“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.” Napoleon Hill.
I am currently nursing a broken heart and bruised ego over one
particular job I had gone for and fallen in love with. From the hundreds I have
applied for, this was the first to get me excited. It awoke the beast within.
It was a Home Economist role at a fantastic company I really identified
with. They serve first class food in a range of settings, from their
Michelin-star restaurant, to their pubs, to the outside catering part of the
company. Ingredients are either grown on site, or sourced locally, something
that they are really passionate about. And they want to delve into the world of
nutrition.
In my first interview I was immediately told I was through to the
second stage; a presentation to their very well-known patron chef, to tell them
why nutrition could help their business, and how to go about this. If the
presentation wasn’t daunting enough, on Friday evening (with the interview the
following Tuesday), I received an email saying that they had a little surprise
for me… I would be cooking for him, in his Michelin star kitchen. Gulp!
It was a panic call to mum, and a frantic foodie search for something quick,
healthy and locally sourced. I toyed with scallops on asparagus with some sort
of dressing, but not knowing what would be available in the kitchen and how the
set up would be on the day, I went for a safer option (which in hindsight I
regret now) of a layered dessert, with rhubarb, raspberries, my homemade
rhubarb and raspberry jam, cream with the fat content reduced by quark, and a
crumble topping. Although it was enjoyed by both patron chef, and their lovely
HR lady, I can’t help but feel like scallops would have been more impressive, and
knowing what I know now about the kitchen and what I had at my disposal, still doable.
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| One page of the leaflet supporting my presentation |
He was lovely, and meeting him was not as scary as I’d originally
imagined! And although I felt a little shaky through my presentation and had to
keep asking their head chef where things were in the kitchen, it went well.
After a painful wait to find out how I’d done. It was a difficult
decision. I was unsuccessful. Not a reflection on me; the successful candidate
was more matched to their needs (possibly had more of that dreaded experience!). I asked for feedback and
was merely told that they were all “very impressed and being honest you
narrowly missed out”, keep in touch because “you never know what the future
holds”.
As Mr Hill said, you have to find the positive from every set back. Otherwise
it’s pretty depressing and you drive yourself mad! The one thing that all this
job hunting has given me, and in particular this one, is clarity; I know what I
want. I’m just not finding it!
Jobs that use my degree are few and far between, let alone entry level
ones. Those that do are either factory or hospital based, neither of which
appeal to me, as it is the food, and creativity that I love, a role where I
could use my nutritional knowledge as an added bonus, somewhere for me to grow
and have some interaction with customers who are enjoying and choosing to pay
for something that great that I’ve helped to concoct.
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