Post-interview thoughts.

I had my first Real Job Interview on Tuesday, for an Editorial Assistant position in a London-based publishing company. I wanted to put down some thoughts about the process and how I think it went.

Before the interview I'd been sent a copy of their latest catalogue to have a look through, which was very interesting and stylistically similar to something I'd worked on in a previous internship, which I found encouraging and made the whole thing seem slightly less scary. I emailed a couple of people I've recently worked with asking for advice, and had spent a lot of time on Google and reading The Bookseller looking for recent news on the company etc.

I feel like I prepared as well as I could have. As it was, they interviewed me for about 45 minutes, including a proof-reading test. While I was talking to them, they seemed very positive, and even though I asked a couple of, er, difficult questions regarding the state of the market and the state of the company they were very honest with me throughout. I left with a good idea of what the job would (realistically) entail and the nature of the company. I also left feeling that I had given a good account of myself. Of course, I also left with lots of self-doubt: was I enthusiastic enough/too nervous/ too inquisitive/ too shy/ too modest etc. etc.

(And when I say I left with lots of self-doubt I mean that I left with enough doubt to reduce me to tears later that evening which probably puzzled my boyfriend quite a lot, especially when I'd already told him that I thought the interview had gone pretty well.)

But enough of that. Overall, I felt that the interview went reasonably well. I couldn't have prepared any better than I did, but I think that I need to learn to control my nerves so that I can be enthusiastic about what I'm talking about, rather than terrified. With regards to the job, I know that I would be good at it. I know it won't pay so well, but it's something I really want to do, and with a company that had a very nice feel to it. I desperately want this job, but at the moment I have to wait to hear if they want me back for a second interview.

I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed. I guess I just have to wait and see.

What a difference a day makes!

When I woke up this morning I was all ready to write a blog for you about the changing nature of my job-hunt. I was getting to the point where I was sure I wouldn't be ending up in a publishing-related job this time, and had already been expanding my job search to include more local jobs, admin or receptionist type work as I've got plenty of experience.

This is still very much the case. But then mid-afternoon I had a response for a job I applied for about a month ago, and had almost assumed a rejection. Instead I was invited to the "first round" of interviews, which immediately made me very excited and very nervous. This is the first interview for a "real job" that I've had since leaving university. And while I've had job interviews before, they've all been for short-term/temporary positions, rather than a full-time, permanent vacancy like the one I'm going for now.

And while I'm being very realistic (or, if you prefer, pessimistic) here and thinking that I'll be up against a lot of excellent candidates, and that it's very unlikely I'll get the first job I interview for, it has done my confidence and enthusiasm a world of good.

If you've been job-hunting for a while (I'm up to a few months now, though in that time I have been busy doing work experience placements), and you've repeatedly failed to even get to interview stage, you'll know how disheartening it can become. So even if I don't get this job, this will all be worth it for helping to boost my enthusiasm for the whole job-hunting process once again.

So. I'm busy trying to balance optimism with realism and excitement with nerves, and the interview isn't until next Tuesday.

If anyone's got any super interview advice and/or tips, I'd love to hear them! And in the meantime, I'll be going preparation-crazy in the next few days.

Flat-hunting

This is quite an exciting (terrifying) time for me, all things considered. I have (unofficially) completed my university education, pending graduation in July. I am currently seeking full-time work in the publishing industry, preferably London-based, preferably an Agent's Assistant position. And if all that wasn't enough, my boyfriend and I are planning on moving in together.

I'm not sure when we first discussed it, but it's something that's become more and more likely as the months have gone on. It'll be a big change - while I was at university in Norwich, he has been doing his final year of study in Bath. And right after our relationship started a couple of years ago, he moved to London on a placement year. Closer than Bath, but a two-hour train ride between us still made things tough...

But we've talked about it a lot. And we've recently been looking at flats, which makes the whole thing all the more real/exciting/scary. We might have found the one we want, though, after all of this. Well, actually we found two, but one of them was just... in the wrong place. We'll see. As it is, of course, my boyfriend will be living there on his own for a while, because I'm unemployed and don't want him paying for me to live there.

But it's exciting to know that even if my job-hunt has ground to an unsuccessful halt because I've not found any jobs to apply for in the last couple of weeks, at least my search for somewhere else to live is going better. Who knows: maybe this means things will start turning around for me.

I'm feeling good. I'm feeling like pretty soon something will turn up, job-wise, and I'll be able start on this whole new chapter in my life.

Fingers crossed.

The (possibly never-ending) Job-hunt

Phew. I was feeling too grumpy to do a blog post today, but I looked at some photos of really adorable kittens and that cheered me up. No, really. Who can stay miserable when faced with the super-adorableness of kittens?

Anyway. Today I was going to tell you about my job-hunting process. Perhaps you'll be interested. And if you're not, well, tough. It's my blog, and this whole job-hunt thing is what's taking up roughly 90% of my thoughts at the minute...

I'm currently in the last couple of weeks as an undergraduate student at university. I'm in my final year, and am just finishing off the last couple of pieces of coursework. When term ends on 8th April, that's it, I'm finished. Lots of my friends have exams after the Easter break, but my course wasn't structured that way so I'll be all finished and ready to graduate in July (fingers crossed). I'm hoping to come out with a 2:1 at the end, but one of my classes this term is really tough so I'm not sure how I'll do in that one. Hopefully my marks over the rest of the year will make up for it, and hopefully I won't have any complete disasters.

Being so close to finishing my degree is an exciting time, but also completely terrifying. I'm looking for a job in publishing - ideally as an agent's assistant - but there aren't that many jobs out there. By which I mean I can't afford to be too picky. I spent last summer doing work placements in the industry - a six week placement at a literary agency in London, and four weeks at an Oxford-based publishing company. Before that I'd spent a week at another literary agency, a placement that I got through the careers centre at university.

So I feel like I've got a decent knowledge of the industry. This summer I've lined up a bunch of placements between April and July. If I'm honest, I can't really afford to do them all. They're unpaid, for starters, but also there's only so much you can learn in a two or three week placement. I'm very keen to find something permanent, and as it is I'm waiting to hear back from a number of places - a couple of literary agencies, and then some entry-level positions at some publishing houses.

I find it's the waiting that's harder than anything. Waiting to hear back from employers, and waiting for jobs to come up. Publishing isn't a big industry, and there are lots of people trying to make their way in it. I feel like I've got a good C.V (or resume, if you're American...), and I feel pretty optimistic about my chances on a couple of these applications. But the lack of certainty is doing my head in, and I'm going round and round in little circles of worry that would put my worrier-housemate to shame.

Hopefully in the coming weeks I'll have some better news to share with you as my job-hunt continues. Of course, it'll probably be much more exciting for me than it will be for you, but I always like reading about other people's success stories. Hopefully soon I'll have one of my own. Hopefully.