Tag Archives: job

May 24 2013
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Thursday Me Time

Thursday Me Time : Finally! Some Office Experience!

This week I officially started a new job, I’ve been training for the last few weeks while juggling it with my other job at a West End theatre. But this week I dropped down to casual contract there to start a part-time contract in the box office at a different theatre, in which I have worked before. It’s a seasonal venue, so year round contracts are a no go, but after last year I knew that I wanted to return if I hadn’t managed to get a career-making job by the time of their interviews. So I’ve progressed from ripping tickets to selling them, and into what I hope recruiters will see as an admin position.

My main obstacle to a steady job and start to my career has been a lack of solid office experience. Never mind that I know absolutely that I can do it, that my incredibly techy family means that I understand computers, that I’ve been known to solve quite a few problems with photocopiers before, that I know how to co-ordinate and book itineraries. No. Apparently I need to have worked in an office for 3 years to even stand a chance of gaining an entry level position. Fine. But now I’m in the vicious circle of needing experience to get experience. Which is where my new job comes in.

So I’m hoping that the considerably more office-y nature of the role will finally prove to potential employers that I am not a risk, but that I am a competent and passionate worker and worthy of the trust that is placed in a new employee.

Maybe they’re reading this, in which case, please know that I apply for jobs because I know that I can do them and am excited by the prospect of making a difference within a company. So why not let me?

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Feb 24 2012
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Thursday Me Time

Thursday Me Time: Twitter Job Hunt

Apologies for the lateness of this post, I fell asleep while writing it yesterday and had to employ my Superman-like reflexes when I awoke as my laptop was about slide off the bed. Obviously baking cakes really takes it out of me…

This week I was talking to my Dad about trying to find work, and how most of the people that I follow on Twitter post alerts for job vacancies in the media. Ideally I want to get into television production or development, but the old adage of needing experience to get experience is slightly halting my progress. So with that idea, my Dad decided to tweet a message to his 3000+ followers seeing if any of them know of any vacancies, and there have already been a few responses. He included a link to my blog, so I thought that I would aim this post at anyone who fancies a read.

I should mention that my Dad works in the computing industry, so I imagine that most of his many followers work in a similar field of cloud computing or some such software engineering type thing. I freely admit to having no clue about any of this. So if anyone needs an admin assistant or similar, I’m there. I know that I can do the job and make a valid contribution to the company. But if there are vacancies with more of a programming vibe, then unfortunately I cannot be of any help. While my computing skills cover a wide range of office software and social media, when it comes to…whatever software engineering entails, I am without knowledge. As a proactive learner, I am working on this by teaching myself Photoshop and HTML to broaden my tech skills.

The areas in which I most excel are television, film and entertainment – did I mention that I have a photographic memory? – I have become the go to person for information on any of these subjects. I am also a keen traveller, if you read my Travellin’ Tuesdays posts then you will see that I have backpacked around Australia, the South Pacific islands and New Zealand, where I also studied Pacific Lit for a year. So I like to think that I am pretty adaptable and can manage any situation no matter what issues may arise. My 7 years of experience in customer service roles are also a great help.

These skills served me well last year, when I was a Hospitality Intern at The Cambridge Film Festival, where I compiled and managed daily itineraries for all of our delegates. I organised transport, accommodation, dinners, sponsor receptions, and even a UK premiere. I also managed the delegate reception desk and complimentary ticket allocation, which required me to learn a lot of new software fairly quickly. During the festival, I made myself available 24/7, at one point taking a guest back to London at midnight because her flat had been burgled. Whenever anything went wrong – which, in such a fast-paced environment, was quite often – I thought of the best way to solve it and put my plan into action. From co-ordinating multiple arrivals/departures and juggling ticket allocations for sold out screenings, to racing across to town to get vital supplies for the 60+ delegate packs. You give me a challenge and I will get results.

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Jan 02 2012
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The Jobseekers’ Slump

After months of serious jobseeking, during which I have been sustained by one thoroughly brilliant (but sadly unpaid) internship, and one Waterstones Christmas job (paid, lovely, temporary), I have entered a slump. After trawling through countless job sites, endlessly repeating my info on application forms, formatting and reformatting my CV and cover letter, I have heard bugger all. Zip. Nada. Not a bloody dickie bird. And, frankly, I’m demoralised.

Convinced that I’m unemployable, I have been steadfast in my quest for the perfect CV template, and have rehashed my cover letter to within an inch of its life. But let’s face it, there are only so many ways to say “hire me please, I’ll be excellent” before you start to sound desperate yet strangely egomaniacal.

The point is that all job applications sound the same, it would be strange if a group of CVs applying for a specific position weren’t at least slightly similar. So I have come to the conclusion that it is pure luck whether you are successful or not. Whether your application happens to be in the first fifty (or five) that the employer has read, before they decide that to go any further through the pile would be about as much fun as using a cheese grater to exfoliate.

So I will try my best to be lucky, because all I want is an interview. If I have that, I don’t even need to get the job. Just knowing that I was good enough to make it into the short list would be enough to spur me on towards a fresh pile of application forms, ready to fill in my A Levels for the 10765th time.

So, attention potential employers: give me an interview, and I’ll be happy.

Did I mention that I am exceptionally good at being interviewed? I’m even better at being employed.

Try me.

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Jan 01 2012
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Happy new year to one and all

2011 was a year of death, destruction and unemployment. But it was also the year that those without a voice fought to be heard. Let’s hope that changes continue to be made for the better throughout 2012.

From the looks of social media pages this morning, everyone had a pretty good night from what they can remember, and I imagine that there may be something of a bacon shortage as people try to correct their delicate state.

My New Year’s Eve probably sounds like a PSA about the benefits of online dating – I was alone (with my dogs), eating Ben & Jerrys and watching Alan Carr et al getting steadily more trollied on Channel 4. To some that might sound like a cry for help, but it has become my personal NYE tradition to avoid generally everyone, take control of the TV remote and shamelessly eat/drink myself into a stupor while dancing around the living room with a bewildered Springer Spaniel. Bridget Jones I may be, but lonely I am not.

From my experiences of previous years, NYE is impossible to enjoy if you’re with other people in a social setting. I have sat in a busy Sydney park for 13 hours waiting for a few pretty lights, I have attended house parties full of people I’ve never met, and I’ve ventured into the festering, overcrowded meat markets known as “NYE club nights”. Believe me, I have tried to be normal and decided against it.

So this time next year, I would like all of the usual: less weight, more money, a job and somewhere new to live. So not much. There’s nothing like being an unemployed 23 year old, forced to move back into the family home after graduation, to bring home just how much of a failure you have become. So in the next year a new flat please. Oh, and a job in TV would be nice. And maybe someone with whom I could share my end of year ritual, there’s more than enough Ben & Jerrys for two.

Happy New Year all x

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