At last, some feedback!

Although, I almost feel like I would have been better *not* getting the feedback from my TeachFirst application, because it's made me annoyed about it all over again :P

Essentially, they have several "core competencies" that they look for demonstration of throughout the assessment center. I scored very highly, apparently, in everything but Planning and Organisation where I got an average score (because I gave a duff example in my interview and my 7-min mock lesson wasn't interactive enough) and Humility, Respect and Empathy where I got a below average score (because I talked over people during the group exercise... something I only did to get the group back on track and on time, which I was praised for under the Leadership section!!). And that made me a "borderline case". I just ended up on the wrong side of the border.

I really don't want to be looking and applying for jobs just for jobs sake, but it's already now been a year since I graduated and I'm running rapidly out of options.

Ah well. It'll all work out *eventually*.

P.S. Send me an email or a message on facebook or something if you're in London and want to meet up over the next week and a bit. I'm not going to be able to make it to Canterbury for TagLAN this weekend, but Kim mentioned something about Tuesday or Thursday evenings, which sounds good. Yarrrr.

Oh woes

I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but the way the interview went really did make me think I might just have clinched it... but no. I didn't get the Technology Associate position at the Press Association.

I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm looking for the right kind of job here. My CV seems to be holding up well, as every company who has seen it has given me interviews. It's those interviews that I'm failing at though, and I don't know why as *no one* seems to be willing to give any feedback to me at all. I'm finding it really difficult to critically evaluate my performance when I get the same result every time.

Still, trying to keep positive about it. Rosie's being absolutely marvelous and forwarding me various job opportunities, and I'm starting to look at various agency positions. And I'm spending the next week and a half in London, so hopefully I'll get some interviews while I'm there.

On a related note, if anyone Londonish fancies meeting up for drinks/food during the next week or so (I arrive tomorrow and head to Canters for Tim and Bekah's wedding on Friday 6th June) by all means let me know. I'll have a friend from Norway with me, but she doesn't bite. It'll also be great to see people again, as apart from Dave who lives sorta close, I haven't really seen or spoken to *anyone* who isn't family or, recently, work in *ages*.

More job gubbins

Accenture decided that they didn't like me all that much, and I can't say I'm too surprised. I didn't think the interview went as well as it should have done, and besides; it's their loss!

However, the interview I went to on Wednesday, for a job with the Press Association, went much better. I was much more relaxed during the interview itself, answered the questions well (although I spent the whole journey home on the train thinking of more stuff I should have said, but I guess that's always the way), and I had a really good vibe from the whole thing.

The interview wasn't the whole thing though, there was a technology quiz before; 7 questions in 30 mins. I hadn't been worrying too much about it while I was preparing for the interview, as I'm pretty much on top of technology stuffs.

Except these questions weren't really *about* technology, but rather design principles. Here they are, let me know what you think!

1. What do you know about design patterns, which ones have you come across?


2. Explain your understanding of a UML use case and explain at which stages it would be appropriate to use it


3. Say what you understand by metadata and explain the significance of the Dublin Core


4. What do you understand by Information Architecture? Why is it important?


5. Give three areas in which content management can be used to improve the effectiveness of an organisation


6. What are the main features of MPEG4, MPEG7 and MPEG21


7. What is RDF and why is it important?

Now, with the exception of the MPEG stuff, I know I covered all that in my degree. I particularly remember learning about Dublin Core and RDF in the Mobile and Ubiquitous module, but I couldn't for the life of me remember anything about it! I was completely unprepared for these questions, and although I gave the best answers I could in the time, I think that it might detract from my performance in the interview.

I also had to give a 10 min ppt presentation on "What evolving Information Technologies will multimedia publishers need to master so that they are competitive in rapidly changing digital markets?" which also went quite well, I think.

I should hear back either tomorrow or at the start of next week. Here's hoping!

Keep on swimming!

Well, my interview on Friday went ok. Not great, but ok. I answered most of the questions very well, but feel that I let myself down badly on one or two. I hate it when my mind goes absolutely blank, and I end up stuttering as I try to kick my brain into life. The preparation material clearly stated that one of the things I should know is who some of Accenture's clients are, but when asked I could barely remember one. Oooops. Any which way, I should hear back sometime next week.

In other news, I have another interview next week for a position I found through KTP. The job, in a nutshell, is "to help develop and implement a new and advanced news and information service, to keep the UK’s national news agency, the Press Association, at the forefront of the world multimedia industry". I would be employed by the University of Arts, but work in the PA office on Vauxhall Bridge Road (Victoria). Kinda cool. Gotta ace the interview first though!

In other other news, more lightpainting!

I've sold my soul :/

Over the last few weeks I've had temporary work at a fairly large solicitors company who are based here in Southampton. The first task involved opening and reading about 20,000 word documents, and editing them in different ways. I'm sure my eyes were starting to dissolve by the time I was done, but I did it in half the time they were expecting (that's what you get when the temp agency sends a compsci grad instead of the normal temp workers...). Which meant that I cut the wages I was expecting in half. Go me!

However, the same solicitors had another temp opening which I've been doing since then, which involves doing general admin (opening post, filing, folding and enveloping post, as well as doing basic research and creating oodles of documentation) work in the Mortgage Repossessions dept. Which, really, is to be expected given our current economic climate.

One of the temp workers who had the job before be apparently left because "the job was depressing". I laughed the first time I heard it, but after a few weeks here I'm much more sympathetic. Creating and sending out letters that say "Pay up or we're gonna take your house" (translated from solicitor-speak to everyday English) isn't actually all that fun. What's worse is how much the "fee earners" (those who actually deal with the courts and agents and bailiffs to get the repossession done) seem to enjoy doing it.


Ah well, it's money. Something which, given that it's now been almost a year since I finished my final year exams at Uni, I have a dire lack of.

Here's hoping my interview at Accenture on Friday goes well!