Change of career, goodbye 9-5!

h3xusr · Post by **h3xusr** » 11 Oct 2018, 12:18

Hi all,

So I've been applying for RM for awhile and have made 10 applications in total with some being 'position withdrawn' to 'not successful' those bloody online tests, I know a few people who already work at RM and they advised me that HR will only offer interviews based on the test scores and bin the rest, I was confident that if I could only get an interview i'd have a good chance of being offered the role.

So finally I got an interview 29/09/2018 and received the phone call from recruitment on the 10/10/2018 where I have (of course) accepted the role!

Now its the pre-employment checks, was told NOT to hand in my notice yet due to the time it may take to process but to keep an eye on my emails/junk, I was immediately sent an email requesting me to update my candidate profile, you have 48 hours to do so.

I cant wait to start, I'm under no false impression of what to expect as my wife has recently being a DOM after working as a post lady/woman/person

and NO, I did ask if she could help my application along and put in a good word for me, but HR/Recruitment work based on those inital online test results only (according to my resources anyway)

So now I just need to wait, whilst I do i'm looking into investing in some fingerless fisherman/waterproof gloves and some decent walking shoes...also was thinking of getting some waterproof/breathable socks. Apparantly the worst thing is to have soggy cold feet and cold hands whilst trying to handle mail/parcels.

My previous experience has (for the past 3 years) been office based working as an administrator on a 9-5 with flexi-time, free snacks, breakfast and other company perks.

So why am I leaving?

Because working for RM seems so liberating!! Yes i'm sure it will be stressful especially as Christmas is fast approaching and i'm sure the stories of management being a bit full-on with the workload might test me, but once i'm out of the office....the time is yours, exercise, fresh air, rain, snow, wind and all I'm looking forward to it all.

Interested-seeker · Post by **Interested-seeker** » 11 Oct 2018, 21:31

I hope that is the right decision for you. Be prepared to be mistreated and bullied.

h3xusr · Post by **h3xusr** » 11 Oct 2018, 21:59

Interested-seeker wrote:I hope that is the right decision for you. Be prepared to be mistreated and bullied.

Well I'm going in with a positive outlook and have a clear idea what to expect, my eyes are wide open

But hey! I really appreciate your constructive feedback though

Postiemummy · Post by **Postiemummy** » 11 Oct 2018, 22:13

You’re not going to get bullied or mistreated. Just stay calm, don’t let anyone try & take the mick & don’t be afraid to say no & stand up for yourself. It’s not your typical work place.
You’ll soon settle in & the people are great. It’s a mixed bag.

It’s a great job, some of the lads might test you at first - they did with me but I soon found my place & so will you.

h3xusr · Post by **h3xusr** » 11 Oct 2018, 22:15

Postiemummy wrote:You’re not going to get bullied or mistreated. Just stay calm, don’t let anyone try & take the mick & don’t be afraid to say no & stand up for yourself. It’s not your typical work place.
You’ll soon settle in & the people are great. It’s a mixed bag.

It’s a great job, some of the lads might test you at first - they did with me but I soon found my place & so will you.

Thank you

Danidreams · Post by **Danidreams** » 12 Oct 2018, 11:50

This message gives me hope!! I have been applying to lots of royal mail roles only to get the same message job withdrawn or I am unsuccessful. I am getting a little fed up now as I am sure I am getting the online tests done correct but just not getting anywhere with this. Do I keep on or give up?

Post by **aiden01** » 12 Oct 2018, 13:10

Danidreams wrote:This message gives me hope!! I have been applying to lots of royal mail roles only to get the same message job withdrawn or I am unsuccessful. I am getting a little fed up now as I am sure I am getting the online tests done correct but just not getting anywhere with this. Do I keep on or give up?

keep trying good luck.

h3xusr · Post by **h3xusr** » 12 Oct 2018, 14:17

Danidreams wrote:This message gives me hope!! I have been applying to lots of royal mail roles only to get the same message job withdrawn or I am unsuccessful. I am getting a little fed up now as I am sure I am getting the online tests done correct but just not getting anywhere with this. Do I keep on or give up?

11 applications its taken me to get a face to face interview, I spoke to one of the managers at another office who told me to "Just keep applying", it maybe literally you got 1 question wrong when doing the online test which automatically throws you out of the 'interview pile'

When it came down to the interview itself I was more than prepared for it, only recently discovered this forum though and wow there is plenty of useful information on here!

You WILL get a position its simply a matter of when, dont give up hope although it sometimes feels like "What am I doing wrong?!" it will happen, remain positive

Make sure you sign up for email notifications if you havent done so already so that you can get right on it when a new poisition will come up, what i've read from the boards here is that RM have a large staff turn around due to those applying for and getting the roles not realising how physically demanding it is

or leave at the first sign of rain/wind or any other adverse weather conditions.

What i've also come to realise (even though i've not even started yet) is that you need to be thick skinned and be able not take things to heart and fight your corner, the office politics and management style will most likely vary from DO to DO so it depends entirely on who your manager will be right?...well thats my thinking anyway.

I wish you all the best of luck in getting that face to face

Paulpng · Post by **Paulpng** » 12 Oct 2018, 17:16

Hi I am in the same position, waiting for the security checks to come through and thinking of footwear and gloves. I also have started to get out walking every day, 5 miles each day at the moment moving to six next week. I am also really looking forward to this, many Postmen / Women have been in the role for years so it must be right for a lot of people.

SW Postie · Post by **SW Postie** » 13 Oct 2018, 09:11

Great post h3xusr.

I was a postman for 14 years from 2003-2017 was then offered a great opportunity which I took. However after a year or so it wasn’t for me. I missed the early starts, banter, lovely customers, good weather (at times) and fresh air. I’m now on the waiting list to go back (just waiting for a position to come up). I think at times I thought about work too much when I was with RM before. The runners, office politics and easier deliveries used to really get to me. I have promised myself when I go back to have a fresh approach.

Good luck and keep us updated please?

h3xusr · Post by **h3xusr** » 13 Oct 2018, 22:19

SW Postie wrote:Great post h3xusr.

I was a postman for 14 years from 2003-2017 was then offered a great opportunity which I took. However after a year or so it wasn’t for me. I missed the early starts, banter, lovely customers, good weather (at times) and fresh air. I’m now on the waiting list to go back (just waiting for a position to come up). I think at times I thought about work too much when I was with RM before. The runners, office politics and easier deliveries used to really get to me. I have promised myself when I go back to have a fresh approach.

Good luck and keep us updated please?

I received an email on Thursday requesting my driving license details, was provided a link to follow to gov.uk which after entering my details generated a code for RM to use to do checks, presumably on whether I have any points.

This was a very quick process, took me all of 10mins to complete and email back.

So once these details are checked and verified I'm assuming they will do a DBS check and employment checks but as they do not request reference's I'm assuming they won't need to contact my current employer directly.

I'm hoping to have a start date sometime in November to get myself some experience before the Christmas rush,.

Today was absolutely lashing it down with rain, I went for a 5k run and got totally soaked!

it's made me realise that when ordering uniform I'll be opting for shorts over trousers as your legs dry much much quicker, although waterproof socks might be a well worth investment.

ArcticDry Xtreme ICE Blue 100% Waterpro ... urn false;

Although I've heard SealSkinz are a very good brand, but also very expensive, might be over thinking it.

Just need to be properly prepared for winter and until I receive the RM uniform (apparently 3 months in)

Any suggestions on gloves/shoes/thermals?

Will keep checking my emails every hour or so just in case I miss anything

I hope you all have a great weekend!

itinerant · Post by **itinerant** » 14 Oct 2018, 05:36

I got my uniform ordered in my first week so you should not have to wait 3 months (I had a uniform form as part of my offer details and I called up and ordered it myself rather than go through my DOM). There is a limit on what you can order initially and then after 6 weeks you can order the rest (that's how it worked when I joined last year anyway).

Agree on the shorts. I made the mistake of ordering 2x trousers and 1x shorts when I joined but hardly ever wear the trousers (only when its freezing).

Postiemummy · Post by **Postiemummy** » 14 Oct 2018, 22:12

It took me almost 3 months to get my uniform so I guess it varies from office to office. There was no way I was allowed to contact HR without going through my DOM as you need a RM email address which they’re very stingy about releasing to you - I only managed to do this after contacting IT, running it through a line manager, confirming why I needed access to an email address & then having to create a password. Though, the IT department is based on South Africa so we had a wonderful chat about the weather and how many hours I work! *I should add that it’s murder trying to get through to them on the phone most days, 40 mins +*

You can order this online where you would access My Bundle, however it’s run past a line manager & isn’t regularly made available for new starters. This is the way I order new uniform now as the LM’s have a habit of forgetting.

Recommending fisherman’s gloves with fingers that fold back on the thumb, forefinger & middle finger, they’re more often than not waterproof. You’ll usually get shoes in the first few weeks so socks shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you can cope for a couple of weeks. Just nag them till they get ordered, seriously. Shorts all the way, even when it’s freezing!

Danidreams · Post by **Danidreams** » 15 Oct 2018, 07:18

h3xusr wrote:
Danidreams wrote:This message gives me hope!! I have been applying to lots of royal mail roles only to get the same message job withdrawn or I am unsuccessful. I am getting a little fed up now as I am sure I am getting the online tests done correct but just not getting anywhere with this. Do I keep on or give up?
11 applications its taken me to get a face to face interview, I spoke to one of the managers at another office who told me to "Just keep applying", it maybe literally you got 1 question wrong when doing the online test which automatically throws you out of the 'interview pile'

When it came down to the interview itself I was more than prepared for it, only recently discovered this forum though and wow there is plenty of useful information on here!

You WILL get a position its simply a matter of when, dont give up hope although it sometimes feels like "What am I doing wrong?!" it will happen, remain positive

Make sure you sign up for email notifications if you havent done so already so that you can get right on it when a new poisition will come up, what i've read from the boards here is that RM have a large staff turn around due to those applying for and getting the roles not realising how physically demanding it is or leave at the first sign of rain/wind or any other adverse weather conditions.

What i've also come to realise (even though i've not even started yet) is that you need to be thick skinned and be able not take things to heart and fight your corner, the office politics and management style will most likely vary from DO to DO so it depends entirely on who your manager will be right?...well thats my thinking anyway.

I wish you all the best of luck in getting that face to face

Thank you so much for getting back to me. Your message has really helped me to stay positive and I will keep applying. Hopefully I will get in one day. Again thank you and I wish u loads of luck for your new role with them. X

SW Postie · Post by **SW Postie** » 15 Oct 2018, 16:19

I had a phone call from HR today offering me a position at my old DO. Obviously subject to all security checks being ok (shouldn't be a problem). I only left 18 months ago but still see a lot of the staff as it's only a small town. I am looking forward to going back and I am sure the DOM will be pleased to see me. How often do you get a new starter who knows all of the deliveries within the DO??!!