Some of you may be aware that I am currently looking for work. As this blog is a place in which I talk about myself it would seem remiss of me not to make full use of it.
To start things off I’m just going to say
I NEED A JOB – PLEASE EMPLOY ME
Just over 12 months ago I was made redundant and decided to take advantage of my situation and take a career break. Coming out of a job in Financial Services I wanted to do something different with my time so I took a correspondence course in Proofreading. This course was something I’d been considering for some time given my interest in writing and the fact that I am constantly frustrated by mistakes I find in print and on the internet. The course was hard work but I proudly passed with merit. I also used my time to do some writing: this blog, fiction, and poetry, concentrating on improving my writing skills. If you go back to my earliest posts on this blog you will hopefully see that my writing style has changed and improved over time.
I have come to the point where I now need and want to be working again and finding work is proving hard. I would love to make a living from proofreading and writing but that’s not going to happen in the short-term and may never be enough to support me long-term. So, I need a job.
I worked in Financial Services for 15 years and my last role was not one that falls neatly into the little boxes that the job sites want to put me in. I was a Budgetary Control Manager which covered a range of responsibilities and provided me with lots of valuable and transferable skills and I am primarily looking for a job that utilises some or all of these.
I have experience of managing large budgets (c. £30m) involving:
- tracking costs & expenditure
- dealing with invoices e.g. checking, disputing, obtaining approvals
- forecasting costs, expenditure and stock usage
- financial modelling e.g. for tenders
- month end processes e.g. accruals, variance analysis
- building supplier relationships.
My role and previous ones within the same company also involved proofreading and writing:
- customer correspondence
- procedures and other instructional material
- intranet content
- documentation relating to projects, tenders and financial reporting.
I am an experienced user of Microsoft Excel inc. lookups and pivot tables and Microsoft Word, am familiar with Oracle e-Business Suite and find that I am quick to learn how to use new software packages and systems with minimal assistance required.
You can view my career history in more detail here on LinkedIn.
I have always been a high-performer, taking great pride in doing a good job and striving towards making a difference so I hope to find a new job that enables me to continue doing that. I have drive, passion, am an excellent communicator and am able to meet challenging goals through hard work, determination and strong time management skills.
My range of skills seem best suited to roles involving analysis of data, financial or otherwise, or roles involving management and/or monitoring of budgets, but I’m willing to consider anything including PA work, administrative roles or accounting opportunities that could lead to me becoming “qualified by experience”. I’m mainly looking for work in Leicestershire and the surrounding area but am happy to travel further afield for the right opportunity. I would even be prepared to move house for a permanent job.
In the meantime, I am also registered on PeoplePerHour and would welcome any opportunity to use my skills and work on projects as a freelancer whether that’s as a proofreader, writer or something more financial. I would also be interested in opportunities relating to family history research because as you will see if you’ve read some of my other blog posts, I am also a keen amateur genealogist, with over 12 years experience of researching my own family tree. My keen eye for detail coupled with my drive and passion has enabled me to knock down brick walls and unearth some surprising pieces of information and fascinating stories.
So why should you employ me? Well, on top of all the things I’ve mentioned above, I get on well with people from all walks of life, have a “can do” attitude and I’ve always been someone who others feel they can go to for information or for help. I’m honest, kind, loyal and trustworthy, will always work hard and will always do the very best I can. And, last but not least, my friends tell me I’m funny.
I would be eternally grateful if you, dear readers, could help me spread the word around the internet, by posting links to this blog on Twitter, Facebook and such like, in the hope that someone out there knows of an opportunity that might be suitable for me.
If anyone would like to get in touch then you can contact me here or by clicking on the tab at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can contact me via LinkedIn or PeoplePerHour.
Thank you!
I wish you all success, and I truly hope you’ll find the right position. I wish I could help, but I’m retired and I’ve no contacts in the UK.
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That’s ok…thanks anyway!
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Good luck! Do you have any contacts from your former employment? People you know who do similar things for other employers? Networking and talking to people you know are the best way to get tips for jobs. That’s always worked for me. Only once did I get a job from sending a resume in to a p.o. box. Otherwise it was always people I knew who referred me. I hope you find something soon!
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Thanks! I have contacts but mostly all within the company I used to work for which isn’t necessarily a lot of help. Speaking to recruiting agencies and hoping something comes of something. I figure if I put myself out there as much as possible something will turn up! 🙂
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Yes. You must be out there. As someone who hires people, I will tell you that who you know means a lot. I would never hire someone who doesn’t have a connection. Just saying. Good luck, again!! Unfortunately, don’t know anyone in the U.K. to recommend you too, or I would! 😀
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Thank you! x
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I hope that you can find a job soon. Since I live in the states I have no contacts in the UK other than BF who works for the Royal Mail. I have had the best luck in finding a job though other people, the same for my son who was out of work for 8 months last year. Hopefully the sites you put your info on will help, Mr. 70’s one cousins son used LinkedIn and got a job with the company.
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So far LinkedIn is not proving to be as useful for me as it is for others – going to look into it more. Thanks!
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I wish I could hire you to keep me on track. You have the right personality for it, I think. (This is my biggest dream, to make enough money to employ someone to organize me and point me in the right direction.)
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You’re not the first person to say that. I need to look at the PA thing a bit more I think.
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I don’t know about Leicester, but in US cities with a lot of tech / finance folks, it’s a real job and people can live on it — “personal concierge” it’s called, sometimes. I’ve met people who’ve done it. You essentially charge an hourly rate to run errands, keep calendars, remind people to do things, track down info …
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It’s possible that personal concierges exist in London but Leicester has very little in the way of people who would need that kind of service. Sounds interesting though! I know some time ago I read about companies who could provide PA services on an hourly basis which sounds a similar kind of thing. I will investigate 🙂
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[…] Do you have a job for KathrynD? Unfortunately she can’t live from fic writing and blogging (yet). […]
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Kathryn, how about setting yourself up with a internet site for proofreading which you can do from home till more formal employment becomes available.
I belong to a 1000+ group of writers on FB from across the globe and many are constantly looking for someone who can line-edit (as opposed to the structural edit for which they mostly all have an editor). I would be happy to put your name forward with your qualifications and your price-range. But to do so needs a more formal professional presence online, like an FB professional page (which is free!).
All your blog followers will ‘like’ it for you because we can see how beautifully you write yourself and how far your own edit skills have advanced beyond ours. Best wishes…
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That’s a really good idea. I hadn’t thought about FB…will give it some consideration. Thank you.
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