NORMAL LIFE: I Can Feel It In My Waters

As anyone who knows me knows, I am trying to find a job in Australia so I can utilise a one-year working-holiday visa. A series of events recently have combined to freak me out, leaving me to conclude that something is about to happen!

First off, I told my boss a while ago of my plans. She has been very supportive of some internal moves, but is of course powerless to make something happen for me. With her knowledge, I applied for an internal Account Manager position. HR in Australia - with the hiring manager on the call - interviewed me for an hour. It went well, maybe 8/10 given the lack of time I was given to prepare.

When I got into the office on yesterday morning, I found a meeting invitation from my boss - who is based in the US - to have a call that evening. I accepted, curious as to the agenda. The evening came and my boss explained that she has been looking into the option of granting me one year of unpaid leave so I can utilise my visa, allowing me to return to my current role after the one-year stay. Due to Finnish law, however, this isn't possible since, in my absence, the law would require that I am replaced by an unemployed person. Since there is currently a hiring freeze, this approach cannot be used.

My boss asked if I had heard about the Account Manager position since lodging my application. I said I hadn't heard anything. She said she was going to call the hiring manager to expedite matters. The moment she said this, alarm bells began to ring in my head. Why was she being so active? Did she want rid of me? The second question had somehow escaped from my mouth and my boss laughed it away, saying: 'I just want to make sure you are looked after'. It was the way she emphasised the you. I quickly forgot about it until this morning.

As usual (naughty me!), I spent the first hour of my working day actioning the employment alerts I have set up one several Australian employment portals. To date, and within the last month, I estimate I have applied for 200+ jobs. This morning, however, I received two interesting pieces of communication. The first one told of the big boss' resignation. The big boss is a small female who, rather successfully, has managed the Helsinki site of the firm. With more than a thousand employers under her control, her resignation - while not totally surprising - seems to have plunged the employees into a new level of demotivation. After a bit of analysis, having remembered my boss' voice - 'I just want to make sure you are looked after' - I started to suspect that even more bad news was about to hit the firm.

As I continued to read my overnight email, I found a response to one job application: an agency is looking for a Senior Account Manager and my background, education and experience was closely aligned to the client's expectations! Not thinking twice, I speedily dialled the agent's number. The phone rang and I hoped he or she would answer and a she did!

What happened was we reviewed the job description during a one-hour call, during which we got on incredibly well. Australia was desperate for people with skills, she urged. She asked how earlier I could start and, without thinking, I said 4-6 weeks. She said I was guaranteed an interview - an interview with an Advertising Agency with swanky offices on the North Shore with views of the iconic Sydney Bridge! Wow, wow, wow, wow!

After a meeting and a quick lunch, I returned to my office only to find an email from the Australian High Commission in London. I had registered to attend the Australia Needs Skills Expo in London sometime ago and, today, they had approved my registration (it is an invitation-only event). What is scary that the event is on the only day I am free during my forthcoming eight-day visit to England!

Something is tell me that moving to Australia is so meant to be. I can feel it in my waters!