Tuesday 7 September 2010

Worker bee

This week, hold onto your hats...I have been working.

Last Wednesday, my ability to upload a CV onto a job website bagged me two weeks at a Company I've worked at before. Faced with the prospect of such prestigious employment, I did what anyone else in my situation would do.

1) Grinned.
2) Got drunk.
3) Had a little panic.

The panic came about because my new role is exactly that: new. For the first time in my life, I am being employed to do a job that doesn't require me to answer phones, make someones dinner, book taxis, arrange boring meetings, or write up the boring minutes afterwards.Whenever I usually try out something new, it's under the agreement that I do the jobs no one else wants to do, without getting paid for it. Otherwise known as work experience. This time, things are slightly different.

Hearing my pay rate was an anxious, not joyous moment. "Umm...are you sure they know what they're getting?" I confided to the Recruitment Consultant after signing all the Company's confidentiality forms on Friday, "It's just, well, the pay rate is a lot higher than anything I've ever got before and...are they expecting...well, they've read my CV, yeah?"

They had. In fact, that's all they'd read. That, and a form I'd filled out stating in bullet points why I could do the job. Relief at hearing the words "No, there's no interview. Just start on Monday" soon turned into nerves as I realised that my future employers had taken my word for it. And aside from me thinking "Hmmm, yeah, I could do that", I actually had no actual proper work experience to back it up. "Eek", I thought. "Eek" and "oh, let me be good".

And so it was that I went back to an old place of work on Monday. I walked past the building where I'd made and cleared dinners, put out after-show nibbles, panicked about late taxis, arranged meetings between important people, worried about stroppy talent, ran around delivering tapes and worrying about scripts... and settled at my new temporary desk in an entirely different department.

So far, the two weeks paid employment in my first proper non-dogsbody job have started well. My fears, as yet, have been unfounded. Let's just hope it ends well, too. Or preferably not at all.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think as a celebration of this return to work, you should finally tell us the name of the TV presenter you withheld from your adoring readership those many months ago.

Kind of apt really, seeing as where you have found yourself once more ;)

Anonymous said...

I second Perp - what's the name of the TV presenter...

As for this employment situation, great news - congratulations! Have more faith in your abilities. :) Most people can do most jobs, really. A monkey could do mine for example.

I hope they come to the end of two weeks and decide to keep you on a bit longer... and then a bit longer..

x

Please Don't Eat With Your Mouth Open said...

Haha...no way am I letting slip the name of that little gem. Not while my stat counter continues to show others at that same very company as regular visitors, anyway... Google is not my friend!

And soup- Ah, I should be more confident, but it's just nerve wracking isn't it. I really worried they were expecting some specific knowledge that I'd kind of bumbled my way around having.

Anonymous said...

You'll be fine Jo - as Soupy says, confidence. You can do it otherwise you wouldn't be there.

If all else fails, just wing it and blame it on someone else ;)

AFC 30K said...

great news; it's the Big Bloody Company that you want to be at isn't it?

I really hope it goes well, and, speaking from an HR view point, there's nothing like a bit of billy bullshit to get you through the door :-)

Robbie said...

Hoorah for paid work :-)

nuttycow said...

Many congratulations... keep at it lady! I'm sure that once they see how awesome you are, they'll keep you on and on and on (like Ariston)

Scarlett said...

Congrats for being a productive member of society :)I will have a cider in your honor.

London Lass Blog said...

Congrats on new post :)

PS : I could send you some nifty `key code' instructions if you felt that you really couldnt keep the identity of that TV presenter to yourself anymore but only wanted to share it with the chosen few (who had access to your keycode). *hint hint*

Gloria said...

Congrats Jo :-) I got promoted to my current role and basically crapped myself. Still in it 2 years later and yes, still crapping myself on a regular basis but doing alright. You will too x

Anonymous said...

London-Lass is a genius. Simple as that.

Your blog readers are nothing but helpful you see!

AFC 30K said...

We are realy just a bunch of nosey parkers.....

Please Don't Eat With Your Mouth Open said...

Thanks for the comments you lot.

And the day you find out who that presenter is, is the day you will

a) have no more PDEWYMO
and
B) be sorely disappointed I expect.

Ha! :-D

 

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