Posted By GST
I have just secured a role with a contract cleaning company after five months unemployment, I applied for around 30 vacancies and had 11 interviews before being offered this role. It's hard out there but don't give up, it's a lot to do with the right person for the role. In my experience it's just as important how someone will fit in to an organisation and get on with people as are their skills and qualifications.

I left my previous role which I held for just four and a half months, I was an HSEQ manager but was expected to spend 70% of my time processing 'permits to work', this was on a multi site account employing around 4000 people. I was also responsible for all statutory requirements, training, writing monthly reports, attending at least two management meetings per week as well as traveling between sites the furthest was 200 miles away. To cut a long story short this was not the role for me I was burning my self out late nights early mornings, there was just was not enough hours in a day to fulfill the demands of the role, it was also a big worry that one of the statutory requirements might be missed and I did not want a blot on my otherwise excellent record. So I handed in my notice and excepted that I would never succeed in that role.

Not all employers think roles through properly when writing the job specifications and expect too much of health and safety professionals as well as other employees. It's just as easy to for any of us to suffer from stress due to an overly heavy work demand, and as h&s professionals we must ensure that employees are not subjected to workplace stress. Its just a little harder to recognise when we ourselves may be suffering the effects of stress!

So it's 'horses for courses' h&s professionals need to be even better in this economic climate but must not take on roles for which we can not adequately manage, but most importantly we must be happy in our roles and feel that we are able to make a difference!!!

GST.

Posted By Brian Horrocks
In your last role, wasn't one of the aims of the job 'to manage' h&s.

Overviewing and advising management, putting in the correct procedures, providing training to other staff/or sourcing training etc so that other managers would deal with things like Permits to Work.

Essentially developing a safety management system based around HSG65 or 18001 etc.

Recognising that all levels of management in the company had a role to play etc etc.

No wonder you were tired.

Posted By Luke.
Well done pal.

On that note (hi-jacking your post!) do take note all those looking for work.

I have been in a role that sounds not to far from the original posting - the main difference is that i was expected to drive up to 3-400 miles in a day for site inspections!

Although very stressed, I haven't been looking for other work as i thought about sticking it out... but i got a job offer from another company recently out of the blue... so i handed my notice in and I'm in the process of moving over - so there is work out there. Just keep plugging away all, and remember, for each NO you receive, that is one step closer to a YES.

Posted By murray-t
Well done GST.
I have been unemployed now for two months after I too left my last job (too many reasons and too many people who might know me on here to go into it). Needless to say I’ve sent my CV to every man and his dog, applied for loads of jobs on the internet and talked to some agencies on the phone. Well today I received a call asking me to attend an interview next week, so here’s hoping.

Once again well done on securing a new position.

Murray.