - so, if you don't already, smile as you walk in.

A friend of mine used to sometimes have to interview job applicants (he's not in that job now) and he told me the interviewers get nervous too, that knowledge might help. You're doing absolutely fantastic with getting all these interviews. Good luck!

In my case it must be decided within five seconds of walking through the door for I seem to have a sign above my head which says "do not employ this man"

I'm going to be very busy with interviews next week for I now have five (oui cing) arranged.

On Monday I'm in Watford,
A rare day off on Tuesday, unless that gets booked up as well,
Two interviews on Wednesday, Harpenden in the morning and London in the afternoon,
Borehamwood on Thursday.
And finally on Friday in Luton.

Having a week choca with interviews like this could be pretty much unprecedented for nearly anyone.

I think I'm going to be exhausted, but I really hope that at least one of them brings me that breakthrough because the amount of rejections I'm getting has long passed the realm of ridiculous.

Wow, I'm glad this week is over. I actually ended up having six interviews in the end and I feel quite exhausted by it.

I've been to Watford, Harpenden, St Pancras, Borehamwood, Aylsebury and finally Luton. So I've coverd a fair distance and area this week.

I've already been informed that I was unsuccessful at St Pancras and Harpendon. I knew the St Pancras would turn out unsuccessful because the interview didn't go very well at all, but the Harpendon one did and they gave excellent me feedback, in end I didn't offered the job because another candidate was more experienced.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the other four, I feel most positive about the Borehamwood and Aylesbury ones as I felt that these went really well. I don't feel too good about Watford or Luton though.

I've got one more invitation as well now, for next week this time in Northampton.