Job hunting is a rat race. It is single-handedly one of the least enjoyable ordeals you have to go through just to get yourself to the place you want to be. However, this has been my life for the past three weeks or so since myself and the rest of my team at HOMEWORKS Magazine were left without work when the title closed down.
I will not lie, my confidence was really knocked for a minute and I was concerned about how I would pick myself up again after the setback. My time working for the publication, although only 4 months, taught me so many lessons you just do not learn in education, both about the working world itself and the industry I have forever wanted to become a part of.
There were times when the going got tough, expected of course when launching a new title on the market, that left me questioning how much I really wanted to work in communications and the media. However in my heart I knew there is no other path I have wanted to tread so badly, so persistence and an open mind got me through the pressure.
It may sound dramatic, but I felt walking away from that job was like walking away from a relationship. There were all the standard heartbreak procedures: Anger, denial and then of course acceptance and sadness.
However as always, my small yet extremely close group of friends forever behind me, my family that are always a phone call (or flight!) away, and my endlessly supportive boyfriend got me back on my feet. Not to mention the connections and dear friendships I had made at HOMEWORKS itself. A special mention must be made here for my friend and career guru Tracey Dwyer, a constant ray of Aussie light and optimism who has believed in my abilities from the day I met her. I am a lucky man to have such an incredible network behind me.
So once I managed to leave the house again and stop wallowing in self-pity, I got myself signed up with all the best media recruitment agencies I could find and get back out there with my head held high. When I originally attended an interview at Emap Publishers it was for a role that deep down I knew was not really for me. That said, I knew I wanted to work for Emap and have envisioned the future I could create for myself there. It also publishes one of the most established and acknowledged fashion magazines in the industry. Which is always a bonus…
The publishing house exists inside Greater London House in North London – a stones throw from my current residence. I had walked past the building earlier this year and noticed its quirky and unique architecture including statues of cats on the staircases. So when I attended my first interview there the week before last, a comforting sense of familiarity stopped me from cowering away from the fear of failure I carry to each interview.
When the interview began it became clear that the department for which I was being interviewed was not for me. I did as always give it my best shot in the interview and had adequate responses to all questions fired at me. When questioning me about my future plans and goals, I expressed one title in particular that the company publishes that I would love to come into contact with. It turns out this was one of the best moves I could have ever made.
My interview came to an end and one of the two interviewers took me to one side to tell me honestly that the role and department I had applied for was not for me. Before I let my disheartenment sink in however, I was then informed of another upcoming role that had not even been advertised yet and that would be far more up my street.
My jaw dropped after that one word. Drapers.
From there on it was all a bit of a blur. I was introduced to whom could potentially become my manager and straight away I felt like we were reading from the same page. I was then given the chance to be interviewed the following Thursday which led to me spending the following days and nights solidly preparing for the scariest hour of my life so far.
Thursday came around faster than I could inhale a breath and I was once again standing outside Greater London House, pale with anxiety and excitement. All the hard work had paid off and the interview went better than I could have ever hoped. The following morning I got the phone call informing me that I start next month.
Job hunting might be a rat race, but sometimes when you reach the finish line it makes the whole journey worthwhile.
Wonderful story! I do want to repeat the old saying “where one door closes another opens” but I must! Your story keeps this saying alive. :-D
I’ve been going through something very similar and I really hope it ends as well as yours has!