Volunteer Do-gooder

Since everything has gone a bit crazy over here at My PR Quest, I haven't really had a free moment to sit down and properly plan out the future installments of "Everything I need to know about PR, I learned from my Grandfather". Rest assured, it will be back with a vengeance soon(ish).

In the meantime, I thought I'd return to the ever-delightful world of the job hunt. After having several of my best laid plans foiled at the last minute (read: coming second in the interview process), I decided that enough was enough. I need SOME sort of work experience, and perhaps the best way to do that is to volunteer.

So I am.

I successfully landed a 6 month part-time internship with a local charity, doing some PR work but also supporter relations, which is hugely important in the charity/NGO sector and very "in demand". I'm learning wonderful programmes like Raiser's Edge - something I'd been meaning to learn for years, but never had the opportunity. So far it's all going really well, and they've even agreed to let me do my final PR project for my course on the organisation! Double bonus.

Of course, volunteer work isn't for everyone. It's tough. It's work. And it's unpaid. But if you're unemployed, I'd suggest that it's the best way to keep yourself busy, while at the same time picking up new skills and experience that always look good on a CV. Plus, potential employers like to see that you've kept yourself busy while you've been job hunting. And they like to see volunteer work as well. A lot of charities or NGOs are also offering part-time volunteer positions, as they realise that people need money coming in. This frees up time to have a part-time job, or even a job with flexible hours, like hotel, restaurant or shop work (which I've also tried to land, thus far to no avail).

So don't rule it out as an option - even a short-term one. It also earns you the often-needed karma points... for when you need the universe to align itself in your favour.

Interview Prep 2 - This Time It's Personal

Unfortunately the potential new employment referred to in my last post relating to interview prep didn't work out. I blame the fact that I had a touch of a stomach bug, but went to the interview anyway. I can't say I was in the greatest shape for a thorough questioning - in fact, I did one thing "the experts" always tell you not to do, and that was to chew gum during the interview... but I only did it to alleviate the nausea. To be fair, I probably wouldn't have hired me either!

Having been called in for a different interview this coming Thursday, I'm now faced with Interview Prep 2, and this time it's personal. I know the group I'm interviewing with fairly well, and the position is an excellent match for my skills and experience. I should be set, and ready to nail this one, right?

Well... no. I had a session with Life Coach (LC) yesterday, and I thought I'd use the session as an opportunity to focus on my interview skills. We went through the job description and person specification in painstaking detail, and what emerged is that while I'm very good at what I do (if I do say so myself), I need to work harder at both knowing myself and, more importantly, selling myself.

Take, for example, the dreaded question "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" I, like most interviewees, hate this question. I feel like any answer I give is only going to sound like bragging (for the strengths) or like a silly attempt at trying to re-frame a positive as a negative ("I work too hard... I'm a perfectionist...") So I've been working on this, and working through the notion that selling yourself isn't the same as bragging or being a show-off (not if you do it properly, at least!) - no, it's actually what is expected of you at an interview. Common sense, right?

So yes, potential interviewers... my name is K, I am awesome at what I do, and given the opportunity I will strive to be the best thing that has happened to your company or organisation since it was founded. Your long and arduous search is over. I'm your girl.

Wish me luck!

Staying "Up" in the Down Times

Part of my recession-chic (read: "unemployed and penniless") lifestyle involves making the most of available opportunities, especially the free ones. So when I read on Krishna De's Twitter feed that not only would she be speaking at a networking event on positivity during the recession, but that she was giving away FREE! TICKETS! TO BLOGGERS! I jumped at the chance.

The event was hosted by PA Assist and Osborne Recruitment at the Ballsbridge Court Hotel on Wednesday 22nd April. Thanks to my genetic predisposition to arrive at any event at least 15 minutes early, I had lots of time to grab a coffee and chat to other participants. Unlike me, most people I spoke to seemed to have jobs, but were attending the event because of the near-constant state of fear and uncertainty in today's job market. As I mentioned in my previous post, how does one stay positive when all around us things seem to be crumbling and changing?

The first speaker to address this issue was James Sweetman - a leading business, personal and performance coach based in Dublin. His hour-long presentation was full of encouraging messages, tips and suggestions, combined with an infectiously optimistic personality and a great sense of humour. His tips on how to stay "up" in the down times focused on maintaining positivity, knowing yourself and being aware of what you can control. So I may not be able to control being rejected for a job, but I can control how I react to the rejection.

The next speaker was Brendan Murphy, from Osborne Recruitment, who focused on the employment side of things. He had good tips on jobhunting (yes, I took copious notes!) and emphasised the importance of knowing yourself: your strengths, your weaknesses, and what makes you different from other candidates. Needless to say, I'm hoping that knowledge of these issues leads to increased self confidence which will naturally lead to a job. I plan to test this theory intensively, and will report back!

The final speaker was Krishna De - social media, marketing and personal branding expert, and the reason I even found out about the conference. She highlighted the value of using social networking to help you in your life, your job or (in my case) your job hunt, which I found extremely useful. Being relatively new to sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, I could sense the potential, but wasn't sure how to fully harness it. Her talk definitely helped, and I'm now pursuing everything with a better understanding of how to get the most out of my various sites!

Overall I'd have to say the conference was really enjoyable. It's definitely not an easy time out there in recession-land, particularly for jobhunters, and often "staying up" is easier said than done when you've just received your millionth "Thank you for your application, but..." letter.

Really, it's all about confidence, and having the courage to persevere. A rejection is not the end of the world. Stand up, dust yourself off, go for a walk in the sunshine, and make a fresh start at it tomorrow.

It works. Honestly.

Humour and the Jobhunt

"Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life"
(source unknown)

It's all too easy to get depressed by the state of the world today, particularly if you're unemployed, as I am. You only have to turn on the news to see stories of layoffs, bankruptcy, people losing their homes, their savings, their pensions... you name it.

Ireland's unemployment rate is hovering around 10% and some are predicting that figure will go higher. Competition for jobs is intense. Stories of bankers applying for jobs in McDonald's and hiring fairs attracting thousands of applicants for only hundreds of jobs are becoming all too common.

As a full-time jobhunter, I have amassed enough rejection letters to wallpaper my apartment. It's not always easy to take that much rejection, and as jobhunters we always run the risk of falling victim to depression and despondency.*

Sometimes all you can do is laugh. And I've found some excellent jobhunting-related humour sources!

1. The Most Awesome Cover Letter Ever
Can't you just feel the pain and frustration? Don't you wish you had the nerve to use this as your own cover letter?

Seriously, though... we've all had the standard rejection letters that thank us for our interest in the position, mention how impressed they were with our qualifications/experience/CV, and wish us all the best in our future endeavours/continued jobhunt/life in general. We know what it's like.

2. Overqualified
Joey Comeau, of A Softer World webcomic fame, has published a collection of his most crazy, outlandish, and off-the-wall cover letters. On the book's website, he notes:

"Cover letters are all the same. They're useless. You write the same lies over and over again, listing the store bought parts of yourself that you respect the least. God knows how they tell anyone apart, but this is how it's done."

You can read some of his letters in the archive section. He often resorts to begging, conspiracies, and outright threats, but what results is a bitterly funny picture of your average frustrated jobhunter.

Of course, these are just two examples of the humourous side of jobhunting. If anyone has any other favourites, please feel free to share them!


*depression is a very serious reality, and should never be treated lightly. If you or someone you know has been "battling the blues" for an extended period of time, please consider getting help. For an excellent list of resources, including a 24/7 helpline, visit Aware.

Taxi Drivers and Interview Prep

If you want to know whether or not you are well prepared for a job interview, might I suggest taking a taxi to the venue? Particularly one driven by one of Dublin's trademark chatty taxi drivers?

Best thing I ever did. Honestly.

Driver: "So are you running late for work or what?"

K: "No, actually I've got a job interview at 10.30."

D: "Oh that's great. With who?"

K: "[Company X]"

D: "Oh right. Who are they now? What do they do?"

K: "Oh they're a [insert company description here]. You know, they do things like [insert lengthy description of company's activities]."

D: "Ah that's great. Good luck with that. I hope it goes well for ye."

Now, on the surface it seems like your average small talk - the type everyone is used to on taxi journeys of a certain duration. What it proved to me, however, was that I actually did know what I was talking about. I had done my research on Company X and could explain quite confidently (to someone who had never heard of them before) who they are and what they do.

I'm not sure how the interview itself went, and I won't find out for a while yet. But at least I can thank my Dublin taxi driver for helping me realise that I was adequately prepared for it.