On that sliding scale I’d have to say I’m currently in the ‘confused’ place; the place where you’re looking to commit but are not sure the thing you’re looking to commit to is actually worthy of your commitment, as it were. If my working life could be compared with a real romantic relationship I guess I’d be calling it up, asking it to meet me for a pseudo-romantic dinner and then asking it “So…where are we?”
But of course the similarity doesn’t end there. Job relationships can also be compared with
romantic relationships in the following ways:
1.
The recruitment ad is just like an online dating
profile – promises of a rewarding relationship and a blissful future with no
baggage. Always written by the very last person who should have written it.
2.
Your colleagues are like your partner’s friends –
you start off wanting them to like you, then gradually realise that whether
they do or not, they’re not going anywhere so you have to be nice or face a
world of hassle.
3.
Talking about past relationships is a no-no…unless
you’re trying to make people jealous by using them as a form of
passive-aggressive one-upmanship (Oh?
Well, they didn’t do things like that at my last place…)
4.
If you cheat on your relationship by meeting up
with recruitment agents or flirting with the online job boards, you’d better be
quiet about it.
5.
If you want to leave your relationship for a new
one, you hand in your notice, coast for the last few weeks and then get a
speech and a nice little gift rewarding all your hard work.
6.
…err, hang on – something about that last bit
didn’t read quite right!
