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thanks from opti

Post 1

Opticalillusion- media mynx life would be boring without hiccups

Hi there thankyou for responding to my question on askh2g2 about volunteering/paid jobs ... hopefully if i get the position it will be a step in the right direction to me getting a paid job eventually either with the company itself who have a desire to volunteer people lower down in the company or whether it be a different company entirely. All I know is at the moment I'm sick of people saying you need experience and i'm sick of being without a job cos i don't have experience. Anyone would think graduates came from the planet Zog and completely clueless. for ranting on. Anyway thanks again for your opinion and if you would like to talk to me further please feel free or if my rant is to much for you i do understand if you do not desire to talk again to me.

Best wishes from opti smiley - bluebutterfly


thanks from opti

Post 2

Marj

hiya - I was wondering how you were getting on?

I sympathise with your frustration, but as an employer in a very competative field, I do expect people to have a good range of experience on their CV. When I'm choosing between people who have potential, and those who have used their spare time to develop their skills and prove their commitment, it isn't a difficult choice. It isn't about assuming people are clueless - think of it from the employers point of view. If someone has already proved they can do the work, its far less risky. If someone has just done a degree (which is of course an acheivement, but in some fields really just a starting point) they may well have the skills, but you're taking the risk that they might not - why take the risk?
As a volunteer manager, I also get frustrated trying to recruit people with the right skills - I wonder where all the people I went to uni with are? I know they'd be brilliant trustees or treasurers, or would do a great job helping with planning new strategies or publicity or fundraising, but volunteering just doesn't seem to be something they want to do.
It seems like volunteering is a really obvious route! I know it won't help you tick the 'two years experience in a management role' (or whatever!) box, but if you've seen a project through from start to finish and taken responsibility for a piece of research, a campaign or a particular piece of work, and you write it up well on the CV, you can really boost your chances as well as benefit who you are volunteering for.

I know it can be hard at Uni if you have to work as well as study. But I'd be suprised if you couldn't fit in an hour a week volunteering, or a couple of weekends away on a project over the year. If thats really impossible, you can temp or get part time work once you finish and build up experience while living on a lower wage - I did this for a couple of years after graduating, and I know several people who are very committed volunteers who deliberatly work part-time so they can dedicate themselves to the work they are passionate about.

Anyway. I hope you've managed to find work that suits you.


thanks from opti

Post 3

Opticalillusion- media mynx life would be boring without hiccups

Thankyou for writing to me. While at Uni I have done a wide range of things not just my studies. From volunteering, to sales assistant job and student I really had to manage my time well. smiley - smiley But it was worth it with a great 3 years and a 2:1 smiley - smiley I have now found work in another area of the job world ... that is other than sales... i just wish the hours etc were better.


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