<h1>What a load of Maloney</h1>

Faith is a funny thing. People go through their whole lives doubting the existence o God, Allah, Yahweh and Buddha and then one night, when they least expect it, something so dramatic, so life changing occurs that they subsequently execute a 180 degree shift in their thinking.

Now I'm not here today to pronounce a renewed sence of faith in God or a deeper understanding of why I'm alive at all. Far from it. I'm here today to say that I have a renewed sence of faith in Maloney Search on whose books I have been for some time.

I remember the first time I got in touch with them. I was asked in for an interview and Fiona and I painstakingly went through what it was that I was looking to do; why I felt able to do those particular roles over others; the room for manoevre in trying to meet my expectations. I left after a couple of hours feeling positive. It has been a good work out as I had been posed some interesting questions. I had had to really think about why I was interested in what and argue my corner.

Then there was silence. Almost two years of silence. This was briefly broken by one job proposition, which I decided to put myself forward for. The silence then continued. To be honest I had slightly given up on Maloney after my last conversation with the lovely Charlotte. This was about 4 months ago and we discussed over the phone the state of the current job market, my life and where Maloney fitted in. Although this was not made explicit during the conversation the subtext was clear: at this point in time, you're on your own, son.

But then something changed. A new role landed on Charlotte's desk, which was a touch unusual. The candidate requirements weren't what she was used to, whilst the industry's niche. Charlotte clearly spent some time putting together a list of candidates, scouring the company database. Then my CV popped up. After a quick recap and referencing the notes of our last conversation she got in touch. Out of the blue. Completely unexpected. And what is even more exciting is that the role is one that ticks many - if not all - of the boxes on my list.

So although I have previously advocated the need to network over relying on the recruitment agencies, I have seen the light: there is no doubt that it is worth casting your net as far and as wide as possible. Being a tortoise, time is on your side, so approach as many recruitment companies as possible and check in on them whenever you have some news to report, ie a new CV to submit. If you're on their database you've got a chance of making a match with one of their roles. You have, as the saying goes, got to be in it to win it.