So my career isn’t starting to look up, despite me being two months into my golden year…24.
Shit.
Where to now? Anyone that has spent a day at work with me will know I’m always plotting an escape or coming up with some hair brained scheme for retail emancipation. I think I watched too much Survivor in my formative “career” years. This scheming has now boiled over from how can I beat the clock off system to catch the 7:00 PM train to how do I trick potential employers into overlooking a short list of completed internships (I have interning envy), and giving me a job.
I have come up with three solutions…
Pity. When a child cries because they can’t have, say lollies, I’m the kind of person to take pity on them and give it them the whole bag (I won’t do that for future nieces and nephews…promise). Using this, I have theorised that as the sadness of not being able to start your career is so much more profound, the pity should also be greater. How does this help me situation?
Well it is risky. Being too self-deprecating in a cover letter can come off as having no confidence, and in journalism that is pretty crucial; if done right however, I believe it will be enough to give you a competitive edge. For example…
Dear Future Employer,
…While my experience isn’t as substantial as other candidates, I believe I can still do the job…
…I worked full-time throughout my studies as a retail manager (exaggeration) and as such could not afford myself, or my business the time to regularly intern. It did however give me the skills to multi-task and achieve multiple goals concurrently.
See what I did…worked hard in all aspects but one, now a killer multi-tasker…all because I work too hard for my own good. Come on!! Anyone who ignores that has no maternal/paternal feelings…at all.
My next plan involves annoyance. If there is one thing that is respected in the journalism industry, and despised in all others it is the power of persistence. If I follow a customer around chanting you want to buy that repeatedly…they are going to walk out of the store or hit me. If I turn up on the doorstep of a newsroom each day for a year until they give me a go…I’d be admired for my chutzpah.
The issue with this technique is finding the time to do it when working fulltime? I believe Twitter is the answer. That and calling…emailing…sending balloons…anything. Turns out…need to think this through more…or take annual leave.
My final scheme is the most time consuming, but also will prove the most successful; showing the employers you can do the job. A friend of mine, who is successfully working, told me how he had applied for a magazine without any experience…and progressed to the interview round. I was shocked. He went on to explain how he made up an entire issue of that magazine and attached it to the application. Genius!
In an application last year, when I was a less golden 23, I decided to try my hand at this technique. I created a blog similar to the website of the program I was applying for. Ben for Hack was born. Whilst the produced work was somewhat mediocre, it did result in Chrissie Swan telling me I was funny, and a late night phone call from Rhys Muldoon…yes, the Play School host, offering to get me in touch with Walkley winner Steve Cannane. While it didn’t get me a job, it did get me noticed and will also be an involvement in applications until I get hired.
I also plan on having some gall and relying on charm, but I’ll expand on this next time I discuss being 24.
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