So it seems my search for a new role is finally over. I have accepted a permanent job offer and I’m really looking forward to helping my new employer to recruit, onboard and develop amazing graduate talent. I’m still working through the pre-employment checks and paperwork at the moment and it seems likely this will take a few weeks, so I don’t know when I’ll be starting yet. I really can’t wait to get going!
My new job is in Birmingham, which means relocation to the West Midlands is on the cards in the coming months. In the short-term, I will be staying with family in Wolverhampton during the week and spending the weekends back in Lymm, but if Chris can find a job he is happy with, then we will be looking to settle down there. We aren’t rushing into anything as I am happy to travel and see how things go before we make any big decisions and at least with family in the area, the move is hopefully going to be less stressful than it would be otherwise. The thought of relocating somewhere completely new was quite scary, so moving somewhere where we have a place to stay and already know the area is quite helpful.
I’m sad to be leaving the North West, especially as I’ve made good friends here through Lymm Ladies and more recently, I’ve started to build a professional network up here through CIPD Manchester and #ConnectingHRMcr. However I knew when I started my search I needed to be prepared to move to find the right job. For all the talk of a Northern Powerhouse, I’ve been disappointed by the lack of suitable job opportunities in the North West and I was surprised to find more HR opportunities in Birmingham. I just hope my partner can now find the right role as well. He’s happy in his job up here and the software job market isn’t quite as buoyant in the Midlands, but I’m fairly sure he will be in high demand wherever we go!
So now I’m waiting to start the next chapter in my life. I’m really looking forward to starting my new job, living somewhere different and making new connections. I have always relished change and I am excited about the challenges that await, but as with any new experience there are nerves. I’m nervous about adjusting to a new culture and different ways of working. Worried about starting again in a new organisation. But I know I can do it. I just have to get stuck in, have confidence and be myself! I think I have made the right decision and I’m looking forward to testing that theory. Wish me luck!
Whilst I’m waiting for my start date, I do have some time on my hands, so if anyone would like some last-minute freelance work doing before I rejoin the world of permanent employment, please do get in touch. Any work considered and I can be flexible about rates. I’m really just looking for a good excuse to avoid the DIY and gardening which needs to be done before any future house sale. As much as I enjoyed pressure washing the algae off our fence and patio last week, I’d much rather be doing some interesting HR work. So if you know of anyone looking for a facilitator, have a wee project you need getting off the ground or are after someone to help out for a few weeks, please let me know. The money would be a bonus, as moving house is always an expensive time and I could do with a new suit or two before I return to an office environment!
Before I leave the world of self-employment, I’m also planning to move some content off my Pro Collaborate business site over to here. I get far more traffic here via my personal twitter account and find it easier to blend my personal and professional identities rather than maintaining both sites. I stopped blogging over there when I was focussed on my dissertation and haven’t restarted since, so this seems like the right time to let that site die. I don’t plan to wind the business up completely yet, at least until I am sure that my new job is the right one for me, but my focus will certainly be on hitting the ground running once I start. There is still plenty about the world of work, career development and learning that I’d like to share, so I aim to keep writing here when I can and if I ever return to self-employment, I expect people will find me on here or LinkedIn anyway.