"'Wait, wait, wait' seems to be something I am doing a lot at the moment: waiting for job application responses, waiting for call-backs, waiting for emails, waiting to know what the future holds."
Week 4
Monday
This week begins with some frustrations. It has been some time now since I was made redundant, and I have not heard back from some of the organisations that are meant to help someone in my position. The sound of silence is deafening.
I am also starting to receive some responses to the first applications I made, all of which are the same: "Thanks, but no thanks." All these positions are roles that I could do.
I feel that if I were just given an interview, they would make a different decision or, at the very least, have a harder time deciding who to award the position. I wonder what it is about my application that caused them to proceed with other candidates? As mentioned last week, I think it is a case of looking at myself and highlighting my qualities, so it's back to the drawing board with the cover letter and some fine-tuning of the CV.
Tuesday
Arbetsförmedlingen is one of the organisations that I have not heard from. I had my first planning call booked with them, but during that call, they decided that I should have an English-speaking meeting. I guess it is so they can be 100% sure I understand everything. I am told I will get a new time, but after two weeks, I have not had anything other than a text message saying they will call me back later.
Sweden has many rules and regulations that you must follow to the letter, and when you do not have contact with organisations, I worry that I will find out something that I have been missing or not doing. The worst outcome for this would be something that affects my wage guarantee or a-kassan should I need to use it.
From the start, the information given out by Northvolt has been confusing and often conflicting. Now that I am cut off from Northvolt, it can feel very isolating to be at home waiting and trying to find out information online. I have found that this can bring more questions than answers. An online chat with Arbetsförmedlingen confirms I have a new time coming in a few weeks.
Thursday
More frustration comes in the form of TRR. They are an organisation that can help workers find new jobs through their network. They can also help with retraining and give advice on how to move forward in the search for a job. It would be great to meet with them and feel like someone is with me on the journey, and also to possibly open my eyes to new things. I signed up with them on the very first day of my redundancy but have yet to hear from them either.
From another online chat, I am told they cannot help me until Northvolt sends them some information about my redundancy. This is a standard procedure when a company is made bankrupt. I send an email to the trustee to try and find out what is happening, but this means once again I need to wait for an answer.
Friday
"Wait, wait, wait" seems to be something I am doing a lot at the moment: waiting for job application responses, waiting for call-backs, waiting for emails, waiting to know what the future holds.
Once again, I look back at myself. What can I do right now to keep positive and make the best out of what I have? I am reminded of the words of an ex-colleague who used the term "the mini victories". These are tiny things that can help lift your day and your mood.
Fortunately, I have a few to fall back on when I become frustrated and anxious about the job hunt. I am restoring an old 1980s racer bicycle. I bake bread from focaccia to sourdough, and the early spring allows me time in the garden to prepare this year's vegetables and start a self-build greenhouse project.
I feel it is super important to have some mini victories that you can use as therapy. It would be very easy to spend all day in front of the laptop only to eventually become engulfed by negativity and frustration as you feel you're on a road to nowhere.
For me, structure is so important: making sure I have spent the time on the job hunt but also that it does not become a ball and chain.
Of course, finding a job is the number one priority, but finding the tools to stay positive and driven to find that job is just as important.
"Once again, I look back at myself. What can I do right now to keep positive and make the best out of what I have?"