Good afternoon friends, its been a while.
After a
good six months out of the game, I've decided to come back to my blog.
I'm not entirely sure what caused me to stop in the first place, perhaps
a general summer malaise and a bad case of writer's block, but I
return. I would like to say triumphant, however that is unfortunately
not exactly the case. Not to say that Autumn 2012 through Winter 2013
has been an unmitigated disaster but the fact remains I'm still
searching for a graduate job.
To give you a brief
update of my circumstances and general activities these past months: I'm
still working at a nearby theme park for close to minimum wage; I've
recently started as an education volunteer at a local charitable
organisation and I also ventured to London for a rare interview in
December. I'll begin my return to the blogosphere by discussing the
latter, which turned out to be a particularly surreal experience.
It
was an interview for a role as a trainee researcher with a TV
production company. I'd applied for the job in March on a whim, without
having any experience in television or having shown any previous
inclination to work in the media. I'd long since given up on hearing
anything back when, out of the blue, I received an email informing me
I'd been shortlisted. It was in fact so much of a surprise that I had to
go back and double check precisely what I had been shortlisted for. But
without further ado, I accepted their offer of an interview and set
about preparing. I researched the company, their programmes and the role
of a TV researcher in general, and when it was time to journey to
London I felt thoroughly prepared.
I arrived on a cold,
crisp December morning and made my way to the production company's
trendy central London offices. Feeling a little awkward, apparently
being the only person in the building wearing a suit (probably should
have anticipated that), I introduced myself at reception and was given a
pop culture questionnaire and a newspaper exercise to complete prior to
the main event. Easy peasy - weekly attendance at my local pub quiz had
prepared me well and I knew all but one of the answers (knowledge of
the US X-Factor let me down!). The newspaper exercise required me to
select two items from the papers to form the basis of discussion on a
morning panel show; again, not too tough so I set about sourcing one
serious and one light-hearted story. So far, so good. Then came the
interview...
Feeling a little nervous, I made my best
attempt at striding confidently into the interview room, remembering to
maintain eye contact and give a firm handshake. I didn't trip over, so
this felt like an early success. The questions started innocuously
enough: 'Why did you apply? What can you bring to the role? What do you
know of the company?' Earlier prepared facts at the ready, I set about
responding and gave some fairly decent answers. Then things took a turn
for the worse: 'What do you like watching on TV? What's the first thing
you turn to when you put the tele on?' Now, it's safe to say that my
television viewing habits are fairly mundane: I like the news; I like
documentaries; I like panel shows and awkward comedy. Knowing full well
that said company produced almost solely light entertainment
programming, I felt I was in a pickle. I decided the truth was the best
option, hoping to steer discussion away from my viewing habits and back
to my skills and experience. This was wishful thinking. I was grilled
further: 'What do you watch on a Thursday night?' I was beginning to
feel a little sheepish as I foolishly revealed my love of Question Time.
By the time I was eventually released, I was flustered but felt sure
that they wouldn't base the decision solely on my TV viewing habits. I
always had my excellent pop culture quiz scores to fall back on!
As
it turns out, I didn't get the job - or at least I don't think I have.
They said I'd hear back by the end of the year; I'm still waiting. Then
again, seeing as it took them 6 months to respond to my application,
maybe I'll be in for a nice surprise come August. Frustrating as it is
not to hear back (particularly considering the hefty rail fare!), the
experience has clarified one thing for me: I really don't think I'm
suited to working in television. In turn, this has made me focus more
clearly on what I do want. Since New Year I've been focusing more on
applying solely for political research jobs.
This
brings me neatly on to my next subject - that of the political
internship, a topic on which I have previously poured scorn. I'm
beginning to think I might need to sell my soul...
More to come.
