Preventing being pigeonholed

This week Alex has been thinking about what to do should your career aspirations change.

I’ve been at TARGETjobs Towers for nearly three months now and I’ve found myself to be in a dilemma. It’s not the commute, the early mornings or the routine that bother me, or the lack of ‘student mobility’. I’m wondering whether I know what it is I want to do. Call it a mid-life crisis for a 20-year old if you will.

On my first day, I had an idea that I was going to gain a valuable insight into the way magazine editorial works. This, I have come to realise, was a rather naïve assumption. Not only would I be experiencing the publishing industry from a grassroots level up, I would be thrown into a world that dipped its feet into multiple industries on a daily basis.

Being delegated tasks by editors who are responsible for fields as diverse as engineering, law and management consultancy, you can imagine that my knowledge of these different career paths increased significantly during the first few weeks of my tenure. My youthful, journalistic mind was intrigued and weirdly, I flirted with the idea that I could transfer into one of these industries.

Funnily enough, and for me it really is funny, the industry I most came to be enticed by was finance (SIGH). Up until this point in my career, I have not had the slightest inclination to pursue a life in financial services, but now I would be lying if it wasn’t a consideration I was making.

But I love writing – something that I am not prepared to give up. So on to my dilemma. How do I keep writing whilst also indulging my fancy for finance? I have lost many (one) nights’ sleep to this question. The answer, by the way, is pretty simple and, coincidently, it gets into our office every morning at about 10:00am. This came in the form of a hot off the press Financial Times. Cue an Olympic closing ceremony light bulb hat – Eureka.

It’s a pause to kick myself moment, how something so obvious could be overlooked. Why have I never thought of specialising in the way that I write? Yes, there is the traditional print media, those that get circulated every day to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of readers, but the number of specialist newspapers and publications is staggering. It didn’t take long to realise the plethora of opportunity that lay just outside my clammy reach.

I’ve realised that I shouldn’t be so rigid in my thinking. Yes, I know what career I want, but things may change depending on what you’re exposed to – in this respect TARGETjobs has been a rebirth for my career aspirations. I’ve allowed a wide variety of career paths to fall into my lap, ones that I had previously never considered or knew of. Journalistic curiosity flowing, I’m ready to go out and hunt one out.

But not now, it’s raining.

Routine

Alex Ward is back with this third guest post. Enjoy!

This week I'm taking note of the differences between university and work life.

After two months now working for TARGETjobs, I can safely say that in some ways I will consider going back to university to be more of a holiday. The prospect of reckless nights out, followed by lying in bed until I deem it necessary to crawl out from under the covers is, to me right now, a whole world away.

During my second year, a typical day would begin somewhere between 9:00am and 13:00pm. This was often subject to what I call the drunk equation, whereby units of alcohol consumed, plus hours spent partying, plus kebab topped pizza is directly proportional to the number of hours spent in bed the next day. Now however, during the holidays, the variance in the time I get up is significantly reduced – to about half an hour between quarter past seven and quarter to eight. This is dependent upon whether or not I decided to watch American Dad on BBC3 after the Family Guy double.

The thing is – I don’t mind. There were definitely times when I thought to myself late one afternoon at university ‘I could have gotten a lot more out of today’, and it’s true. Having such a routine now, my body is automatically ready to go by about eight in the morning. This means that come Saturday I’ve done all that pesky administration that us students have to occasionally tolerate, before the crack of noon when my peers emerge, dressed in joggers and shielded from the sun by large-framed sunglasses.

To this day I will not forget my friend’s confusion when he saw me up and about the morning after a particularly heavy session on the shandy.

This routine though, of working nine ‘til five (cue Dolly Parton) up until now has been more beneficial than I realised. Rising at a reasonable hour means that I get my ‘Three square meals a day young man’, meaning that my health is a lot better – I’ve had a lot less left over floor pizza to boot. I get a varied and balanced diet, something which I am positive has never occurred whilst studying.

Organisation too is something that, as soon as routine slips into place, is easier than expected. Making time to drunkenly see friends now comes on a Friday evening and at the weekend, with the more sober encounters occurring after work during those long summer afternoons. I admit, that I’m not completely organised – there is still a letter from the student loans company on my desk gathering dust. I’ve taken the attitude to it like I would a fine wine. Leave it for ages in a dark, cool spot and pretend it doesn’t exist for a few years before opening it and wondering what all the fuss was about.

TARGETjobs has opened my eyes in many ways this summer; from teaching me lessons in plain English and email etiquette, to content management and competency-based interview questions. But without a doubt, what I have woken up to the most (no pun intended) is the amount of time I have neglected when I could really have utilised it.

That said, the student union doesn’t start serving until noon anyway.

A message from the other side… of university life

Meet Laura, our third editorial intern. 

Hi, I’m Laura, the newest editorial intern at TARGETjobs and a recent graduate who has just reluctantly entered ‘the real world.’

Two weeks into my ‘real life’ I am here to tell you undergraduates that life on the other side of university is not actually that bad. In fact, it’s actually quite good.

A few weeks ago I was pretty daunted by the prospect of leaving university and no longer having another year of education as my safety net. Yet the more I came to think of it, the more I felt ready to leave education and try something new. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of university. But by the end of four years I felt more than ready for a new challenge and a life that didn’t revolve around essay deadlines and exams. On that note, a week after getting my exam results I moved to Oxford to start an internship at TARGETjobs.

I’ve been working here as an editorial intern for a week now and although the 9-5 day and hour-long commute is hard work, I am determined to make sure that the end of university is not an anti-climax. I’ve already started to learn loads of new skills, meet loads of new people and discover all that Oxford has to offer. Before I left uni I imagined graduation to be this huge, life-changing moment where everything you’ve ever known suddenly changes. But really, it’s not like that at all. Working in a fairly big company and moving to a new city means that there are other graduates around and although it’s not quite the same as freshers’ week, we graduates are once again ‘all in the same boat.’ So let’s tackle the start of our post-uni lives with the same attitude that we tackled the start of university with and we’ll all be fine. Honest. 

Meet Nikki our temp marketing assistant

It's time for Nikki to pop on board our TARGETjobs blogger. Please join me in welcoming here. I hope you enjoy her first blog.

Hey there! I’m Nikki and I’ve just graduated with a 2.1 in business and marketing from the glorious Swansea Uni. I have been working at TARGETjobs for one week now as a marketing assistant and will be here for 8 weeks. Previous to this job I have been doing what I feel the majority of my fellow unorganised and jobless graduates have been doing, which is essentially nothing. Slowly rising from bed around midday to make lunch only to accidently nap on the sofa to the distant grunts of Wimbledon on the TV. I spent the majority of my time awake sifting through job vacancies and applying for jobs which gave me some form of excitement. This lead to rejection after rejection with small snippets of hope brought on by the odd interview invitation.

Many of my job applications were centred in the place we all love and hate at the same time, London. For me, having grown up in a small farmer town in Somerset, London was a place of hell and unknown, but endless opportunities and excitement. However my ventures brought experiences which made me want to scamper back to Swansea.

The last time I went to London I was blissfully unaware to the fact that obtaining a seat on an 8am train to London Waterloo is on par with the likelihood in possessing an Olympic ticket to the Men’s 100m final. Consequently my unwise and inexperienced self spent the hour long journey forming delightfully painful blisters in my new gorgeous yet un-thought through shoes.

Toddling onto my 3rd tube change in what by this point I can only describe as agonising pain in the souls of my feet I decided the underground had matched up to my previous experiences of being unsettling, baffling and just plain smelly. However the tube itself is an absolute cupcake in comparison to a few of the passengers on it. I did not relish the fact that a stranger felt it an appropriate thing to place their arm on the seat behind me to then slowly move it down to rest on my shoulder. Combined with an interview in no more than 8 minutes time, nerves like I don’t know what and an already inappropriate amount of sweat under my full black suit, this ‘closeness’ from a complete stranger was less than appreciated. I felt my reactions were somewhat lacking and instead of doing what most normal people would do and politely asking the gentlemen to remove his arm I simply sat there quietly praying for the next tube stop to be his.

After having spent the previous day solidly in preparation for my ‘dream job’, following the instructions to be up to speed with the company’s ten websites, my next endeavour involved the interview. Having spent over £40 on travel into London, a 2 hour commute each way and a slight jog down their offices, its perhaps a slight understatement to say I felt a little dismay for it to all combinate in an interview beginning at 10am and ending at 10.03am, to which they ended the interview pretty much offering me the unpaid, futile and rather dull job. I put this down to a steep learning curve and began to realise unlike most who love and hate London, I simply hate it.  

After that I began searching for a job that involved me and my car for transport. Then came an opportunity at TARGETjobs, the job responsibilities sounded exciting and challenging, the location in south Oxfordshire was perfect and when the unexpected email arrived inviting me to join the team, needless to say I was more than excited. After only being here a few days I’ve already settled in well to the relaxed, friendly yet hardworking team here and it’s undoubtedly a safe statement to say I’m very much going to enjoy working here this summer.

From an 'amateur Facebook page' to head-hunted overnight

It's been nearly four months since I wrote my previous guest blog for TARGETjobs. So much has happened since then!

Last time I was writing about the importance of being relevant, persistent and positive. I also mentioned The Graduate – a Facebook page I created as part of an application process to an advertising agency.

Well, I must say, this page has had a fantastic impact on my life! I did pass through to the next round of the application process, and the one after … And that's as far as it went with this particular agency. But looking back, I am so very glad I didn't get an offer. Because then I would have never been able to do what I'm doing now. I was approached by a head-hunter via The Graduate and am currently working on a super exciting project! I've been given a ton of responsibilities and a creativity carte blanche!! I would have never imagined that this early in my career, I'll be involved in concept building, branding, cost to market planning, business strategy, project management and pretty much everything else that goes hand in hand with creating a new business! It is an amazing opportunity and it all happened because of an amateurish Facebook page I put together during one afternoon in January.

There's more. I kept applying to agencies. But I was much, much more picky. I only applied if I could really see myself as part of their team. And this made a massive difference! I got invited to interviews and offered positions. Now it was me who was in a position of choice! After a whole year of rejections, I was finally getting somewhere! All because I actually implemented the painfully familiar“it's not about quantity but quality”strategy.

Obviously, things didn't just happen overnight (although it felt that way). Meanwhile, I was working on this project I mentioned, in a pub and a sports venue. And this is important, too. Whilst I was just sitting at home, working hard to perfect my applications and having all the time in the world to worry about my future, nothing really happened. Once I got out there, worked an average of 12 hours a day and only spend a couple of hours or so a week on applications, I was able to focus only on what really mattered. And it paid off.

I'm now excited about launching the new business I'm helping build, starting my new job in September and continuing on the path to my Dream Career.

So, this is my story. I'm sure you've got a story, too. And if you're still looking for your Dream Job, try to fit it into your story, rather than the other way around! This is the best advice I gave myself.

If you need more convincing that keeping busy will eventually get you the job you deserve have a look at how your part-time job in a pub or in retail can lead to a success career.

Or have a look at how you can make your social media work for you by getting you your dream job and how to manage your online reputation.

Aim high and you might surprise yourself - Tips from a first-class graduate and published author

Today we have a really inspiring blog from Michael Tefula, successful author with his first published book 'How to get a first' 

I started my accounting and finance degree at the University of Birmingham with a wild goal: to graduate with a first-class degree. Some of my friends sneered at the thought - “a first? Impossible!”. After all, I had the memory of a fish, went out a lot, and rarely came across as someone who could spend up to 12 hours in a library revising. But after three years of hard work, I surprised some of my friends and myself by graduating with not only a first, but also with the highest marks in some modules.

It is intimidating and perhaps even somewhat embarrassing to aim high, but if you aim for something average and common, that is exactly what you will get - average and common.

If, on the other hand, you aim for something grander, then you could end up working harder and doing much better than anyone ever expected.

Here is another example that reiterates this lesson. In my second year at university, I applied to lots of internships so I could get work experience. I had a few interviews with a number of large and highly competitive firms but failed to land a job with any of them.

Luckily, my application to a particular mid-tier firm was much more successful and I happily took on the role for a summer placement. While I found the experience immensely valuable, I soon discovered that I was better suited to a different career. One I had read of, and spoken to other interns about. So at the end of my internship I took a big risk and turned down a guaranteed job in pursuit of a more lucrative but even more competitive position within the same organisation.

Unfortunately, my pursuit ended with a failed final interview. It was then that I decided to aim even higher by applying at a larger, more prestigious and competitive firm. Having been through numerous application processes and interviews, I was much better prepared for this round of assessment. With a bit of luck and competence, I landed an even better job, surprising friends who thought me mad for having turned down a previously guaranteed job offer while the UK was in a recession.

Kanye West once remarked, “reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud”. In my journey from a student to a graduate, then to a young professional, and most recently to a published author, I have learnt that living by such a statement can propel you to achieve a number of highly sought after aspirations.

What I’m I driving at? Here are some practical scenarios for you to ponder:

Found a dream job but afraid to apply because of the competition? Apply anyway and worst comes to worst, you will get experience from it to use in your next attempts.

Want to take a year out to travel around the world but can’t afford it? Make it a goal. Find temporary employment. Start saving and you will eventually earn your way to it.

Do you have dreams and aspirations which you are too embarrassed to declare? Share them with a mate and consider ways you could achieve them before writing them off.

Ps. Feel free to share your dreams in the comments below.
Find Michael on twitter @getafirst and his book on Amazon here.

Hope you find this blog inspiration. If however, you haven't got a clear idea of what you want as a career. Don't panic, here is something that will help you answer the dreaded question: I have a degree, now what? 
and if your marks have unfortunately not been the highest, again don't worry, We can advice you on how to job hunt if you get a 2.2 

Best luck to you all soon to be graduates from the TARGETjobs team.

Life in the fast lane - the world of marketing

Our very own marketing assistant, Louisa Smith is back. Find out what she has been up to in the last couple of months since joining us. 

My last blog entry detailed my transition from university to working life. Having worked in my new role at TARGETjobs for four months now, I feel I have some claim to the world of marketing, and some knowledge to share with other aspiring marketeers. Therefore, this blog is for anyone who is considering a future career in marketing and would like to find out what it can involve!

Truth is, I love my job. (And I’m not just saying this because this is being posted all over the TARGETjobs Bloggers site.) Obviously, I can only speak from the perspective of one marketing assistant in one marketing department and at one company. It may or may not be the case that other companies work in a similar way – this is something you’ll have to share with us yourselves! All I can tell you is how life runs in the marketing department here at TARGETjobs.

Since I joined the marketing department back in January, I have worked on numerous projects. I find it hard to believe I have only been here four months, because I feel like I have already learnt so much, and developed so many new skills. One aspect of marketing that has really struck me is how great it is to work “behind-the-scenes” on a project, and then see your ideas and hard work go live, and be seen by the public eye. The sense of pride when you think, “I did that” is an extremely satisfying feeling.

When I first joined the team, the company was in full-swing, preparing for the annual TARGETcourses Postgraduate Study and Funding Fairs, which took place in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Birmingham. I had only worked here about five minutes before my boss explained that it was down to me and him alone to organise the marketing campaigns for all three fairs. To put this into context, we had to promote the fairs to students at universities all across Scotland, all across Wales, and all across the Midlands. We designed posters, flyers, plasma screens, leaflets…you name it, we had it. I then attended each of the events to coordinate promotional work on the day of the event. Throughout the whole process, we worked closely with the TARGETcourses team and the TARGETevents teams, so I gained great insight into the work of numerous departments!

My next main project was to re-vamp the TARGETjobs Campus Reps scheme. TARGETjobs Campus Reps are a team of students who represent our brand at their university, carrying out promotional work for us and registering students to TARGETjobs. Recently, I have focussed on making the Campus Rep Scheme more of a community, so that reps can share ideas with each other and work together to earn the largest amount of registrations they possibly can. (If you’re interested in working as a Campus Rep, you can apply here.) This has involved a lot of work with our Design team, to create new and modern logos for reps to use, and has also involved the creation of an exciting Campus Reps Facebook group, to really create a sense of community. (Plus it’s always fun when you get to go on Facebook as part of your job!)

Yet my most recent project is by far the most exciting – preparation for the Autumn Season! This is our busiest time of the year here at TARGETjobs, as it’s not only when the majority of applications open for graduate jobs, but it’s also when we hire a team of Events staff to tour the UK for three months exhibiting at hundreds of Freshers’ and Careers Fairs, raising brand awareness and registering students to TARGETjobs.co.uk! If you read my previous blog, you may remember that I joined the company back in 2011 as a member of this team, so I am very excited to be getting involved in the season from a completely different perspective!

So as you can see, for me, a marketing role has involved such a variety of projects. Occasionally I still take a trip down memory lane and work at a Careers Fair, promoting the brand and gaining student registrations. It’s amazing that what used to be everyday life for me during the events season is now what I consider a day off from work! But that’s marketing for you – very hard work, but extremely rewarding!

If you think a career in marketing could be the right choice for you why not explore your marketing options. Find areas of work that may interest you and search for marketing graduate jobs. 

From student to student marketing. The rises and falls of a graduate job hunt

This weeks posts comes from our very own, Louisa Smith, Marketing Assistant telling you all about her transition from being a student to her first full-time graduate job. 

For my first entry, I want to go right back to the beginning and tell you about my journey from university to working life. As a student, it’s incredibly easy to assume that you will finish your degree, graduate in the summer, enjoy a few months of lazing about in luxurious sunshine, and then settle down on a graduate scheme in September, earning your own money, renting a swish new pad with your friends, and essentially, living the dream. Of course this happens for a lot of people, but for those it doesn't happen to – I want to reassure you that there are many other ways to find your feet in the world of work!

A year ago, I was happily living in the bubble world of Warwick University. I loved everything about Warwick. I knew the end was nigh, and whilst I was sad to leave university, I was also excited to start my career. I therefore spent the majority of terms one and two filling out application forms for graduate schemes. My Facebook news feed was constantly plastered with celebratory statuses from those who had secured their graduate scheme and new life for the next year. As I wrote about all the extra curricular activities I was involved in, all the work experience I had done, all the ways I had expanded my knowledge and developed my personality at university, I made the assumption that I would be offered a place on at least one of them, surely?

Sadly not. I was rejected from every single graduate scheme I applied to, and was dragged away from Warwick an emotional wreck, with about 50p in my bank account and no plans for the rest of my life. After a few (long) days of arguing with my parents about washing up or radio volume or sharing of the car, I decided that regression was not the way forward, and that the only way I would be happy is if I had a reason to get up and get out of the house everyday! I therefore began the search for an entry level graduate job.

And that’s where TARGETjobs came along! The role required someone to work for 3 months, travelling the UK, representing TARGETjobs at Freshers and Careers Fairs. I would be in different places everyday, meeting new people, having new experiences, and all the time developing my skills for future employment. For the first time, I felt excited about a job. I completed an application form, had a telephone interview, and was then invited to the head office for a face-to-face interview. As expected, I was asked about my previous experience, my skills, and what I believed I could bring to the role. My answers came naturally for the first time, I felt like I had found a job which matched my skills, and which I believed I could really succeed in. When I was offered the job, I accepted immediately! The three months flew by, and I had a fantastic time working at all the fairs. My success in the role then led me to a full-time position in the TARGETjobs Marketing Department, where I began work in January. I’m now expanding my skills and knowledge everyday, and am (hopefully!) well on the way to a future career in marketing. All this stemmed from one application back in July, for a temporary role!

This experience has therefore taught me that there is more than one way to enter the world of work. There are hundreds of jobs out there, but what’s important is that you search out the right role for YOU. My CV was bursting with extra-curricular activities which I’d undertaken at university, and it was this energetic and lively lifestyle which got me my role in marketing, because they demonstrated that I had the necessary skills for the job. My advice is therefore to get as much work experience as you can, in the area that you would like to work in. If you get rejected from a graduate scheme or entry job, keep going! There is something out there for everyone, and once you find your dream job, I promise you that all your experience and efforts will definitely pay off!

So have a think about what you’d like to do, then get out there and go for it!

GOOD LUCK!

Louisa 

P.S. Next time I’ll be writing all about my role in marketing, and what you can expect as a graduate in a marketing job. Until then, happy job-hunting!