At the end of November, I got called by an agent that found me on one of the job-searching website, Reed. He had read my CV and believed that I would be the perfect person for a job that had opened up in Oldbury.
So, what is this job?
It is as a Senior Project Administrator at Solvay Solutions. They make chemicals that go into projects. It isn't exactly what I want to do in life, but it is good enough for now, and the pay is amazing.
My job responsibilities are to:
- Copy & Paste the information from 900 documents into a new template design
- ensure that all the formatting is correct.
- Record changes onto the Revision History.
- Convert the documents from Word to Google Drive.
I started on 2nd December and am expected to finish early April. I'm enjoying the work, although it can be repetitive at times. The people there are really nice.
It was a quick turn around. As I said, I was contacted at the end of November, did as the agent told me and had my interview. The following Monday, I was in work.
Co-Workers and team
The lady I share my office with is lovely. She has invited me to lunch at a cafe with her and has even got me a little Christmas present... lets hope that curiosity doesn't kill the cat. Only three days to go!
In fact, everyone on my floor is really nice. One of the ladies in sampling helped me to pour a cup of tea from those two handed mugs, another let me use his computer while waiting for my account to be set up and the chef has given me free snacks. He does amazing flapjacks.
I was also invited to the Christmas meal, which the company pays for. I did go, although I felt awkward at first as it was only my second week there and I only knew two people on the table. But it was lovely.
Health and Safety
As the place makes chemicals on site, there are a lot of health and safety things you have to be aware of. Certain parts of the site require special clothing, although it is very unlikely I will need to go to those parts of the site.
There are also numerous alarms that sound different depending on what they are warning you about. And an emergency Toxic Gas Refuge room, as well as Muster Points, but none of the employees remember it going off without it being a test drill.
Thoughts
I am really enjoying my work and feel lucky that the agent found me. It isa good job and a good place to work. I'm glad that I have this to tie me over for a few months and hope that now that I have actual paid experience, it will make it easier for me to find another job.
Finding a job had been one of my fears during my BA and my MA as you hear about companies that still do discriminate. Although they often hid it with excuses of better candidates or not suited for the role.
I'll be honest, I didn't tell the agent I had a disability, but I did tell the company during my interview and they were fine with it. I do think it might depend on pot luck in most cases. And as I said, all the people are really lovely. I don't believe they'd discriminate if they knew before hand because they are really helpful if I do need anything.
So, over the three weeks, I have been quite because I have been shire and utterly exhausted. But do look out for more posts from me in the new year. I'm going to use the Christmas Period to schedule some posts.
I have been paying into my pension too (according to my payslip). Hopefully that'll build up over the years!
Final thing!
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate, enjoy!
I'm not fully aware of all the holidays, sorry, but do comment below if you would like to share your holiday wishes.