Mission ACCOMPLISHED!!!

Well, it was a LONG time coming but it's finally happened.

As of Friday last week RICH has a PERMANENT JOB in LONDON!

First let me send out a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in this crazy ordeal. Your support has meant A LOT LOT LOT to me.

So what is the job you may ask?
I am going to start work on the 17th August for a company called Purple Matrix.

The company is a fairly small entrepreneurial company located at Old street in London. The company provides Small and Medium sized enterprises (SME's) with IT- Support services. SME's often outsource these kind of services as it is too expensive to have someone looking at it solely within the company.

The company is run by two guys who have been selling it without the help of any sales force for 10 years but that is all about to change. Myself and another guy are going to join the company and begin selling their product. It is then thought that within 3-6 months one of the two of us will become team leader and eventually Sales director and run a team of 4-6 sales guys. It is an extremely exciting opportunity to help develop a sales organisation for a small company from scratch. There's potentially a lot of money to be earnt as well however there is great competition in the sector so that will definitely be an interesting challenge.


So what have I learnt? What tips can I give to others who are in the same situation?

1) Remain confident. - It is the hardest thing to do because rejection is extremely difficult. Often times you are not too sure why you didn't get the job/interview etc and the feedback is not that great. Don't forget that the feedback is not always true either. A lot of employers think it is easier to give one excuse when in fact it is down to something completely different that they don't want to touch. In my instance, they might say it is because I am over-qualified but in fact it is because I have been unemployed for 8 months and they worry what I have been doing in that time. It is far easier to say over-qualified than "I'm not willing to take a risk on you".

2) CALL. - The best and only way to get anywhere in London and probably anywhere is to call. Call the recruiters to show that you are interested. Call the company and ask them if there is any job openings. For many people this is extremely difficult because you end up calling strangers and in some cases irritating them but in most cases a person is interested to hear from you if you ask smart and interesting questions. Don't give them a reason to be uninterested in you.

3) Look at your CV, listen to your answers to questions from their perspective. If you are in the UK or US, do NOT be too humble. If someone asks you if you have any experience talking on the phone, do not think that only because you called 100 contacts in total at your last job, that that is not enough. Any experience is good experience and should be highlighted if you think you can and want to do it. Your mind is mightier than you think and if you put your mind to it you can do anything that you WANT to do. Yet again, it is all about confidence.

4) Set up ROUTINES. It is imperative that you have routines. Test out the way in which you best manage yourself. When looking for a job and when looking for a job for that long, discover how you like to work. For me it is getting up early and setting my day up like a real business day. I like to have my evenings free so I work until 5 or 6 having started at 7.30. With these routines you easily resist other temptations. If you are person who has less discipline, devise a way to prevent yourself from turning on the tv, picking up a book, and generally procrastinating.

5) Meet people. Don't isolate yourself. Don't sit indoors all day. Go out if only for a walk, for a shop, to meet friends for a drink. I found that when I had been indoors for too many days in a row that my productivity fell considerably. I remember going to Brussels or just doing something completely different for a weekend and coming back rejuvenated and ready to take a stab at it again. It is important to interact with others.

6) I fell into the trap where I isolated myself from my friends because I didn't want to constantly be saying that I'm still looking for work. I didn't like getting in touch with people without having interesting news for them. I felt I put my life on hold and this is a dangerous thing, especially if you have a relationship. I am the wrong person to ask how you do this because I believe that in my case it is my survival instinct that causes me to turn inwards and hide all the emotions.

7) Attend networking events. In any city there are an abundance of networking events that you can go to free. You might not have a clue as to why you are there and might find it tough to talk to people but it builds up your confidence and ultimately might lead to some great contacts which might help you get a job.

8) Be yourself. Don't forget that despite the frustration at not getting a job, you have to remain true to yourself. You have to determine which jobs are for you and which are not. You have to answer questions based on what you want to do as I said before because otherwise you won't get the jobs.

9) Surround yourself with good friends and supportive people. This is key because you need their support more than anything. You may need a right good kick in the backside as well at times and only good friends and people that know you, know when the right time for that is.

10) ....


I'm sure there are more things to say here but I can't think of them just now. If I remember anymore I will continue on where I left off.


Once again. What a feeling! There are still going to be tough times ahead but one hurdle has been overcome and I look forward to the next one.

What I am glad for is that I have an incredible girlfriend who has supported me throughout. A beautiful and tranquil new place to live. I have a new job which I am looking forward to starting. I have two weeks vacation before I start and I am going to Sweden this weekend to celebrate my parents 60 and 70 years on this planet and also to spend some Quality TIME with my close close friends in Malmö.

Next time I write I'll fill you in on my adventurous weekend at the Mazda London Triathlon!!!