For International Youth Day our very own Youth Ambassador Ben Fisher shares the story of how he kept going through job hunting set-backs, and why you should persevere.
In this economic climate with so many applications for each job you can imagine competition is strict with applications, even though you feel you may match the criteria they offer. Often your application can be overlooked but the true tip is never give up.
I saw a job with a local company advertised several times, and each time it came up I applied. Normally you can expect a response from an employer within 4 weeks, and after that time had passed I still hadn’t heard anything so assumed the worst. However after 2 months, I was finally invited for an interview.
When interview day arrived I had to wait until 3pm for my appointment. I prepared my clothes, did my research, had answers ready, and had memorised my CV. I left home finally and made my way there, however once I was in the room it only felt like 5 minutes. The employer simply asked about my interest in film, as the role was for a Creative and Digital Media Apprentice, and told me about the job. I was then informed they were still interviewing, and would let me know in the next few weeks if I’d been shortlisted for second interview.
Usually a five-minute interview isn’t good. I felt like it would be a rejection already, but still I dropped off a thank you letter to the employer, as is good practice. The following day I was shocked to get an email from them, not as I was expecting with a rejection, but inviting me to a second interview – despite the fact they hadn’t finished the first round!
When you’re in an interview it’s all about making yourself stand out. As the role was for a Creative Digital Media Apprentice, and I had some skills in using PowerPoint for Creative Media from a previous course, I decided to take a risk. I prepared a presentation to show off my skills, interest in the role, and the research I’d done on the company. I decided to do a presentation because it was a Creative role (thinking creatively using my knowledge) and interviews are about standing out/thinking outside the box!
In the end I unfortunately wasn’t successful in getting the job. My feedback after the interview was that the panel were very impressed with my keenness for the positon, as well as my preparation and research though.
This is my experience of an interview, and it will be different from another young persons’. However it goes to show that no matter what happens at an interview, how many times you re-apply for the same role, or what questions you’re asked, you should always keep trying. Hard work and using your initiative will pay off eventually; you never know what could happen until you try.
