If studying, having 4 kids, running Mini Peas, and working 2 days a week wasn’t enough to keep me busy I went and applied for a new job which will see me double (or more EEK!) my hours in the office. It’s a big step up if I get it and will make me feel better about me. I’ve been in a low level position for 7 years now and while it has suited our family and has great benefits I’m starting to feel very unsatisfied and dread going to work. The type of work I do has changed dramatically since I started to the point it’s become a monotonous data entry job which is not fulfilling in any sense of the word.
I enjoyed the position when it was finance based and varied. I felt like I contributed to the team and made a difference. When our department merged with a bigger one my role was centralised and made redundant. I had baby number 4 not long after so it wasn’t too much of a drama to start with, but once I returned from maternity leave, I knew that I couldn’t stay in the same role for long. And thus, began the job hunt.
I have been fairly particular about what job I was looking for. I wanted a certain level, in the same area, that was part-time and hopefully allowing me to finish before 3 so I can get the girls from school. There were a couple of almost matches that didn’t feel quite right so I stopped looking over November and December. After coming back from the Christmas break, I did a quick scan and found an advert for a2 jobs in my same department at the level I wanted. I emailed the contact to ask about part time arrangements and was told they are happy to accommodate flexible working arrangements so I started my application.
I find it really hard to talk myself up. I see most of what I do or have done as run of the mill, basic interactions. My husband helped me to make my experience sound epic! According to him I am Mulan and saved China. There were no lies on my application just carefully worded statements and examples, and a bigger confidence in myself than when I started.
I got a call less than 2 weeks after submitting my application asking me to interview, less than 48 hours later. On the phone I was told they were very excited about my application which made me feel great! They let me dictate when the interview was, which I’ve never had happen before so I was taking these as good signs. But as soon as I got off the phone that niggly voice stared talking and I started doubting that I could do the jobs, that I would screw up the interview and not have good examples, or worse not be able to answer any questions at all. Everyone was reassuring me that I would be brilliant and boosting my ego. I talked myself back into believing in myself.
Next morning my husband took our eldest camping and the girls went for a sleepover at Baka’s (grandma). I was all set to look over my application and make notes on new examples for the interview. Our youngest son had other ideas, he missed his siblings so was clingy, and angry all day. He didn’t want to sleep at night so I was up with him until 9pm. Can I tell you, by 9pm my brain is not functioning very well at all to the point where I cant spell ‘the’ correctly. This made looking over my application an interesting experience and I decided I was just going to wing it. Better to do that than remember wrong things.
The morning of the interview arrived after a restless, lack of sleep night. I got ready and dropped off our baby to Baka for the day too. I drove to work and used that whole 15min to think of possible questions and answers. I managed to come up with a list of possible examples to use and prayed I’d remember them in the interview. By the time I walked into work and saw my colleagues my hands were shaking and my stomach was dancing. I chatted with them for a few minutes hoping it would help me calm down, sadly it did not. So I walked to the lift and took deep breaths on the way up.
I slowly walked to the meeting room and saw no one, the lights weren’t on, nothing was set up. At this point I thought I’d gotten the wrong room and was kicking myself, great way to start an interview at your own work place by getting the wrong location. Perfect! Checking my emails proved I was in the right place but I still felt like I was in the wrong one. 10 seconds later a lady comes running down the hallway saying my name. She apologised for being late and ran out again to get some water for everyone. In those 30 seconds she was gone I message my husband and sister and got instant feedback that I had this. By the time all 3 interviewers had arrived I was settled enough that I didn’t spill any water, score one!
The interview started with them saying they were so glad I applied. I’ve never had an interview start like that, and it put me at ease. If they were happy I applied that meant they already liked and wanted me, at least to a degree. I can work with that, I like to think I’m an easy going, happy lady that people feel comfortable with. If people are comfortable with you in a stressful situation then they will feel comfortable to work with you and be more inclined to offer you a position.
The interview progressed as all interviews do, many questions from them, worded weirdly and fleshed out instead of being clear and concise. I made them laugh and they told a few relatable stories, wrote many. All good signs I like to think. One of the biggest comforts was them telling me explicitly at the end of the interview that I answered all the questions exceptionally well, and then they chatted for a long time, not about work just in general like we were having a coffee. I left the interview feeling upbeat and not shaking.
While I wont find out about the job for at least a week, I gave myself a confidence boost knowing I can get interviews for higher jobs, I can do well in interviews and I am worth hiring. I hope I get this job because it ticks all my boxes but if I don’t, I can hang in there until the right one comes along. I got this.