What the hell am I going to blog about

I really need to get back into this. Not so much a need, but I really really want to.

My dream of a graduate job has slowly melted away, I'm no longer a recent graduate and the prospect of only having one job bores me senseless. I am not a 9-5er. I am very much relishing the freelancer lifestyle.

I am still completely lost in what I actually want to do. Or should that be achieve?

I have recently sacrificed the majority of my social life to go back to running the bar my boyfriend and I own. Although hospitality was never what I wanted to get back into after moving to London last year, at least working for myself is a million times more empowering, albeit more stressful than making money for someone else.

I have now spent nearly a year with the job title "Community Manger" and the company I'm working with is going from strength to strength. In fact it's going so well that our website crashed today because it had more traffic than the servers could handled. I love working for start-ups, my job is varied and I get input into every aspect of the marketing. I also get to do a bit of copywriting here and there and also make redic videos for the website. I have met so many people through it as well.

I'm not sure what direction this blog will take now I'm not applying for five jobs a day and hunting for work 24/7 but I'm sure with time I'll work it out.

Are interviews too much chat not enough do?

With my money running out and limited prospects of full-time work in a job I want I am currently returning to my old faithful: bar work. In fact I have a trial on Wednesday.

This lead me to think about why not more interviews are trial based? I know most jobs have a trial period, but why is the interview process based on chat and exampled not chat and challenges.

I'll admit it, on paper I don't seem like much; bar work, bar work, special effects make-up, bar work, bar work, social media. To me it reads like "Can't make up her mind" when in reality it's "Needed money fast".

I made a promise to myself when I moved to London, move away from hospitality, get a "proper job". When in reality I love bar work. I love talking to people, making yummy drinks and I really love making other people happy. So bar work could be my perfect job. After all despite having a degree I am far more qualified in cellar management and making ferns in coffee because I've actually done it, for ages. But because I've been doing this for ages it's no longer a challenge. I can learn a bar, till system, cellar, menu in about half an hour. Not by studying it, by actually working it.

You know how you go about getting a job in hospitality? It's a lot like becoming a stuntman. Know someone doing it already. So in that respect it's like getting any job: networking. Back to the point, for any of my hospitality roles it's never really been a case of my CV. I got recommended and offered a trial shift. Not an interview, a trial. A lets see if you can actually do the job.

I'm pretty sure it's nearly the same with teachers (or so my mum told me). You're invited to the school you've applied for, teach a class, get interviewed by the students then get interviewed by the senior team.

Now this may seem like a much longer process, but you're guaranteed to pick the right candidate for the job and as a candidate you'll know if you want the job or not. If it's your first job in a particular industry how do you know you'll love it if you haven't done it?

Am I just not applying for jobs I'll enjoy if all I want from an interview is to prove myself from a practical demonstration rather than telling people what I've done in the past.

Or is it that entry-level jobs don't test for this?

Thoughts, comments? Anyone been on a really cool interview process. Or a really bad interview?

The nine emotions you'll feel while job hunting

Job hunting is an emotional roller coaster. Here's just what to expect from finding the advert to landing that awesome job.

You see a job advert that is totally perfect for you.

You write a kick-ass CV and covering letter for it.

Then you wait nervously.

You wait for what seems like forever. And it's been so long you start to lose all hope.

But then you get that phone call/ email asking you to come for an interview. And you're just so happy.

On the way to your interview you're just so excited.

You walk into the that interview like a boss.

And leave convinced you messed it up.

But you didn't and they phone you and offer you the job and your just like;

Am I too old to intern?

Internship, work experience, graduate program. There is a lot of faffy words, I would just like an entry level job please.

From trawling though miles of job adverts it has come to my attention there is a ridiculous amount of jargon to understand while looking for your first career making job. I have come to believe the following;

Work experience - travel expenses only, will usually last 2 weeks
Internship - paid if you're lucky, usually lasting 3 months
Entry Level -  have a degree and some experience under your belt
Graduate program - need only apply if you went to a Russell Group University and got a 2:1 or higher

Recently my Google search words have been "Internship London", but should I still be looking for internships? I'm 24, I've managed medium capacity hospitality venues. From bars and nightclubs to restaurants. I know how to manage co-workers as well as customers. I've shaped the running of a restaurant even though it was my first front of house role, and I was part time. There's a lot of transferable skills there.

I never got any of my hospitality jobs by handing in a CV, in fact the only job I've got from applying with a CV  is the one I currently had. I looked back at it the other day and realised the covering letter had a few typos. I think I was in the right place at the right time.

In Falmouth I relied wholly on my reputation as a bad-ass bartender and the fact that I knew a ton of people from working in a fair few of the bars and pubs there. I didn't apply for jobs, I got offered them. And occasional <s>poached</s> head-hunted.

But in London it's a completely different story. People don't know what I've done, what I can do. I need to prove myself all over. And as I've decided not to carry on with the hospitality career, it's like starting from scratch.

But is an internship the right way for me to start a brand new shiny career?

Pushing aside the current argument of paid or unpaid, is apply for an internship selling myself short? Do I need to become more confident in my skills and start applying for entry level jobs? I do know things. And I know how to do them well. I've started working for a start-up, thrown straight into the deep end and haven't freaked out. I'm a community manager. No one checks my tweets before they go out. And yes I'll admit with my dyslexia a few typos have gone out. But the majority of the time I spot them before it's too late. Within a week of starting work I had taught myself two new pieces of software, I just got on with it. This job has taught me that all I need is to be told an outcome and I'll work out the process myself. But isn't the point of an internship to be taught how to do stuff? I already know how to do stuff, you've just got to let me show you.

The dictionary definition of intern: A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.

I don't think there is any way I can call myself a recent graduate any more. In September it will be three years out of education. That is a terrifying thought. And I don't need to be supervised that much. I'm currently working from home. 

Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think I am better than an internship, I know I still have a lot to learn. And if I was offered one tomorrow I'd more than likely accept it. I'm just not sure if it's the right thing for me to do.

But should I spend three months doing an internship when I could be three months into a secure job. Or is it going to be super hard to land a job without doing an internship?

I think it's time for some networking.