Winding down

Well, it's been another day in paradise ... for someone else.

As usual I phoned people I emailed during the week. One was an agent who hadn't received my email. So, it's always useful to call.

In fact, here's a list of why it's always good to call:

• they may not have received your email. This happens quite a bit now that job sites have their own email addresses for every advert. Often, they don't forward promptly, or at all, to the actual agent. Also some companies filter out types of emails. For example, a few agencies' email systems don't like the fact that my Reply To: address doesn't match my Sent From: address. I do this - as do a lot of people - so that I can redirect my email as I wish. Really, these companies should sack the boss of the network administrator and appoint me. Problems (note the plural) solved.
• your email may have got through but been lost in the fog of applications. Phoning, may help you stand out.
• it helps you to differentiate because of the personal touch ... what am I talking about here? I mean this: I have a funny foreign surname which may deter some recruiters. But my spoken English is such, that I wouldn't be surprised if they stood up when they heard me on the other end of the phone. (This was probably a gross disadvantage in my earlier career but nowadays it's kinda appropriate - n.b. I don't actually say "kinda" on the phone).
  
• now they know you, they may consider you for other jobs, not necessarily the one they advertised. You never know.

As you know I often don't job hunt on Friday afternoons (see if you can spot any correlation between recruitment agencies' slacktime and the brewing industries' profits). But I was on a roll. However, a quick phone call in the morning and I had a hair appointment in the afternoon.

I've found that the less hair I have, the more haircut I need. Through terrible trial and error I determined that Toni and Guy are the most consistent hairdressers for me. They have an international reach - so important in a trans-national manager and business man - plus an 80's feel to their salons - so important for someone who use to read Blitz magazine.

There's nothing like this in my town so I had to take a train trip to a larger town, actually a city, for the appointment. So that was this afternoon spent.

After my haircut ("short") I found a message on my mobile. It was an agency who called whilst I was in the salon! They wanted to chat about the application I made to them yesterday. They also added that they were now leaving the office so I should call them on Monday.

Great, so not only do I now have a sharp hairstyle, I also have another bite.

Today I applied for one job.