From the age of 16 I have always worked to achieve a level of financial independence and was proud to leave University without a loan having taking several interesting part time jobs from working two summers in a Grimsby Fish factory, to doing 5am starts at the Disney Store, and serving hot dogs to football fans at Norwich City Football club. So, at 35 having only been back at work 8 months after having my first child my financial independence came crashing down when the business I worked for entered administration…
Since my University days I have had a desire to be a Consultant, after completing a Management Consultancy module in my final year. Like most Graduates I finished my exams in the May and was asked the dreaded question of “what are you going to do for work”? whilst I was keen on Management Consultancy, I knew I could not walk into this field without experience. Fortunately, my housemate had landed me a job as a part time payroll clerk at a local supermarket. It was here that my Personnel Manager prompted both of us to go for their Graduate Scheme. So off we went to London for a day’s assessment, we both thought it was just a nice day out and had no pressure of getting places. Fortuitously we both landed roles and started promptly in the September.
Retail offered me a vast amount of operational and HR experience, having to manage several complex employee relation issues. In 2007 I decided I would like to make the move to London, and so my Dad suggested looking for vacancies with his employer, a multi international construction company. Initially I swiftly lept to the images of my Dads grim engineering workshops and 1980’s page 3 posters and could not see myself within this sector. After securing an interview, doing my research and then entering the high gloss head offices I soon realised my initial impressions were wrong.
From day one I knew I had found a sector that I could be passionate about, I was immensely proud visiting some of the icon sites such as Heathrow Terminal 5, One Hyde Park and Kings Cross Station. The market was buoyant, and I was soon positioned to support a new business unit, recruiting daily, inducting weekly and developing existing staff into Leadership roles. Regrettably in 2008 the recession then hit this market and overnight we had gone from winning 20 tenders in a row to having no future pipeline. I worked alongside a HR Director who had a passion for Organisational Design and Development and soon learnt that we didn’t just need to reduce the headcount through redundancy we needed to review our daily processes and educate our staff differently.
My passion for the industry continued, having then moved back to Lincolnshire to mobilize a new Highways contract in which I was responsible for TUPE transferring the workforce and more recently working for a private family led contractor.
I am fortunate that the sector has provided me with a vast amount of generalist experience that I feel now I can offer to SME’s.
In December 2019 I find myself unemployed, with a mortgage, a child, and getting married, so have decided now is the time to scratch my itch for the desire to support people in find jobs they love!
New Year, New Start!
コメント