I am so happy, life is great, things are finally working out
Let me set the scene for you, if I may - I'm sat in black jeans and a black shirt, in a posh boardroom and across from me sit three men in suits, with another man on the conference phone. The usual questions are asked - What do I know about the company? Why did I apply for the role? Can I talk through my CV? and then one chap asks me to explain 'Asymmetric encryption' to his Australian colleague, joking that 'He's from Australia, so he doesn't understand what it means'.... and I start with 'G'day mate' and then launch into the explanation.
That was me, yesterday at my interview - As I was working, I couldn't wear a full suit, so wore the closest thing to smart I could get away with, without making it too obvious. As I arrived at the interview company place, I felt so underdressed as there were literally hundreds of people in suits and the company building was just so.... corporate - A massive skyscraper, so posh, with proper security in the way of security guards, bag scanning machines - very different to the company I currently work at.
I met the Guy I spoke to on the phone, and we went for a coffee - He took me up to the 20th floor and you could see out, all over London. We chatted for 30 minutes in a casual way and he was telling me about the role, the team, the culture and then he took me to another floor, where I met another 3 men, and spoke to another Guy on the phone.
The next hour was a bit of a blur - I answered all the questions they asked, however when I left, I was wondering 'Was I too familiar?' (That's my nature, I'm really open and chatty) 'Did I answer the questions properly?' - I know I can be my own worst enemy sometimes, however I didn't get that sense of 'YES!' like I did, on the phone interviews.
Heading back to work, I was conscious I'd been out the office for over 2 hours and whilst I'm not exactly enjoying work at the moment, I don't want to stoop low enough to take the mick, so decided not to go on the hunt for lunch, but get straight back to the office. Despite only eating porridge for breakfast, I didn't feel hungry at all and thought that as long as I drink enough water, I'll be OK until dinner time.
I left the London office at 5:30 and headed to Picadilly to grab some sushi for dinner and meet my Boyfriend as we were going to see 'Whose line is it anyway?' the most fantastic sketch show that used to be on TV in the 80's and 90's and something I used to love, even though I was quite young. They're currently doing some live shows in the Adelphi Theatre. I got to the Japan Center and went a bit crazy as by that time I was hungry - I bought a lot, way too much and once again, my eyes were far bigger than my stomach. Feeling smug, and really looking forward to stuffing sushi into my face, I found a nearby park and sat down, waiting for my boyfriend to arrive.
He arrived half way through me eating my dinner and we were chatting about how hot it was, when I realised I had a missed call and text messages on my phone - Could this be the recruiter, giving me news about how my interview went today? The text message said: Imogen - Got some great news about Company' My first thought was 'What could that be? Do they like me but need me to talk to more people?' 'Do they think I'd be OK in a year but I'm too junior?' It's sad and a little frustrating that I seem to lack confidence that my first thought isn't 'I got the job!'
I phoned the recruiter back and nearly burst into tears - Apparently they loved me, they really want to offer me the position and despite the salary being capped, they've increased it as they were so impressed, so commuting into London won't eat up a lot of my wages. Also, as I was very passionate about maintaining a work / life balance, they want to discuss putting something in the contract about it, so I should be able to work from home at least one day a week.
- Senior position in a company of over 35,000 people in over 100 countries
- Moving into a sector which will look amazing on my CV
- Working with really friendly and nice people
- Massive scope for job progression
- Noone looks like they're shagging each other.
- Chance to work at home sometimes
- Large increase in salary with 10-20% bonus, better pension and healthcare.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!! This is more than I could have ever hoped! My boyfriend was asking me if I was OK as I think I was just a bit shell shocked. I just wanted to cry and scream 'I can't be that useless if they want me!' My Boyfriend also said he was really proud of me and that I deserved it - I am so grateful to him for all the support he's given me over the last 3 months as he's listened to me cry and not telling me he's bored with me talking about work and how unhappy I was. All at once, it's like my life has taken a massive turn - In 6 months, we can look to get a mortgage and then look to have children as the maternity package sounds amazing. I can enjoy working again, I don't have to feel sick every morning, life is good!
We then went to see 'Whose Line is it anyway?' which just topped off the night. Clive Anderson, Greg Proops, Colin Mockery.... it was absolutely brilliant and I laughed more than I'd laughed in a long time.
I'm now at work, grinning like a Cheshire cat - the fact my Boss has rescheduled our catch up for today is now making me excited, rather than anxious as there's nothing he can do to me, now... Any email I get? I don't care.. Any attitude I get from the woman my Boss is shagging? Ignored. I need to be slightly sensible and not get ahead of myself as I've not got any of the paperwork through yet, so until that happens, I'll tow the line and get on with things, however as soon as I've reviewed the contract, I'll be really happy.
The plan for today is to contact my Union - Now I've been with them for a month, I should be able to get legal advice on constructive dismissal and I'm determined not to let my Boss get away with his bullying attitude. I'll also be putting things in order and writing up a handover document so that I can leave as soon as possible :-)
