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?
7 Kinds of Mind 