The Post Office in Flaming June

So, I’ve applied for a job as a postman. Not in a Bukowski way. I’m not writing or drinking myself to death. I’m not doing much of anything really. Reading a lot.
At the moment, the idea of wandering the local streets for 5 hours a day, posting envelopes through people’s doors sounds interesting. More interesting, I have to say, than wandering the corridors of conference halls posting powerpoint presentations onto plasma screens.
My appetite for my career is minimal, at the moment. Perhaps it will improve, although I have my doubts.
I was working on an event a few months ago, an awards ceremony for some company who offer onsite services, security, cleaning and maintenance stuff. I was looking after the speakers and the entertainers, briefing them, getting them on and off stage on time, looking after the awards. Standard stuff. I was required to wear a black suit, black shirt, black tie.
Occasionally I meet people who assume that my job is glamorous. ’Oh, you work in events? That sounds interesting…”
”It really isn’t. I’m a servant. Maybe a little higher up the food chain than the other black-clad minions who ferry tea and coffee around, but actually what I do is little different. Instead of tea and coffee, I shuffle powerpoint presentations around.”

I’m OK with that. Really. I’m lucky enough to have enjoyed years of working when I believed in what I was doing, when I was excited by it. But I’m not sure those years will come again. To be honest, if I’m going to wander around carrying out errands, I’d rather do it close to home, for a few hours a day.
I don’t care about the money. I don’t spend much, I don’t need much. What I’d like from a job is… a kind of structure to my life so I can do the things I enjoy, hanging out at home, reading, walking the dogs.
Mind you, the above doesn’t translate into a convincing Personal Statement on a job application. I don’t know what the Royal Mail are looking for in their postmen and postwomen. I attached my CV (full of recent and current projects, management experience and personal qualities, communication skills etc.) Making up another persona, tailor-made for the postal service seems too much trouble so I might as well tell it how it is. I’ve never been great at making things up. Actually, to qualify that, I can make the stuff up but in my experience it usually gets you into a hole. You have to remember all that you’ve said. Or as the Russians say ’With lies you may go forward, but you can never go back” I can’t really dress up the last 30 years as an apprenticeship to pull a cart of envelopes around. It would suit my current family circumstances, and elderly mother living next-door. I’m a conscientious 52 year old, I’ll turn up on time and do what needs doing.
Whether that’s enough for today’s target driven, ROI recruitment programs remains to be seen.