Paniku!

The end of Monday rolls in and... I have not heard back from the interview.

They did say "Monday" or "Tuesday", and I guess that usually means they will pick the later day, as it gives them more time to make a decision. Right?

I also tried to get in touch with a phone interview I was going to have today. They called me on Friday and left a message, then this afternoon I wasn't near my phone... so I called back and left a message. I called again a couple hours later and no one picked up, so I left it at that, hoping they would see my message and call me back. They did say they would be busy.

I'll get up early tomorrow and give them a call around noon if I don't hear anything. It's really motivating that I am getting call backs! :)

Job hunting can be so stressful... it's been a month, wow.

I really hope I hear back from both companies tomorrow.

Should do stuff...

Had my interview today for the digital marketing position. I think it went well? It wasn't what I had expected, the interviewer didn't ask a lot of questions and it was mostly questions about whether I could use a certain kind of operating system, and if I had experience in certain things. Then like 5 minutes into the interview he asked me if I had any questions... that raised an alert for me because I thought that indicated the interview was going to end short... but I guess maybe this is another interview approach where they already know everything they need to know on your resume, and just ask any questions that they're not sure of. I took this opportunity to ask as many questions as I needed, to get as much information about the position, what things were essential and about the company. He handled my questions with grace which was really awesome. I also managed to showcase my portfolio a few times... I thought he would have asked for it, but since we were on the topics of writing and graphics, I asked politely if I could show the portfolio to him and he was very open to that.

Overall, I didn't feel HORRIBLE, so that was good. And I got to talk during the interview too, instead of the interviewer just talking. There have been so many interviews that I went to where the interviewer would do most of the talking, which would lessen my chances of the job since I could not speak and backup my skills and experience, I really wanted to make sure this was not one of those interviews.

Early next week they will be asking candidates to do a test, real life videography, that's pretty cool. At first I was kind of surprised by it, but I think I could do it with no problem! I have been visualizing that they will contact me.

I sent a thank you letter to the interview, along with my portfolio samples as well. To be honest, I'm hoping it will help me out too, there was a few things I wanted to mention in the interview, so I mentioned it there. I forgot to ask some more questions in my thank you letter... ahhh. I also had another comment I wanted to add, but I will ask next week after the assessment test. :) I feel a little unsettled because I had prepared a lot to answer tough questions to backup my skills, and didn't really get to use it.

However, I made sure I made a good impression. :D He also advised me on their hiring process with students, that they hire for personality and not because of the student's GPA or prestigious background. I thought that was really interesting, and would kind of explain why his interview questions were really short. I think he's trying to get a sense of who I am that is why he asked me if I had any questions. I really love it when interviewers allow you to ask a lot of questions during the interview. You find out a lot more about the position and the company, and then you have the chance to have a conversation with the interviewer.

Another concern was that the interviewer didn't write anything down when I talked...and he told me there were a lot of people who applied for the position. He even told me the turnover of marketing positions... I love how transparent that is, makes the company more appealing to work for.

My friend was hired for her personality, I'm hoping I can do the same too.

Also, I think I'm officially going to start filming YouTube videos next week for my channel! I have a few ideas lined up.

Training

Had my first training session yesterday for my new contract work, it was pretty cool, I learned a lot of stuff about SEO that I didn't know. I love it when I learn something new at work :)

I spent most of my day today logging footage for a volunteer video I have to finish editing. I was hoping to get it done today, but didn't realize I had 86 clips to log, so I'm going to spread out my editing to one more day. I also need to prep more for my upcoming interview next week. I am super excited. I'm really hoping I can get this job.

It's nice that I'm keeping busy for the next few days, but I also want to get out and socialize and eat some yummy food and drink some bubbletea! I don't have an income (not yet) right now so I've been keeping my socializing to a minimum since it usually (mostly) is going out for food or for a paid activity.

I realize this post is only about 2% training... I mainly chose the title because that was the first thought that popped into my head when thinking about what to write. My next training session is next week and I've already got some research to do on my own.

Freelancing + Interview

Wow, my last entry was about a week and a half ago, a lot has happened since then.

First, I just signed on to be a sub-contractor for a company doing digital media/marketing work. Pretty cool, I get to do what I'm good at/want to do and learn new things! Right now it's kind of like freelancing work, so I'll be working when there is client work to do. Need to go through training soon, not sure when it will be, could be later today!

The position may go into full-time if there's more work to do.

On the other hand, I managed to get an interview for a digital marketing position doing everything I love. The interview is at a company that my friend works at, and she also referred me as well. Pretty cool considering how I got an interview a few hours after submitting my application. It's good to know I can write a decent application! :) I've got less than a week to prepare, so I'm going to do my absolute best. Having this position would be a dream come true, and would be my first real FT job in the real world! I feel like I would learn a lot in the position too, and I'd be working within a team, which is something I've always desired to work with since my previous positions.

As for the other positions I haven't heard back from... I found out they posted a new posting and clarified it's an internship. I think that's the best decision, since they were looking for a student in the first place. I didn't hear back from the freelancing gig at all, so I'm assuming they chose someone else, since they did say this week is when they would start working on their project.

I have one more video project for volunteering that I need to finish editing, and then I can focus on my ongoing volunteering project as well as my own projects. It shouldn't have taken me this long to get to it, but I was working on a lot of stuff in the last month, as well as I received some additional content to add to the video. I think I have my music laid out, so all I need to do is start editing soon. I'm hoping to complete it in a day.

Seeking job

A lot has happened.

I quit my job at the start-up. Just wasn't the right fit for me and too many icky things going on, so I didn't want to continue that position.

I've had one interview since then for a social media position, still waiting on it, but turns out it's an internship... which isn't what I'm looking for, I need to get paid to pay bills :( If I were still a student, the internship would be a great opportunity. They seemed like they could make it a paid position, but we'll see if they get back to me soon.

I haven't heard anything from the freelancing gig yet, they told me a week ago they would decide this week, but now it's Saturday. Perhaps I'm not shortlisted anymore or they're looking for more candidates, as I've seen several additional postings of the position, since. I'll follow up today.

Right now I've got a lot of video editing to do, which includes my recent trip to PAX 2014/Seattle and some volunteering projects. After I finish my first two projects, then I'll be left with my ongoing volunteer project, which will allow me to focus on applying for more jobs and going to interviews.

There's this one position in the arts community I could apply for... however it's an admin position. :( I know I have to get my foot in the door, but I am so sick of administrative positions, but then again all the ones I've held previously were for industries I wasn't really too interested in, but were curious of. Perhaps it could be different with this one? I know this would be a more casual environment so I would probably enjoy it more, and it's a FT, permanent position.... which means I could grow in the company, right? I think I will apply.

I just want to have a job where I am happy, learning, using my background and am getting paid decently or more. Also, a job where there is opportunity to grow.

Freelancing right now is hard for me because I need to learn how to branch out of my shell and reach out to other companies. I definitely need to do a search and ask companies if they're interested in video service.

I also don't want to be stuck doing admin work... it really takes a special person to do clerical work, and I'm not that person.

Job calls, please!! :)