Ready Steady Go / CRE Sandown / CRE Telford

– – – – – ADVERTORIAL – – – – –

Ready Steady Go is the theme of the CRE Exhibition at Sandown 2011 and Telford 2011 and this year the organisers claim that ‘Possibly everything you require will be available at this unique resource exhibition’.

That is, with one HUGE exception at least. WorkHope won’t be there! I can’t afford it, although I might be tempted to stand in the Car Park and give out the odd advertising flyer whilst dressed up as an ‘Unemployed’ person…

I jest…  All is not lost,,, you can follow my ramblings, encouragements and real life traumas associated with being made redundant and how (so far) I have survived it, on this very blog. More importantly others facing job loss or redundancy might find this stuff useful. If you do get to attend CRE, great. But that’s no reason to quit browsing now.

I won’t claim to be able to get you (or your friend) back into employment at the flick of a switch, but I hope that in parts at least should be equally entertaining as some of those late night Sci-fi TV movie offerings such as Rabid Frogs of Doom, Anaconda 999 or Destination Hornets Nest.

(Oh yes, you can search by topic to the right of this message)

If you are keen to get an abridged copy of this in handy book format… or you publish handy little books of relevance = do get in touch, I want to share the love with others struggling with real life issues associated with losing employment.

If you’re not sure where to start, how about here:-

Now What? (Sept 2007)

D Day (June 2007)

Signing On – My first time…

Dress to Impress?

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Christmas Day 2007

Over the next few days we would be celebrating the real meaning of Christmas, at our church, then with family and friends as diaries allowed over the festive period. Hopefully the boys would this year see some snow too, as my dads home-made and highly lethal tobogan was still in good repair.

Weather aside, we would join my parents for Christmas lunch and on Boxing Day see the rest of our extended family. The company, like the food and ambience – were all good, and we were well stuffed by the 27th. As for Santa and the snow? I must have missed them.

December 21 2007 – Three months and counting

Christmas was coming, and three months after leaving work the bank balance still looked fat. Fortunately the Christmas shopping had been taken care of earlier in the year and financial provisions have been made for the season of goodwill. No one would go without a gift and Mrs Ws ability to think and buy creatively, certainly helped. Christmas is a wonderful time of year and our boys, in particular were ready for it.

Tucked away for the best part of the year had been the childrens dvds featuring Rudolph. When they emerged along with The Polar Express, the boys, settled underneath the fake Christmas tree to enjoy the film.

Blue Is The Colour – Decorating (Nov 12 2007)

It wouldn’t have been my colour choice for his bedroom but our eldest Son, was keen to have his Orchid White room upgraded to a blue room. Fortunately for him, by mid November this first DIY painting job had been concluded to everyones satisfaction, save the blue paint spilled just inside the door. A couple of buckets of water later, and with some carpet shampoo (vigorously) applied, the floor was in a much worse state. – the blue splodge of paint cleverly radiated out from the centre to about 40cms. Maybe a rug from IKEA would be a suitable finishing touch.

By the end of 2008 I would have moved on to other, more complex projects and other carpets. DIY projects rarely go without a hitch. Or is it me?

No regrets

I don’t have any regrets about leaving my last full-time job. Life is hard now, but thankfully I have faith, had it for years, not only in my own Creative abilities, but in God. This was a good time to show my faith in action. What I’d needed in a sense sometime before had been a kick up my pants to make a change – get another job, and this was it. Stepping out this way was a touch uncomfortable yet tinged with genuine excitement. Those close to us were supportive and prayerful. Mrs W my long suffering wife agreed, it was time for me to move on, to new opportunities offering new challenges.

Meanwhile while I continue to trust that God will provide, for us as a family. This however is not a time to sit passively and simply wait, I need to do my bit, look for work and apply for jobs.

Our two young sons at the time (aged 3 and 5) didn’t express opinions. One day, however, our youngest proudly announced to those in his nursery class that his daddy washed cars for a living! (He must have seen me wash ours once – this obviously made a real impression!). Our eldest, aged  5, after I explained to him that I needed another job, stunned me by saying that I already had one –  DIY.

I best get on with it then.

Life’s a breeze… (Sept 29 2007)

One week and one day after leaving work – what better than a family day out. With lunch packed and coins for the pier amusements in good supply, we took a trip down memory lane, or rather the M23 to Brighton, and, as we did, so we joined the merry throng that was primarily VW and VW enthusiasts. Our destination, The “Brighton Breeze” (organised by The Split Screen Van Club).

Our car is not (at all) blessed with great acceleration, so imagine the excitement when we overtook Camper Vans of every hue, year and condition en-route. As we did so, we rang out hearty cheers, and waved frantically as we overtook some at high speed. Well, 50mph was quite fast enough in most cases. The vehicles that had pulled onto the hard shoulder with engine problems I guess weren’t so impressed at our enthusiasm. It was raining too, which may have dampened some spirits, but not ours!

On arrival at Brighton, we drove past a few spluttering machines and took our place in a free car park before starting our stroll amongst the now resting, and sometimes worn out vehicles. My camera was poised, the boys got ready to pose beside their favourite “Splitties”… Ah Camper Van heaven.

Overall we were mightily impressed by the exhibits. The immaculately restored and the customised were parked in close proximity to some of the more, how shall we say, forlorn looking specimens, still being lovingly attended to by their owners. It truly was a sight to behold, and a great display. Fortunately we were able to mark our visit by purchasing some suitable event memorabilia. I decided against buying a spare door panel, steering wheel, headlights and tool kits in favour of two t-shirts for Daddy and one for each of the boys. Mummy had a button badge or two. You must understand the family passion for VW nostalgia is shared by the whole family. Once we were done, we visited the pier, to shoot to smithereens some Dinosaurs, race the Gran Tourismo and eat some overpriced and heavily battered fish and chips to conclude our grand day out.

The only disappointment (if there was one), was that we didn’t end our day driving home in a Camper Van of our very own. Neither, it later occurred to me, would some of the exhibitors…

See also
Brighton Breeze 2009

Now what? (Sept 2007)

The initial excitement surrounding my exit from work waned, ever so slightly after the first month, but I had no regrets, In an effort to keep positive I kept reminding myself that someone of my standing, experience and skills should be able to persuade those in the industry I was too good  an opportunity to pass up… Work would come, I just needed to get active and push doors.

If I could land a job straightaway – or within a few months, I (or rather we) could bank the money and spend it as and when. Maybe we could then treat ourselves to a holiday or upgrading our car. Well, that was the plan…

Feb 2009
Er, yes indeed. That was the plan…

The importance of routine (Oct 2007)

I don’t do lay ins, as a rule, never have really. Certainly since having our two boys, these have been the stuff of dreams. Sometimes, if as parents we’ve have had a bad night on account of a crying or screeching toddler, we could now afford for one of us to go back to bed and catch up with those missing winks.

Getting the boys to and from school (on time) means the morning starts early enough anyway. The hope has been that when I’m working again I shouldn’t have to adjust my sleep patterns too much. I don’t do ‘nothing’ very well, I prefer to be active unless of course there’s something mightily appealing on the tv. Sadly apart from The Wright Stuff there’s only the wrong stuff on the box. Day time TV is pretty shocking. The exceptions to the rule include the likes of Ballamory, Brum. Miss Marple and Poirot which I will look out for!

One of the requirements of the Job Centre is that I keep a record of my job search, to prove, when asked I’m in the process of hunting down work –  yer right! Doh! Other parts of my new routine include a degree of shopping (we want to eat don’t we?) a smattering of housework, and some DIY of course.

Fortunately for me, on leaving work, it was easy to get into the job search groove, I was highly motivated, and still am. I registered with Recruitment Agents (oops sorry, ‘Consultants’), registered with online job boards, and kept an eye out (on a daily basis) for new opportunities. My routine now includes job searching, morning, afternoon and night… balanced with doing family type things and the smattering of DIY and socialising (where possible) in the daylight hours.

I want to make the most of my time off work, spending time with Mrs W and our two lovely boys, who of course, will grow up quickly – at the very least we can have some quality bonding time.

Time for a lie down now I think. Speak later…

Dress to Impress

My first job interview came in October 2007…

On sliding open our wardrobe and after having a quick look at the clothes hanging limply on hangers, it soon became blindingly obvious that new clothes were in order. If I was to dress to impress at interviews, I had to make some changes. The smartish shirts that I’d relied on for the previous 3 years or so were no longer in the best of shape, and when it came to the suit “You can’t wear that!” spoke my conscience. Mrs Workhope, my wife, was right, it was over twelve years since my brother got married, and though the suit might still fit (in the sleeves at least) it was no longer deemed fashionable.

True, many of the roles I was applying for were Senior ones, which would require the postholder to meet with clients, present work and present the right image. Stubbornly, I tried the suit on. “Ok, you win” – I conceded.

M&S, I knew had good quality suits and with the right colour shirt and tie combination I was sure to achieve my goal. Thankfully I found what I was looking for early on, it was stylish, worked well with bright colours and was in the right price bracket – (cheap) value for money. The next and most frustrating phase was to select and purchase a suitable tie. The local store didn’t have my size in the jacket and with two days till my first employer interview, it was, (as the kids show Me Too might say) a “Race Against Time”.

I few phone calls later Marjorie had put one fitting my description by for me in the Kingston store. When I got there, I tried it on and got the in-store suit-and-tie-co-ordinator-expert to give me his valuable input. In just over an hour I had tried on three different suits, half a dozen ties, and got a free Windsor knot tie lesson in the bargain. Tired after my exertions I retreated to the Cafe for a cup of froth, mis-sold as coffee.  “I’ll knock ‘em dead with the suit and colourful-yet-carefully-considered tie, even if they’ve doubts over my portfolio” I mused.

When the interview for the Design Management position came it was after a two hour drive into Hampshire, and I arrived in the company car park just in time for the thunder and lightening. So, there I was about to enter my first interview, in torrential rain. Was the good Lord trying to tell me something? Did the tie offend?

With an air of confidence, rather than arrogance, (hopefully) I took to the interview process without too much nervousness, answering honestly and when prompted, asked pertinent questions regarding the role up for grabs. My two interviewers both seemed likeable and on the table behind, lay a copy of the Good News Bible. I smiled to myself, maybe this was a sign from above, maybe just maybe, this job would be THE one!

As I left the building, I called Claire, (Recruitment Agent) with my feedback and waited for the official response. I had liked them, and thought they had warmed to me and my work. Claire was sympathetic in her tone when she told me the news. Boo.

I’d now succeeded in registering my first failure (?) My rain sodden go-get-em-suit, would soon be carefully returned to the wardrobe – ready for another rainy day…

Oct 2 – Oct 4 2007 A Special Holiday

Being caught on a speed camera is embarrassing, especially when its for ‘slightly’ exceeding the 30 mile and hour limit. I was adjudged to be doing 34mph. Exceeding the limit is where the danger of course lies and there are no excuses. Soon, however, I would be given the choice of 3 penalty points on my licence or a trip to North Wales to attend and complete a half day Speed Awareness Course. The conditions of attending the course appeared crass. As the (alleged) offence had taken place in North Wales, so that’s where I had to go. I made a couple of phone calls. They weren’t joking, but the lady on the other end did sound sympathic at least. I voiced my views and put the phone down.

I decided to accept the “kind offer” before me, prepared to travel, and booked my two nights accommodation. At least, being unemployed I didn’t have the additional worry of explaining any time off to my employer. The accommodation was comfortable, and the breakfast good and wholesome and my hosts friendly and didn’t ask to many questions. Before the course I had time to look around the local area, on foot of course. The half day course itself was interesting, and I was joined by another twenty or so likely suspects, smiles were in short supply, but I was a bit of a celebrity by virtue of travelling the farthest. I decided not to argue my case with the tutor, others did of course, one wanting to blame other motorists for causing her to speed, another suggested that between the change of speed limits they should introduce a countdown of speed limits by the roadside. (Can you really imagine a change of speed limit from say 40 to 30, interdispersed with signs that announce “You are entering a 39 zone” or  “You are entering a 38 zone”. Boggling. Needless to say, this brought a few sniggers from the whole assembly. When it comes to it, the driver is the one who determines the speed, by the use of accelerator and brakes. In my case I got caught fair and square, I’d made an error of judgement and had to pay the price.”Learn your lesson well WorkHope” I thought. Throughout the day, I had also picked up some genuinely helpful driving tips, not just how to evade capture.

My long drive home was completed carefully and as a model citizen, call it sour grapes or not, but I only wish the authorities would take action against those who, not only broke the law by speeding past me on my road trip, but endangered other road users, while driving erratically, undertaking, while using their mobile phones, eating sandwiches, tying shoelaces, changing seating positions and alike.

Since this incident I have obviously been more careful not to exceed the speed limit for fear of accident and another impromptu holiday in North Wales, as much as I really like the area.

Now please excuse me as I shutdown my laptop… Er, um, were those flashes of lightening?