Johannesburg errand puts me in job-hunting mood

I have just sent out my revamped CV to a recruiter and I am feeling very pleased with myself and hopeful that something good will come out of it.

What makes it interesting is that I did not set out to look for a job, though I must say that the Shiro move has led me to think that maybe I have become too complacent about my work situation.

It all started a few weeks ago when my CEO called me into his office and said: “Josphat, I need you to represent me. I have been invited to speak at a conference and I cannot make it since my daughter has some school event.”

My initial instinct was to refuse, but I recalled a conversation with my life coach who told me that I need to “step out and be more visible.”

“Give me more details and I will prepare,” I told the CEO. I learned that he had been invited to give a presentation on inspiring teams during tough times.

He said that the forum would take place in Johannesburg. My reservations melted away instantly.

I attentively listened as he shared his views on the matter. I realised that he intended for me to share his views — not my views — on the matter.

I spent the next two days with the CEO, going over his thoughts and the presentation before we finally landed on what he considered, “good to go.” When I got home, I told Shiro about my presentation and she said, “how cool is that? I will also be in SA for a meeting, we can hang out for an extra couple of days.”

I really enjoyed the sessions and somehow managed to make the presentation without sweating too much.

During one of our breakfasts at the hotel a man approached me and said: “Hi, my name is Danny. You gave a good presentation yesterday, very inspiring.”

This was a pleasant surprise considering that I was standing in for someone. “Mind if I join you for breakfast?” he enquired. “Please join us, I am here with my wife,” I responded.

Danny ended up being quite talkative. He told us that he worked for a recruitment firm.

“Though I am based here, I recruit for firms across Africa. What do you do?” This question always catches me by surprise because I am not sure exactly what my job is. “I have expertise in finance, procurement and business development. I am a jack of all trades,” I responded.

Danny gave me his business card and said, “we should chat a bit more and see what opportunities come up in future.”

Upon my return, I sent Danny an email thanking him for his company and promised to stay in touch.

The CEO seemed pleased with my performance and said that he had received “positive reviews about my presentation.”

He then said, “now I know who to delegate to in future.” I must say the feedback was very welcome and I have been thinking of how to make it work for me.

Two days ago I received an email from Danny. He told me that he wanted to chat with me regarding some opportunity.

I told him that we could only talk after work and when we finally did it all sounded very exciting.

“Drop me your CV and let us see what we can do,” he said. Yesterday he sent me an mail saying, “you need to tighten your CV, it is all over the place.” He gave me some suggestions on improving it. I have been waking up very early to work on my CV, for who knows where this road will lead to.