So, I find myself unemployed. It is my own doing and not a decision I regret but I am unemployed none the less. So is my son. In his case he has just finished school and is going to college in September but I have made it very clear that lying in bed all summer is not an option. Nor is lounging on sofas, lying in fields, hanging round Costas or generally being sloth-like. He needs a source of income – however small – just to learn that work and commitment equals monetary gain and a sense of self-worth, and the bank of Mum and Dad is not the only way.
I, however, have had a job since I was 14. Even through college, babies, house moves, and kids at school I have always done something to bring in some pennies. Some jobs have been great, like Restaurant Manager at a lovely family-run hotel in Suffolk, while others have not been so fulfilling. But I have committed to all and done my best. My last job was my favourite and for eight years I gave my all. Diverse, interesting and fun whilst being hard at times and sometimes feeling like groundhog day, I met every day head on. I made some great friends through the staff and customers alike and I miss them all.
So, what happened to make me turn my back on such a position? Well, everything changed. The boss, the venue, the staff, the responsibility, the attitude and the interaction with customers. We aren’t talking splitting the atom or finding a cure for world hunger but I loved my job, then suddenly everything was different.
And now, at the age of 45 with a comprehensive skill set, I am applying for new positions. I have decided to move away from hospitality – the back and hips could do with a rest from nine hours on the feet. A nice little office job, answering the phone, arranging meetings and making coffee would suit me down to the ground. In my eyes I am perfect for such a position but on paper I appear much less so. It’s hard to explain that I am confident, hard-working with a good sense of humour, diligent and efficient without it sounding like a desperate lonely hearts ad. If I could just get through the door I’d be fine but that is more difficult than I thought. Even worse is when I have applied for positions and the recipient hasn’t even had the courtesy to acknowledge either the application or to tell me politely that they don’t want me. I’m just left hopefully scouring the Inbox only to be rejected by silence once again. Had I known what lay ahead would I have stuck at my last job a bit longer? Hell no, but the world of recruitment has moved forward since I was last in this position and it doesn’t seem to have taken its manners with it.
So as my son and I trudge through the virtual situations vacant I must keep reminding him that manners do count and even if you have to let someone down there is a correct and polite way to do it and I have no doubt that there is a job out there for each of us.
Good luck, son!