My first job interview

I had a phone interview lined up for 1pm yesterday. The guy (Paul Stewart) was late ringing me and he went straight for location and the fact that I'm Derby based while the client's work is in London and the south and he just ruled me straight out. I didn't get a chance to sell myself at all. The job was with i-Realise who (from their web site) appear to be very similar to ZEDA Ltd (a previous employer of mine, no longer in existence) and with roles to fill that I felt I could slot right into. But no, I’m in the wrong place as far as he was concerned, unless I was looking to relocate (which I'm not). I tried to put a positive spin on it because I've commuted to Milton Keynes and north London in the past, and serviced clients in Bristol, Crawley, Croydon, Canterbury and the Isle of White. Paul was adamant that it's not possible to commute from Derby to Milton Keynes on a daily basis even though I've done it for nearly 3 years. That I can't best service clients in Kent, Surrey Hampshire, Beds & Berks - even though I've supported clients in North Allerton (up near Middleborough), Bristol, Crawley and Canterbury in the past and all in the same week. Yes, it's a lot of driving but I've been there done that. And as for his claim of clients in Essex - that's where I grew up, and we return there to visit family and friends on an occasional basis. But for him it was a deal breaker and the call lasted all of 5 minutes (if that).

Overall, I'm disappointed mainly because I wasn't given a fair shot at presenting myself and what I have to offer. No discussion of skills or past experience, what I've done, where I've been. No, I don't want to work in central London, but outside the M25 to me is fair game.

So if you are unlucky enough to find yourself having a first time phone interview with Paul Stewart then based on my experience, you are up against somebody with preconceived ideas, misconceptions and a closed mind – not the attributes one normally associates with a recruiter working for an agency and that agencies clients.

Anyway, I've got another interview in Derby today, so I'm hoping that goes better... then another one next Tuesday. All different roles. And yesterday I found another BA role right here on my doorstep at Derby City Council (where my wife Sue works although she knew nothing about it) so I'll be applying for that.