#GetRhysEmployed

A graduates journey to employment. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius Facebook Twitter

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We will survive..

Just on the train back from another interview for an exciting job opportunity. The role involves a substantial amount of digital maintenance from social media updates to re branding their company and their website. A lot to get my fingers stuck into for sure! The company itself is a marketing company who deal with branding. Some of the brands they have under their wings are pretty up their companies, I'll leave it at that. The interview was a very informal assessment (pretty much a group interview) which involved showcasing our own skills and what we would do to overcome the obstacles faced within the first 6 months of the position, and more importantly, what would the obstacles be. I was faced with two other candidates and one of the assessments was a prioritising of list of people who should be on a lifeboat to maintain human life. We called our presentation "we will survive" - it was a great way to showcase our own individual reasonings behind who we chose and why. It was an experience for sure and not at all daunting. I think I was lucky given the situation as it was informal. More of a them getting to know me environment which was really comfortable. If you're ever faced with an assessment day just be confident and be yourself. After all, that's all you can give. Don't get me wrong, it's daunting to see your competition as it were with you doing group tasks and chatting along but in a way it gives your a competitive flare which I think worked in my favour. The other two individuals had worked in similar positions before so had more experience than me. But don't let that knock you. I told them about this project and they liked it and I told them honesty everything I had done that would make me suited to the role. Past work experience, jobs, modules at Uni - the lot! Pretty exciting opportunities await and I am grateful for any progress. If today I was unfortunately unsuccessful, it's a group interview under my belt and I am now used to that environment. As mentioned before, attitude is everything Intrigued Rhys out

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Positivism 101

If there's one thing I'm facing whilst hunting for work, it is definitely the idea of staying positive about any situation. The way I see it, a job interview is a step forward and a win-win situation regardless of the outcome. I see it as experience and getting custom to the formal process and take each interview as a new learning curve. 

There's plenty not to be positive about in the job hunt though, especially as a graduate. I find myself asking the question of "am I really good enough for that job" or "do I really have those kind of experiences and skills" and it really knocks me back as the job itself could be incredible and exactly what I want to do but the criteria of the job might not be 100% what I can do, and that can put people off.

However, I say apply for those kind of jobs. What have you seriously got to lose?  Not a great deal. If anything, only positive things can come from it. I see a company asking you for a job interview or even an informal telephone interview as a 100%  good thing, and of course it is, why wouldn't it be? It shows that the company have seen something in your CV or cover letter that intrigues them. As I mentioned earlier there are several things to be disheartened about but the majority of things can definitely be seen as a step in right direction. 

If you're getting a lot of attention and a lot of job interviews but don't actually secure a job it shows that you're credentials are working the trick and getting you noticed. Its a fine art in my opinion to absolutely kill a job interview, several things can throw you of course with questions like "what's your biggest weakness" and "where do you see yourself in 5 years" (I speak from experience with these questions too, totally threw me off course and I lost my motion) 

I guess the moral of this kind of cliche post (sorry about that) is just stay positive. If you are getting noticed, its because a company likes what they see which is great. If you're not securing those jobs and think it'll actually never happen just stay positive. Surround yourself by good people, take time away from the job hunt and just reflect on how much progress you're making without actually physically making any (if that makes sense)

That's just my take on it. Keep on trucking my fellow graduates. It will happen soon, I assure you, or at least I hope it will.

Attitude is everything!

Positive Rhys out

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Amazing opportunities only come around once

I am writing this whilst sitting at a train station and quite frankly still in awe.

I had an interview for a part time contract of 6 months at an incredible company. Talk about first impressions! The position involves a lot of what I want to do and what a way to kick start my career and not only that but my life (if you would pardon the pun)

Will I finally get given the chance? After all it is a pretty amazing opportunity for someone in my position as a recent graduate. I am beyond excited right now. Let’s hope the world is on my side next week when I find out!

Amazed Rhys out

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Good timing or just pot luck?

After receiving a lot of attention on my Facebook page over night and during today (very thankful for this, thanks to anyone who gave it a like) I have had several emails about vacancies I have applied for asking for an application form or just to get in touch over the phone for an informal discussion. But more importantly, a recruitment agency got in touch with me and said a potential employer has found your details on Reed and is keen to get you in for an interview. 

Now we are talking about the real deal with this company. They are a well recognized company in the United Kingdom and even have a strong renowned brand. The job itself is a Merchandising Executive which will cover all areas of digital marketing and social media. To some degree its exactly what I want to do! A company this big advertising the job I want and I didn't even  have to search for it. Surely this is pot luck? Or pardon the pun but is it my time? Who knows! All I know is I am one happy graduate right now. 

The project is going well and I am more than happy with its progress. At the beginning of the week I was ready to go and potentially shadow a previous marketing company I had worked for in the past. Now, towards the end of the week I have several promising job opportunities ahead of me. Good timing or merely a bit of luck my end, I'm indifferent! 

Any progress is good progress. Definitely a promising start.

Curious Rhys out

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Where there is good, there is bound to be bad

In terms of the job hunt, today has been quite successful. I searched several employment websites and came across of couple of potential vacancies which weren’t to far away either, success! Today was also a good day on the job front as I got offered a job interview for the position of Marketing Graduate in Deeside.

But sadly, as this post states, I also had some bad news. I had a job interview yesterday with a budding financial company. The position centered around social media and advertising their company. Today I had an email saying I was unsuccessful to which I sent an email back asking if they could provide any feedback. 

I understand two months is a short time to be unemployed, but how do graduates build experience to showcase in interviews without actually having one shot to provide and learn from the experience in the first place? It is a vicious circle for me at the moment. It would be interesting to get a graduates take who has maybe been out of employment for a significant time to see how they conquered this dilemma! 

I should make a weekly themed bulletin based on “experience for a job, no experience to get a job” - this theme is becoming a staple part of my day and I am definitely not a fan… *sigh*

As mentioned it isn’t all bad news though. Here’s to dreaming folks!

Intrigued Rhys out

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The beginning of something different

I think I can speak on behalf of several when I say that I am getting very tired of doing the same old thing by searching for jobs I am probably never going to hear back off every day. I understand it is tough out there but it is very demoralizing with the sense of false hope always lingering in the back of my mind. I often find myself thinking this job would be ideal and actually then manage get an interview over the phone, but at the end of the interview I am struck back down as I do not meet the requirements such as the ability to drive or the ability to provide evidence of solid experience. 

Again, the dilemma of having no job means I have no experience and I need a job to get experience. I feel this will gradually bite me down day by day. I just need that one employer to be able to see potential in me and more importantly offer me a chance. But hey, there is me and thousands of others out there in the same situation. What makes me so special?

However, I am actively taking it upon myself to provide myself with experience of social media integration with a structured advertising message which is what this whole project is based on. #GetRhysEmployed is a side project to understand and show proof of my social media use and capability in a formative way, not just the odd picture on Instagram and rant on Twitter but a structured approach to document the skills I have over a range of social media with mixed media production such as YouTube clips to a copyright based script of a blog. If experience won't come to me. I'll create it for myself. 

I have exciting things planned for this project and intend to continue even after I find employment. 

But for now,

Unemployed Rhys out

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Rhys Jones' Curriculum Vitae

Find a little online CV of my abilities & interests here

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And so the journey begins

So I have recently finished University. A common phrase is being uttered by myself and many of my friends in the same situation, "now what do I do" and quite honestly, I do not think any of us truly have an answer. If I am honest, University from my experience does not prepare you for the harshness and dog-eat-dog environment that is the job of finding employment. 

I find myself in a situation where I need experience to be able to be considered for a job, but need a job to obtain the experience. It is a very frustrating and somewhat depressing time for myself and I would imagine the same for thousands of others too. 

I am writing this post having been a graduate for around a month and a half and my goals are to share my journey, to hopefully enlighten others and provide an insight to future graduates on how I managed to get employed, what I did, and how I managed to do it. 

I aim to blog about my experiences and qualities. However, I aim to blog about my journey and have weekly themes including what other graduates are doing or have done to secure work. In all this project is an experiment for myself but in hindsight and fundamentally a guidance tool if anything. 

It is very tough out there with graduates but on the plus, graduate vacancies are predicted to rise by 10.2% in 2014. (http://goo.gl/TZYWWM) which surely is a good thing? However, there are thousands more graduates graduating every year and per graduate job, an estimated 70 apply for a single job, and this was back in 2010! (http://goo.gl/39h8yZ)

Things look good and bad at the same time for us graduates, but have no fear, I aim to do my best to inform about what got me work. However for now, 

Daunted Rhys out.