Monthly Archives: September 2010

In which my days are numbered and my job-hunting gets professional …

Posted on September 29, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

Facing a hanging in the morning is one way of concentrating the mind. So is getting a redundancy notice from your employer. In an idle moment late last night I calculated my time left in my current seat and had … Continue reading →

Posted in CVs, Job applications, Public service, recruitment consultancies, Redundancy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

In which I define things by what they are not and HR gets my sympathy …

Posted on September 27, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

A comment from Brightandsmiley on an earlier post reminded me of a former colleague’s invaluable method of ‘defining something by what it isn’t rather than by what it is’. His unerring skill in applying this rule made him simultaneously amusing … Continue reading →

Posted in bad news, HR departments, Public sector, Redundancy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In which I reflect (again!) on hearing bad news …

Posted on September 24, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

April may be the cruellest month but Friday is definitely now the cruellest day for public sector workers. Back in August I posted about the misery of finding out through the media that your employer and your job are suddenly at risk. Well today … Continue reading →

Posted in bad news, Coalition, HR departments, Public sector, Public service, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In which I wrestle with the meaning of redundancy …

Posted on September 23, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

redundant adjective 1 not or no longer needed or useful … 2 Brit. (of a person) no longer employed because there is no more work available.  (Compact OED for Students – with thanks to the RPS kids) I am a … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Guardian Society, Public sector, Public service, Redundancy, social enterprise, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

***UPDATED*** In which I spoil Panorama’s scoop on public sector Fat Cats …

Posted on September 20, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

***UPDATE*** In my original post I may have unwittingly given the impression that Panorama’s programme about senior pay in the public sector would be a TV tabloid hatchet job. I apologise. I should of course have described it as a … Continue reading →

Posted in bad news, Public sector, Public sector pay, Public service, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

In which I ponder new strangenesses entering my quiet existance …

Posted on September 17, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

A crowded room. And dimly lit. The low hum of conversation underscoring some middle of the road jazz tinkling from the PA system. It and the joint had seen and heard better days. I hadn’t known this Russian tea house even existed … Continue reading →

Posted in CVs, recruitment consultancies, Redundancy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

In which I muse on the public sector’s damaged reputation

Posted on September 13, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

“This is a most unfortunate affair; and will probably be much talked of. But we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other, the balm of sisterly consolation … Unhappy as the event … Continue reading →

Posted in Public sector, Public service, Redundancy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In which I translate favourite phrases from rejection letters

Posted on September 9, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

A couple of my oldest friends are actors and have much to teach me about coping with rejection. Their resilience and enthusiasm is phenomenal. In my case getting used to the ‘thanks’ but ‘no thanks’ letter is one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in CVs, Job applications, recruitment consultancies, Redundancy, rejection letters, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

In which I worry about being a victim

Posted on September 7, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

Yesterday (6 September) I got my first comments on the blog. I was bemused to read a reference in one of them about following a link to me from Society Guardian. So I tracked it down. Sure enough on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Guardian Society, Public sector, Public service, Redundancy | 7 Comments

In which my redundancy notice arrives

Posted on September 5, 2010 by redundantpublicservant

Dealing with bad news is hard. Unexpected news is hardest of all. So getting my redundancy notice this week was not – at least for me – the source of deep despair that it might have been. But I’m lucky. … Continue reading →

Posted in bad news, Coalition, Public sector, Redundancy, Uncategorized | 6 Comments