The final post in my year in review series is a questionnaire that I found courtesy of Katy at Storytelling Nomad (who sourced the questions from Lynn Scheurel at http://secretsofhersuccess.com/articles/your-year-in-review-questions/)
You can read Part 1 of my Year in Review Here and Part 2 Here
If you haven’t done your own review of 2011 yet, maybe this would be a good format to base your own post on!? 
As those of you who read my blogs regularly know I have worked while suffering with my mental health problems and left my most recent job due to these problems. I have also been looking for a new job and I have considered starting a business as an alternative to taking on another job with an employer.
I am however concerned; concerned about the impact my mental health problems will have on my opportunities to gain work or business… Continue reading
So in a few short weeks I will be starting my second job and many people are wondering why I need two (or even 3) jobs anyway. For me the idea behind this is linked to the fact that I am a person who gets bored easily, although the wasn’t the original plan, because I am also someone who changes her plans…
When I first applied to work part-time in a lab the idea was that in doing this I could retain the satisfaction of bringing in some money of my own whilst still having enough time to study, help my partner with his business and work on setting my business. Then the plans changed. My partner put his business on hold due to a change in his circumstances meaning he wouldn’t be around for the best part of a year to run the business. I decided to focus on getting into Medical School rather than setting up my own business. This led to the idea that I needed to get work in a more patient-centred role within the hospital rather than behind the scenes in the labs, so I started looking for a second position which would give me that extra opportunity.
I was asked if I would like to go full-time in my current role, but while I enjoy the job I didn’t want to do this for two reasons, firstly it doesn’t fulfill my need for a patient-centred position and secondly I knew I would not enjoy the job as much if it was all I did. So I continued my search for a second part-time position that, all being well, could fit around/next to my current role so I could do both. This satisfying all my personal criteria for what makes an interesting career.
Now I have been offered two additional posts, the first direct patient care on the wards, second in the Radiography department. I have decided to opt for the Radiography post, because why meeting the need for patient care to help with my Medical School application, this role also pays more, has more career progression routes and is more interesting on a personal level. Now having two jobs depends on one thing – whether my current employer can amend my hours to fit around the new position, which has a more rigid working pattern! hopefully this will be achievable or I will be back on the hunt for a second job!
Of course there will be a downside to having two jobs, longer working hours than most people usually put in without overtime (which I’m bound to do when available) I will be working a 43 hour week, with early starts and late finishes (8pm most days, 11pm once a week), but again for me this is a good thing. It will mean I have less time to get bored, less time to waste on unimportant things (I am terrible for procrastinating) and I am more likely to finally quit smoking and stay stopped as I won’t have time to keep taking cigarette breaks! The main downfalls for me are eating late every day, less time to study, less time for exercise (especially BMF classes) and less time to decorate and do other things around the house, but I’ll still have the weekends!!
Overall I see having multiple jobs as a benefit as the variety and opportunities far outweigh the cons! What do you think? Is one job enough/too much for you? or would you also like to be able to do two jobs you enjoy rather than one you ‘tolerate’?
That’s it, the end of an era – not that it lasted all that long, 12 months to be precise. I’ve been made redundant… it’s not like I didn’t see it coming – a recession, a merger, my role being the least important… It was inevitable, and nothing personal – but it still hurts like hell…
Sure I have plans, but who knows how long they will take to bear fruits. In the meantime I’m back to the jobless struggle, like so many others.
I gave up so much for my little part-time Office Manager job, including my marriage (yes there were other factors in that too, but…) in the end it boiled down to a ‘simple’ ( or should that be difficult?) choice – 8 hours a week doing a little job I loved and which had given my life meaning after so long (16 years) wondering if I would ever have more, or, my marriage, which was also having other problems… I chose my job and in the end that choice came to have far more serious repercussions for me than I ever imagined, but we have to live with the choices we make, right or wrong, for better or worse (hmm, that line reminds me of something…oops!)
Other than keeping my job some other good did come from my decision; both me and my kids became happier, more independent, well-rounded individuals. Also, i have a wonderful new man in my life, who is mega supportive and keen to help me succeed (being mega successful himself) and hopefully he is as glad to have me as I am to have him – you would have to ask him about that! ;P
Anyway, What am I going to do with myself now I’m out of work? I hear you say… Well as I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs I plan to start my own business, initially my first job is helping my boyfriend set up his business alongside mine, whilst also training in Quality Assurance, taking us both through a variety of ISO standards (9001, 14001, 27000, and 17021 for starters) to gain experience that will be invaluable when trying to attract my own customers, helping small businesses achieve these standards as a qualified auditor and accredited certified body for ISO It will take a while before I reach that level but hopefully I will be able to gain enough experience along the way to make a success of it – after all not many people enjoy writing policies, processes and procedures, so I’m sure there will be plenty of small businesses I can offer a few hours to here and there to help get them up to speed (and add to my own experience bank at the same time)!
I already have tons of training courses booked up and setting up TWO businesses is sure to fill up most of my time, however, I also intend to have a bit of selfish me time for a change – something that has been neglected far too long! I’m going to join a theatre group… singing has always been a passion of mine but I’ve never really had the confidence to do anything about it (other than recording two songs, which really do not demonstrate me at my best, but still…) and watching Glee has inspired me to chase the dream at little, along with my annual plan to audition for X-factor (I’ve missed the auditions two years in a row now, and don’t intend to miss them this year!!) I don’t expect, or even want, to become a star, I just want to improve my confidence and be able to get up on stage in front of my family and friends maybe as part of a musical production, and feel proud of what I can do
So, there you have it my plans for crawling back to some semblance of a normal life. What are you doing with your life? I would be interested to find out…
Whilst I have a job that I really enjoy, I believe that it is important to keep your CV and Personal Career Portfolio up to date, you never know what is around the corner nowadays and must be prepared for anything. I also just like to see how much I have achieved and it helps me think about and plan for where I want to go next in my continual search for self improvement and skills development.
Generally my actual CV tends to be just an up to date reference guide of my experience as most jobs have their own application form so a CV is rarely needed. When you do need a CV though using your basic one is a recipe for failure, you need to tailor your CV to the job you are applying for so that it contains the most relevant and useful information to help you get that job, in addition you will need a classy Cover letter to accompany your CV. The Cover letter needs to show that you have actually put some thought into how you will fit the company you are applying to work for. Demonstrate that you have done some research! So in addition to responding to the job description and person specification illustrate how you will fit in with the companies goals and values. To do this you need to find out about the company, their website is a good place to do this!!
Of course I am no expert on this topic, this is just what I believe, but there is plenty of good guidance out there that echoes what I am saying and will help you even more. For example jobsite have some really good tips and furthermore I really like their Personal Profile Questionnaire which identifies your ‘jobseeker type’ to help you understand the work environment that suits you best.
According to my Profile I am a Believer -
As a Believer you believe the world has almost infinite possibilities. You believe people should be pursuing their passions and not be caught up by what others say they should desire.
I think they have got me bang to rights in most of what they say about me! haha
I’m a bit addicted to quizzes and questionnaires (as anyone who views my profile on Facebook will tell you, haha) but seriously there are a few good personal analysis questionnaires out there. Two other examples I really like are ones that I was asked to take for my current job: A DISC Analysis and the StrengthsFinder Assessment.
My DISC analysis suggests I am a C style – precise, logical, matter-of-fact, analytical and careful. need data, information and analyses. Focused on tasks and ensure things get done correctly. Tend to produce high quality work. C-styles may also focus too much on the details, becoming nitpicking, slow and losing the big picture. At times they get lost in the analysis, focusing too much on the trees not the forest. Others may perceive C-Styles as too critical, distant, pessimistic and even cold. My primary relationship role is: Assurer – thorough and calm, concentrates on her work. Does not like when people disturb her, and she does not disturb others. The assurer dreads mistakes and wants to work at her pace. Others find her accurate and someone who observes everything. the assurer is also seen as quiet and private. in reality she is a considerate person and often does not speak out until the conversation has already taken place. the assurer finds it extremely important to know what others expect from her and how they want her to proceed. She finds it uncomfortable to jump into the unknown without the support of others. She wants matters to proceed systematically and does not tolerate surprises unless their effects to the overall context are deliberated upon carefully. She does not find it important to be actively involved with others. however, the assurer finds it important she can rely on others help if help is needed. – I would mostly agree with these point too, not so sure about ‘slow’ and ‘cold’ seems a bit harsh… although I will admit people have said that to me 
but otherwise it is pretty much me again…
StrengthsFinder identifies your top 5 ‘themes’ from 34 different themes, the idea being that instead of mistakenly trying to improve on our weaknesses instead we should all play on and develop our strengths in order to achieve the most. My top 5 were:
Learner – having a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. in particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them (Of course this had to be one of mine, like I would have got ANYTHING else! haha)
Discipline – enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create. (This covers my OCD, hehe)
Input – has a craving to know more. Often they collect and archive all kinds of information. ( More OCD and also explains me researching EVERYTHING and keeping records of it…)
Futuristic – Inspired by the future and what could be. Inspire others with their visions of the future. (definitely not in a ‘dreamer’ way though, more of a ‘planner’)
Achiever – has a great deal of stamina and works hard. Take great satisfaction from being busy and productive (well I am always saying how much I cant stand getting through a day without having achieved something!)
So I put all this stuff in to my Personal Career Portfolio, which is a lever-arch folder containing my whole career history. I have five sections in my portfolio -
1-Personal Information – This is where I store my current Job Description, Appraisals and Personal Analysis Questionnaires.
2-CV’s – here i have my basic CV and any ‘tailored’ versions i have produced recently (which at the moment is none, because I haven’t needed to!)
3- Academic Transcripts – Summaries of all the University courses and qualifications I have completed and am currently studying towards.
4- Educational Evidence – All my professional and academic qualification certificates
5- Evidence of Other Training and Achievements – Certificates of attendance,training and workshops, awards, and even my old school reports (yes I still have them!)
Updating this is a regular activity for me, I try to look at it once a month, because I am always either completing a course of training or starting a new one, actually my folder is just about full now so I am going to have to think about either starting a new one, dividing it up or removing earlier stuff like school reports into an ‘archive’ folder – after all they are unlikely to be needed for any potential employers now as it is quite a long time since I left school!! hehe
Well I hope this has been interesting and maybe even useful? have a nice Sunday
