When someone asks me “How did you get 12 Jobs in 12 Months? (the title of my forthcoming book) I go into a rant about the usual approach to getting a job: someone does a CV with the help of AI; it goes to the employer who, with the help of AI, assesses the CV and … ignores it. My friend Steve Harvey calls it “AI tennis!” The result: rejection, anxiety and despair.
But it doesn’t have to be like that.
When I was leaving university, in Liverpool, I decided to avoid the big companies that were hoovering up my friends. I saw a fixed career as a trap, with mortgages and marriage as the manacles. I wanted independence, variety, risk and excitement. My plan was to learn to be an English teacher and hitchhike to Shanghai. I never made it there but I did spend 9 Months in Tibet, 17 years in Romania and I always found work.
I know this life isn’t for everyone and I respect anyone who is happy in their work. But I think it’s important that everyone knows that going freelance, or working for yourself, is a respectable choice. The purpose of this article is to analyse my approach and assure you that a stable, even stellar, income is possible. You don’t have to hit the road, sleep rough and hope for the best. You also don’t need AI to follow this advice/lifestyle.
For this article I worked out the ingredients that enabled me to get job after job over the last 40 years.
Be Positive
This sounds a bit flaky, hippy and new age-ish but I think it’s the most important ingredient of all. There are so many negatives about getting a job that a lot of positive thinking, or self confidence, is needed. It’s comparable to Harry Potter who uses the Patronus Charm, based on a happy memory, to stand up to the Dementors — which represent “the overwhelming feeling caused by depression.”
I can’t offer any advice about how to go from a negative to a positive state of mind; it’s really hard and the usual suggestions seem glib and useless. What I can do is describe how I made that transition.
I still remember clearly the feelings of despair and hopelessness I felt during the first 10 years of my schooling (from the age of 5 to 15). I didn’t understand why I was there or what was going on, and concluded that I must be stupid. I became sullen and aggressive and it was only at the age of 15 did I see a point in school (getting qualifications). When I realised “I can do this,” the following thought was: “I can do anything I put my mind to!” That was the birth of my self-confidence — a realisation that the last 10 years had been hellish because of my negative frame of mind — and I’ve never looked back, or lost that rocket fuel of confidence. Since then I have made a living as a freelance journalist, aid worker, PR consultant and, since lockdown, painter and decorator.
Help People
Working for someone because you want to help them is so much more motivating than doing a job just to make money. Why is this? If you’re just doing a job for money you’ll soon see the defective way the organisation is run, the boss may get on your nerves, you’ll probably join in the bitching and moaning that goes on in most workplaces and you might end up feeling depressed about your own role in it all.
My motivation in life is to help people and if I look back over my career I did journalism, writing and PR consultancy (informing people), aid work (helping the most disadvantaged) and, recently, painting and decorating (helping people transform their homes).
One of the reasons I suggest people should learn a trade is because you can work for real people, individual home-owners, not managers of big building companies who often don’t really believe in what they’re doing. The owner of a house knows exactly what they want — for example painting a bedroom — and they’ll probably show a lot more gratitude than you’d get from a big company. I always feel a great sense of satisfaction after jobs for real people.
Build Reputation
People often ask me “How did you get that job?” and the answer is based on my reputation, in other words the last person I worked for said I was a hard worker.
If you work your guts out on whatever job you’ve got, not only will it help the time pass quicker but your efforts will be noticed — and the boss may recommend you to another employer. This is how I’ve gone from job to job over the last 40 years. Marketing experts say that “word of mouth” is the best marketing method ever..
But reputation is useless when it comes to applying for jobs online, as you’re up against hundreds of competitors and the HR (Human Resources) people learn to be sceptical as so many applicants lie in their CVs. Recommendations, by someone who has actually worked with you, are far more reliable. AI is also useless at helping you build a reputation for reliability, cheeriness and hard work.
Networking
For me, networking is simply telling people that I’m looking for a job. This works incredibly well for two reasons: people are kind and they want to help; and also because it’s unusual — very few people ask others to help them find work. How many people do you know who have asked for your help in finding a job? None? It seems that looking for work is a solitary, lonely process, not one that should be shared with friends. This turns a potentially exciting task into a stretch in solitary confinement.
I’ve been to a few “networking events” and they were a nightmare, as everyone in the room was looking for a job. To me, these formal events aren’t real networking — they’re just an opportunity for someone to make money from us gullible job seekers paying an entrance fee. Real networking is free and, in my experience, highly effective.
One of the main things I do when looking for work is to avoid competition and the bureaucracy of HR departments. I’ve never got a job — or even a simple answer — by applying formally. The closest I came was when I was invited to join consultancy teams for EU-funded projects in Eastern Europe, and I would then have to get my CV into a particular format and prove that everything written there was true.
There’s so much opportunity when you speak (network) with people individually. There’s so much work to be done and every boss seems to complain about how hard it is to find good staff. Clearly, the oh-so-clever-AI-enabled HR systems aren’t working. They just create more bureaucracy, confusion and depression.
Not sure what to do? Just tell someone you’re looking for a job, or ask me! You can write a comment below, telling me what sort of job you want and maybe I can offer some advice.
Some more key words: flexibility and follow-up. Although you should have an idea of what work you’re looking for, you need to be flexible when networking. If a slightly different opportunity comes up — grab it with both hands. Especially if it sounds good and will burnish your reputation — even if it’s a crappy job you should do it as you’ll learn something and most bosses want to hire people who are currently working somewhere. Every job is a precious step towards your ideal job. And follow people up. So many times I’ve heard people recommend a job, an opportunity, a contact and the person I’m with nods or shrugs but doesn’t take down the all important contact details. Get a small notebook and always have it on you. Without follow-up, networking is useless.
Be Humble
For me, this is the secret sauce. I went from advising the Romanian government, being paid big bucks by the EU, getting invited to embassy parties in Bucharest and Moscow, to clearing gardens, painting houses and dressing like a tramp. If it wasn’t for my humility I would have felt like a failure as conventional wisdom says that you shouldn’t get work that is “below your station”.
In fact the transition from consultancy to manual labour, which happened during lockdown, has been a joy. I’ve long been aware that the high-flying-well-paid consultancy work I used to do came with a risk of vanity and arrogance, and so I worked on my humility: be grateful for what I have, appreciate simple things like camping (or helping people), be aware that some people have nothing — we have so much compared to people in Gaza or Sudan. The result: I’m grateful when I get offered the simplest, dirtiest job and I do them all with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. It’s also a joy to work outside even if it’s cold and wet — if you’re working hard you won’t feel the cold, and if you’re gardening you’ll appreciate the rain.
Finally, a note about my latest book: 12 Jobs in 12 Months. If you read the book’s initial introduction you’ll see that it came about through networking, flexibility, blind faith and relentless follow up. It has nothing to do with AI.
Now it’s over to you. I’d love to hear your story. What was your first job? Have you found it hard to get hired? What has been the most challenging aspect of getting a job as a student? And if you have ever felt stuck in your job, what helped you get unstuck? Do you have any advice for people looking for a job? Please add a comment below.
12jobsin12months, consultancy, getajob, HRhell, learn a trade, the gig economy, working freelance
- How to get a Job Without AI - October 30, 2025
- Why Change Jobs? - October 21, 2025
- Introduction to 12 Jobs in 12 Months - April 23, 2024
I have spent my entire life doing ‘crappy’ jobs – the list is long- I think the only place I drew the line was working as a supermarket checkout cashier – so exposed and no place to dream. However, the final outcome is a life rich in experience and free of pretence – but feeling that I may have indulged in life’s rich tapestry too far (possibly prompted by the realisation that I have a pitiful pension when it comes and my joints have been ruined by manual labour). I recently came across the word ‘dharma’ – and am now contemplating my next move with the new found realisation that aimless work – however useful, humble, helpful and joy giving – might demand a backbone of ‘alignment with soul’s purpose’. So I am having to step up to the plate. Not an unpleasant experience in some ways – and where I have dabbled artistically and been too puritanical to combine this with – God forbid – making money – I am allowing myself to realise that ‘dharma’ is my passport to allowing artistic expression with money as the by product. Positivity, networking by word of mouth and hard work will all help me on my journey into this new found understanding of how motivation, work and money co-mingle.
Your comment makes me think about the crappy jobs I have done, and I’m grateful to you as I’ve never really thought about these things. I just have a hunch and follow it. Thanks for sharing your experience, but it would help complete the picture (your profile) to know how old you are and where you are based?
If I think about all the manual work I’ve done, as well as crappy office jobs, I realise that they were always short term in the sense that they were a stepping stone to something else. E.g. since lockdown I did painting/decorating but then I went to Bosnia-Herzegovina for a year to coordinate the publication of a book of Bosnian War Posters. Since then I did more painting/decorating for a few years and a month ago I stopped in order to focus on stuff like this — blogging, making YouTube videos and getting on top of marketing so I can promote my next book (12 Jobs in 12 Months).
I realise that this approach works really well with big ideas. When I have a big idea, like go to Bosnia and produce an art book, you need time to organise things and make some money. This approach works beautifully with independent travel: the aim may be to spend a year in India and SE Asia but you’ll need to spend a year earning money at home, doing “shitty” jobs, first.
This approach has prevented me from getting stuck in jobs, and this is a serious problem. Conventional wisdom is that you need to choose a career and stick to it until retirement. Many people do this and, in my experience, the result is that by the time you’re in their fifties you’re bored out of their brains with the work — but also feeling stuck: they often feel they can’t get another job; and they’ve been working in that niche so long that they’re afraid of change.
I’m glad to see that you’ve found “The Dharma” which, as I understand it, is “the way” or the Buddhist lifestyle (I could ask AI for a better definition but I like to sometimes use my memory). I think we all need some sort of spiritual purpose when working, for me it’s simply the desire to help people, do cool stuff and go places, in other words it’s a purpose that’s higher than myself (“a higher power” in AA 12 Step Groups).
Networking in places, and at events, that aren’t specifically designed for that purpose works, surprisingly, the best.
In other words, going to events that are designed for “networking” doesn’t work as well as just talking to the people you meet in your everyday life.
What do you find so attractive in jobs? How did this interest in sharing your experience get started?
This is a really inspiring question as it makes me think about things that I’ve been doing almost all my life, but never really thought about very deeply. Rather than offer a detailed reply here I’d like to take your question and write a whole article about it.
I’ll be happy to read your article when you publish it then 😉
Great advice based on experience and common sense here Rupert. I agree 100% with everything you’ve said. The days of actually learning who the potential employee might actually be has long gone. I worked for a charity for eight years and as a freelancer for 20 years and it was all about the personal touch in getting work, followed by repeat business because you did a really good job – often in contrast to any competition! Bravo for sharing your worldly wisdom here, hopefully employers and potential employees read it and take it on board….. for their own sakes!
My first proper paid job was working at Kwik Save in the Fruit and Veg section at 15 for £2.50 p/h.
When you’ve spent a lot of your teenage years lugging around sacks of spuds, and clearing up mouldy carrots (and occasionally finding the odd slightly dangerous spider in the bananas), I will say, it helps build resilience. 😂
I really enjoyed this article and relished in your ideas, and am reminded of the many jobs I have done. Those early low paid, ‘grab any job’ are great building moments to develop stamina and resilience. Some of them are my most fun and proudest moments and they make great stories. The small delights of making other people’s lives easier from happily serving coffee, scrubbing down work services, pouring Guinness in an Irish pub whilst sporting green hair … to then end up developing seamless mental health systems. They have have all had a part to play in our world. I am reminded of a janitor at NASA, when asked by JF Kennedy what his job was. He responded: “helping get America reach the moon!”
Looking forward to seeing the book in print!
The ending is beautiful, and the message of gratitude is the touch of humanity and poetry the topic needs. After all, we dedicate a great part of our lives to earning a living, and it’s in our nature to want to be of use. Sometimes what’s missing is to humanise work and effort, to bring a little poetry into it. After all, poetry has never done anyone any harm.
We are born and grow up, we go to school and learn to read. We read to study, and we study to work. Some people focus on work, and work gives them life. Others focus on life, and life gives them work. In my opinion, we should all strive for the second.
Ultimately, however, we see that, as the system has functioned throughout each generation since the beginning, life and work are one. It is up to us to humanize and energize work, to see it from the perspective that it is a tool that allows us to truly live life. Sometimes, the tool itself will become our own cage, and it will be injustice, the need for survival, and ignorance that hold the key to confine us. But all things considered, what else can we do but be grateful that we have what others dream of having?
Thank you for reminding us of this.
As a student, I really appreciate this article. Honestly, I could identify with your words, and from now on I’ll take your insights as advice. I have to say it’s quite hard to find a job right after finishing school; most positions require experience and a long list of qualifications… it can be frustrating.
What would you advise a young person with little work experience who doesn’t want to settle for being a waiter or a shop assistant? From what I’ve read, it’s important to stay humble and grateful for jobs that may not seem ideal in society’s eyes — but what about feeding ambition? How can you balance having a humble start in the job market while still working towards something that truly motivates you?
Thanks for this poetic and interesting comment. It enriches my article. You ask my advice about getting a job as an inexperienced student; I would say take any job you can get, however crappy it seems. Not only will it lead to other work (bosses will want to see that you’re already working before hiring you), but if there’s a busy scene at the workplace (a hectic kitchen/bar/restaurant, and if the employees are cool, you might have a good time. You can get a lot of satisfaction from working in a busy scene. People often ask me what were the best jobs in my 12 Jobs in 12 Months and I say “catering” (I was the dishwasher/driver/dogsbody) as it was so busy there was no time to get bored or start worrying, and there was a good banter.
Actually, I think it’s essential to do some shitty jobs before you can get a good one, or reach your ambitions. Most of the successful people have done crappy jobs in their youth.
I remember advising my daughter to stick with her shitty job, in a computer shop, when she was at school, even though she didn’t like it. Why? Because any employer would immediately see that she has the determination to stick at a crappy job for more than a year. That tells them she had grit and determination and can put up with bullshit — an essential requirement in ANY job, however glamourous it might seem.
Really interesting piece, reminds me of how I toyed around with the idea of working as a steward on ships or doing a crane operator course… As much as I personally am not a fan of “networking”, I guess we can sometimes be surprised at the kindness of others.
Thanks for this comment Andrei. My aim with this article, and in general, is simply to let people know that there are options…and that if you feel stuck there’s lots of things you could do. But if you’re happy in your current job/career/home that is a great thing.