Ellen's blog: Job searching

I can’t continue like this - I am exhibiting signs of turning into a very middle-class housewife. Today while my kids were at school/nursery, I attended a pilates class, went to Waitrose to buy ras el-hanout (for moroccan tagine dinner party) and then booked tickets to see Felicity Kendall on the West End stage for my husband’s birthday. If my unemployment continues much longer however, I will end up on “Benefits Britain” telling the camera about how I used to have a “high-powered-job-in-the-city” only a few months before my bankruptcy.

I continue to peruse the pages of CityJobs etc, but no longer respond directly to adverts, because the sheer volume of applications will mean that a full considered review of mine is unlikely. I have completely discounted the possibility that the lack of responses is due to my own shortcomings.

My new approach is to speak directly to the recruitment consultant, which does mean suffering the humiliation of ringing a switchboard and being asked “will he know what it’s about?” Well no, actually (unless he’s psychic, in which case I wouldn’t bother ringing because he’d obviously know what I was going to say).

This approach did yield a positive result when I spoke to one recruiter about an interesting role on a Monday afternoon; on Tuesday he spoke to the hiring manager, who interviewed me at 9am on Wednesday morning. At the end of the interview, he offered me the role (it was a contract and therefore did not require any psychometric tests/HR interview/competence-based interviews with other team members/Panel discussions/role-plays/presentations/Lord Sugar etc). He went on to explain that the department head who had signed-off the role had just resigned and as such he would need to go through another approval process, which he expected to conclude the following Monday. That never happened, so I am considering suing him for wasting my time, and also for the cost of the clothes I bought in the Canary Wharf shops afterwards (on the basis that I would soon be earning money again).

So what are the most important things I have learned from my career break?

1. Taking time to re-invest in friendships is hugely important; genuine friends are the only people you can count on to be honest and unfailingly encouraging, and never to have an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. Negotiating the politics of job-hunting and networking can be a very fulfilling and positive experience, but it can also lead to feelings of disappointment and paranoia. Having a few trusted advisors has been crucial.

2. Dwelling on disappointments and extrapolating them into a bleak future is a downward spiral. Start every day with renewed enthusiasm and close the door on what happened yesterday.

3. Cherish every moment with your children, even when their behaviour leaves you questioning your parenting skills.

Until recently Ellen worked for a well-known investment bank in the City. She began her career at KPMG, before moving on to Barclays, HSBC and Aviva before joining her most recent employer almost three years ago. She has two children aged four and two.