I applied for jobs too, don't want you thinking I just divved about with diy. I had an interview at Birmingham University Business School. The interview panel were really nice, we got on well, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I could do the job, I had a lot of experience that meant I was a good fit etc so I went home feeling cautiously optimistic. A couple of days later I got a very nice email saying they would like me to apply for similar jobs there but on this occasion I was unsuccessful. Gutted! Still though it gave me the opportunity to poke around the campus for the first time since 2002, when I graduated. I really loved being back. I would love to work there... Leon took out his lunch break to show me around, which was cool. There have been lots of changes like the new buildings by the train station, a new enormous and cheap fruit and veg stall on campus (v encouraging) but by far the most amazing change was Muirhead Tower. That tower, that blot on the landscape, was famously know to students as being the building the university allowed students to design to reduce wind velocity then it was erected inside out, exacerbating the wind velocity problem for generations. I don't know if that is an urban myth but it is a protected building that the uni wasn't allowed to just pull down and certainly during my time the 'temporary' scaffolding and "Caution in High Winds" signs were a permanent fixture. picture below. Well, do you know, they've gone and redeveloped it! The exterior is less ugly, more space age with fancy panels, v cool (see the link). Inside they've opened it up and built an extension so there are 4 lifts instead of 2, allowing students I imagine at least a cat in hell's chance of getting to their lectures in time without walking to the 12th floor! There is, wait for it, a lobby and a Starbucks!!! Yes a Starbucks people. I wasn't sure how I felt about that but there is now a fancy looking cafe thing in most of the buildings it seems, an attempt I imagine to keep students out of the Guild until at least after their lectures, and if that's their plan it would seem to be working. All the students I saw looked, well, studious!
Anyway, I joined the Unitemps online agency and last week I got a 2 week contract covering the enrolment at Birmingham City University (the old UCE) at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. You should see the students, so cute! They're all fashion students, graphic design, creative, jewellery students and the like so they all have mad hair and dress to match. Bless em. Nothing like my lot who mainly rolled out of bed, pulled on flairs, and pretty much made as little effort with dressing for lectures as possible. Mind, during my week off I went to my old stomping ground, the University of Birmingham, and all the little students seemed quite trendy there too so there's obviously been a change. I mean they were wear make up and jeans that haven't been bought from a charity shop... weird.
I've enjoyed being at work again and the people at BCU BIAD are nice. I've mainly covered the office but for one day I sat in the tent helping to enrol the students, issuing ID cards, giving out free gifts etc. It was fun!
Yesterday I had an interview at the Shakespeare trust, the charity that looks after the various Stratford properties associated with Shakespeare and the archive, museum and educational events. I again felt confident, I'd obviously had experience of marketing the Restoration project at Kings Norton, now known as St Nicolas Place. Again we got on well, but I could feel I wasn't what they necessarily wanted. The lady kept on smiling sympathetically at me, and when the interview ended she hadn't even wanted to see my portfolio. It would have been a dream to not only market something I am so passionate about but work with people who are undoubtedly so professional. You could see she really knew her onions. More upsetting still I got the impression that if I hadn't spent the majority of the last 3 years in working environments where basically I was the most senior marketing person I might have learned more and have the kind of skills and confidence she thought I should have. She said she could see I had the nouse to learn quickly and the makings of a really good person for that role but they needed someone to start and be pretty much self sufficient and she felt I would be a risk. Fair enough. Back to the drawing board.
