Now All I have To Do Is Wait

Job interviews are horrible but waiting to hear whether you have got the job or not is probably even worse.

I managed to get up when the alarm went this morning although I would have loved to go back to sleep, get myself ready, and then leave the house in the time frame that I had set for myself. It seemed very strange getting myself dressed in a suit for the first time in about four years and I felt the cold as soon as I left the house to walk to the bus stop. During this cold winter I have been wearing thick tights and thick trousers on my bottom half and a T-shirt, jumper, and fleece on my top half and on top of all that wearing a nice thick padded jacket when I went out of the house. This morning it was just a blouse with my suit, although I did have some thickish tights on under the trousers, and my padded jacket. I forgot to pick up my gloves as I left the house so it didn't take long for my hands to get really cold and waiting for the bus, the cold really got to my core.

I knew the way to the GP practice where the interviews were being held having looked at the Transport for London website, but I find that it can still be very difficult to judge how long it is going to take you to walk from the bus stop to wherever you are aiming for. As it turned out it didn't take as long as I thought to walk that last bit of the way and I arrived at the practice building at just after 8.30am for my 9am interview. As usual I was there early, and after having reported to the reception, explained that I was there for an interview and then taken a seat in the waiting room, the extra time did mean that I could start to thaw out a bit before I was escorted upstairs by 'B' to the room where the interviews were being conducted.

As we climbed the stairs, 'B' told me that there were a couple of problems. The first was that 'M' who was supposed to be doing the interviews with him (she was from the PCT) was unable to be present so he had seconded a member of staff from the practice to be the second interviewer. that didn't seem to be much of a problem to me. The second problem could have been far more of a concern. 'B' said, "Have you brought your presentation on a memory stick, by any chance?" Well, of course I had. Didn't I say that I was a belt and braces person the other day? I was able to reply in the affirmative and 'B' was not at all surprised because he knows that I usually have my presentation on a memory stick when we go anywhere, even if we had already emailed them to wherever we were doing our double act.

The interview involved lots of questions, but then that is obvious. They ranged from what was your last/current job, what did you enjoy about it most and what did you like least. These were pretty easy for me seeing as I have really had only one job during my working life because I did the same thing both in the RAF and the Civil Service. Then the questions started about the job that I was being interviewed for. I have to be honest and admit that the questions probably played to my strengths and even the one about what I would do if I was at a practice and all the GPs except one were in favour of giving their patients online access to their medical records but as it was the senior partner who was against it they wouldn't say anything to try to persuade him to change his mind. This is where the gentle art of persuasion comes into play and I said as much. But if such an occasion was to arise, the final thing that can be used to persuade the recalcitrant senior partner is the fact that patients actually have a legal right to see their medical records and it would actually be easier to allow this to happen online than it would be to have patients regularly turning up at the practice to see them.

After about 20 minutes of questions I was asked to go through my presentation. This was the easy bit as far as I was concerned because I was only having to present to two people something that was a lot simpler than I would normally have to present. The fact that I am actually quite passionate about the subject probably helps, so at the end of it all I was reasonably pleased with how things had gone. As is normal at the end of an interview, I was asked if I had any questions for the interviewers, but I couldn't think of anything at the time, and I'm not sure that even now I can think of anything that I could have asked. The interview ended with me being asked if I was to get the job when I would be able to start. That was the easiest question of the lot. I said that I had psychotherapy on a Tuesday morning and that I was already booked to do the lecture at one of the London universities at the beginning of March, but really I could start any time that was acceptable to both parties.

'B' accompanied me back downstairs to the waiting room and we chatted a little about our visit to the House of Commons next week for the round table discussions. We still have not heard anything more about this so I may have to contact the Shadow Health Secretary's research assistant for details of where and who we have to report to.

After leaving the practice building, I made my way to the bus stop so that I could get the bus to the hospital for my psychotherapy appointment. I had time for a cup of tea before my appointment and I really enjoyed it as I was rather dry in the mouth after all that talking and nervousness. When my psychologist came to collect me for the session I commented on being a bit overdressed (in comparison to how I am normally dressed for my appointments) because of having just attended a job interview. When I saw him last week I hadn't received the invitation to the interview so he didn't know anything about it.

What was really great about today's session was that instead of dealing with my emotions and getting me to let them out as is the normal pattern of the session, we talked about how the interview had gone, about the fact that it is only a 6-month contract and if I got the job how I would feel when it was over, about my previous psychotherapy and how I had felt when it ended, and lots more things about my life and my feelings of abandonment. It was a good session and I think that it was just what I needed after the interview. I think that it allowed my psychologist to learn a lot more about me and how I can best be helped. He definitely feels that I need to be referred back to the main hospital where I had the earlier psychotherapy because I need long-term psychotherapy and if this is successful that it is likely to reduce my relapses into depression and should mean that I will never need to be be hospitalised again.

I guess that the only way that I can finish this post is to say a very big thank you to all of you who have sent me good luck wishes for the interview. I truly appreciate your comments and wishes and it only remains for me to say what a truly nice bunch of people bloggers are. I'll let you know whether I have got the job as soon as I hear anything.