First day of the job? On introductions and inductions
and your very own introduction to this newsletter
At some jobs, on some first days, they’ll send an email to the team about you. The format is usually the same, wherever you go. They’ll ask about your interests, your hobbies, your career highlights and, if you’re really lucky, some ‘fun facts’ about you.
Now, these questions might relaxed, informal and ‘a bit of fun!!!’. But reader, they are not. At this point, if the organisation you’re joining is relatively normal (unlike the startup that made me do a ‘speed dating-style’ interview with 10 people at once), you’ll have only met a maximum of five people during the interview process – so as far as you’re concerned, these answers are being sent to infinity and beyond.
So, a lot hangs on your answers to these questions. Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton Eyed Joe? Why are you here? Are you fun? But are you trying too hard? Are you oversharing? Or are you too generic? Have you thought about this way too much and is that now very clear for all to see? Dear lord. Can I quit yet?
In 2018, I went to work for an ad agency in London. Having only ever worked in small teams for small startups, I was a very small fish diving into a very big (and male-dominated) pond. I, however, did not think about how big this pond would be. I did not realise that this agency would consist of hundreds of people, including many men old enough to be (and older than) my dad. And so, when I was sent the questions to answer for the All@Company email, I approached it like any small, young, excited, wide-eyed fish would – without thinking about it at all.
They asked these five questions:
What do you do?
What’s the slogan that sums you up?
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
What are your interests and hobbies?
Tell us three fun facts about you.
And I gave these five answers:
Q: What do you do?
I’m a writer.
Q: What’s the slogan that sums you up?
What’s the worst that could happen? - Dr Pepper
Q: What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
Moved from the comfort of the South Wales valleys to London, to join the first 30 people at an unheard of dog food startup company — while my mum was on holiday.
Also, not cry when I sliced the top of my thumb off whilst cutting saucisson (despite being vegetarian).
Q: What are your interests and hobbies?
Meeting dogs
Making terrible financial decisions on ASOS.com
Skiing, sometimes
Buying books, adding them to my massive ‘must-read-soon’ pile and not getting round to them for 6 months
Crisps
Q: Tell us three fun facts about you.
Until recently, I lived in a flat in an 18th century building on Wandsworth Common that was haunted by a ghost called Charlotte, who died after being burned alive in the tower when she’d been a child at the orphanage. I’m pretty sure I saw her twice.
If you were to summon me using a salt circle and 5 objects, you could successfully do so a cup of Yorkshire Gold tea, a Border Terrier, a bag of salt & vinegar McCoys, anything written by Nora Ephron and a subscription to the Sunday Times Style magazine.
My first piece of ‘published’ writing was a poem in the Donkey Sanctuary magazine. It’s still on my mum’s noticeboard and nothing else I ever write will ever live up to this.
So, there you have it. You, like all those big fish in that big pond, now know who I am.
Since writing these answers back in 2018, I’ve lived a few more years, had a few more jobs, had a few more ideas, worked with more brands and written a lot more words. And this newsletter is one part of one idea that’s been floating around my head and niggling at me for the last four years.
In 2017, I quit my dream (at the time, supposedly) job. It is still, to this day, one of the biggest heartbreaks I’ve ever experienced. I was quitting the job I didn’t want to quit, leaving a company I didn’t want to leave and saying goodbye to friends (who have since become family) I didn’t want to say goodbye to.
At the time, I described the decision as ‘breaking up with someone who I love so much, but isn’t right for me anymore,’ – and that much is still true. But really, it wasn’t about leaving the job – it was about leaving a person who had such a negative influence on me and so many others, that I just couldn’t go on any longer. This person was such a giant hurdle and as far as I could see it, I had no choice but to go around her and find another way.
Of course, this giant hurdle in my life (and heart!) was papered over with my ~shiny new job alert!!~ updates. I moved to another startup, where I travelled to the US, made new friends and worked on exciting work – with a boss who believed in me and helped me to be a better writer. And though I don’t regret my decision to leave that ‘dream job’ anymore, for years I thought I was a complete and utter failure. I berated myself for not being resilient enough, for not being courageous enough and for not believing in myself enough.
And I’m not alone. I spend so much time talking to friends, family, mentors and even strangers on the internet about the shit that goes on in our lives. Our days are packed with tough challenges, tricky situations, stupid mistakes and difficult people. And yet, we only ever tend to outwardly share the good, not the bad and the highs, not the lows – especially on social media, where every other tweet is ~some personal news!!!~ and every other LinkedIn post is an insufferable homage to The 9-5 (9-9, if you’re in a startup) Grind.
So, I wanted to create a place that could peek behind the scenes of the highlights reel we all produce. I wanted to look at the messy bits, the things gone wrong, the lessons we’ve learned and share real stories, honest thoughts and unfiltered reflections.
But most of all, I wanted to build a community that helps us all to navigate through the tough, and feel better equipped, less alone and ready for what comes next. You’re free to share your own personal hurdles, stories, thoughts, confessions, hopes, dreams, feelings, realisations, frustrations – or anything else you need to get out.
So welcome to Hurdling. I hope you stick around. There’s lots more to come, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Em