Good morning 👋
What’s a life lesson that you’ve been reminded of recently?
I only ask that question, as it’s something that’s been on my mind lately, and I’ll tell you for why, in a little story about how things don’t always go according to plan, but how that is 100% okay. Let’s take a closer look at what I mean.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
If you haven’t been following along with the page lately, or are viewing my blogs for the first time, for the last couple of months, I’ve been back on the job search – keeping a close eye out for where my next opportunity is going to be.
Around three weeks ago, I got to travel back up to Reading, where I lived for four years while at the university there, for an interview. It was for a position that I randomly found while doing a bit of digging, and I more or less fell instantly in love with the sounds of it.
Anyways, I went up there for the interview, and, in all honesty, I felt like it was the best interview I have ever done. I had a lot of jokes with the panel, we got to chat about all different things related to the job, and they really made me feel comfortable and valued for the views that I was bringing to the table – which is always a lovely feeling to have.
About a week or so later, I received an email, letting me know that, unfortunately, I was not successful in getting the role.
At the time, I was absolutely gutted. I’m the sort of person who gets super invested in the roles that I apply for. While that’s not strictly a bad thing, in the cases where I’m not successful in getting the role, I feel this big gap, a big disappointment.
Now that it’s been about two weeks or so, though, while there is a part of me that’s still gutted, on the whole, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. While I didn’t get the job, I made it to the final interview, and that went really well. Things like this are all about perspective.
I got an email on Monday this week with some feedback on why I didn’t get the position, and it’s all entirely valid and fair points. What’s important is that they’ve given me something to work on, to improve on, and have also reminded me that I am far more capable than I sometimes give myself credit for.
So, while things didn’t work out according to plan this time around, I’m not down in the dumps about it – I’m optimistic. I know full well that I have what it takes to get into more positions like that, and by learning on where I needed to improve from before, I can use that to get myself my next role.
I’ll be using all of this to approach each day, each week, each opportunity with a fresh, positive and open mind. I won’t lie and say the job search is always positive; at times, it can be highly demoralising; however, our mindsets are so important here.
With all of this in mind, it’s a reminder that life doesn’t work out like a straight line – it’s filled with ups and downs, successes and failures, obstacles and awesome people, all of which shape us into who we are as people.
Thanks a lot for reading and being with me on this whacky, unpredictable journey ✌️
Until next time,
James
Sweeney's Blogs 