Howdy y'all

Don't worry I haven’t really turned into a Cowboy or an American from the South it was just a really sophisticated literary device I just used for a bit of variation. Anyway back to business, as the last post was about rejection I thought I would balance the blog out with something more positive.

One day a few weeks ago I was awoken by the postman rattling about with my letter box. So I got up looked at my phone which read 12:32 and saw a crisp white envelope nestling on my door mat. I opened it and to my surprise saw this little mother.

I dont know why I was surprised I mean I had been applying for hundreds of thousands of jobs (possibly a slight exaggeration). I rang and confirmed I would be attending and than set about researching the role. No matter what the job is I personally think it is of vital importance that you prepare before the interview. Look at the employers website if there is one and prepare answers for common questions that are asked in interviews such as:

Q. Name an example when you completed a task on your own?
A. I downed a pint in 6 seconds last friday night.

Preparation and research is key and while that is basic advice it needs to be said. This should enable to you to answer better than that example up there. Anyway I researched the hell out of that job and attended the interview and I'll let y'all make your own cotton picking minds up on how it went (maybe I am a cowboy after all).

That's all for now folks

W

Ps. The next post will be a more in depth look at interviews.

Hello again.

I'm thinking about applying to do a masters degree next year so in the mean time I have been in need of a job. Just so I can get some savings, show on my CV that I have been doing something oh and most importantly pay for rent, food, living etc. So I have been applying to any/every job vacancy I have seen by using the internet, news papers and just handing out my CV to strangers in the street. Once I had started this process I noticed that this started to happen:

Obviously this can be a bit disheartening but the trick is to not take it personally. A friend who applied for one of the positions I applied for above told me that they rang up for feedback and they said there was 100 applicants for that position with only 10 being invited to interview. This taught me not to be bitter and also that ringing up for feedback or pestering people can be handy. Also you must remember that millions of shiny new graduates are released into the world at the same time every year so competition for jobs is going to be high.

Oh also yesterday I said it is important to not waste time. Well I was organising my computer when I found this folder containing related pictures that I created a couple of months ago. I thought I would share it as is it a spectacular example of wasting time.

What these people have in common my friends is that they all have the same shoes as me. I spent time saving these pictures to my computer. Never ever do that and never ever tell anyone I did that.

That's all for now folks.

Will

This first post is just going to be a quick introduction to who I am and what I will be posting in this here blog. My name is Will but some call me the Blog Father* and I am 21 years old. I recently graduated this summer and I have decided not to move back home which leaves me in the daunting position of having to:

(a) Try and pick a career.
(b) Consider further education.
(c) Find a job for the short term so I can afford food and shelter.
(d) Try to do relevant work experience and/or voluntary work.

And so I am going to record my experiences and thoughts which some might find helpful. I imagine it will probably be more helpful as a guide of 'what not to do'.

At this moment in time one bit of advice I can give people who are looking for employment is to not waste time. For example after graduation it is not advisable to play Xbox 360 for 3 months solid because being able get 40 kills on Call of Duty is not a transferable skill nor is winning three Serie A titles in a row on Football Manager. My point is that it is vital to use your free time well and to look to increase your profile by gaining relevant skills through work experience or volunteer work.

That’s all for now folks

Will

*Nobody calls me the Blog Father.