It Is What It Is

Still waiting for Burberry to get back to me. I'm in contact with my interviewer, and they haven't yet made a decision.
Monday.
Monday is when they will decide.

She said they have a few more people to interview, they're seeing internal as well as external..
Failing to understand how I can compete with someone who already works for Burberry?!
I know I would literally work my face off for them, I would be PERFECT, no other option. But next to someone who already knows the brand inside and out? That's tough.
Honestly, I'm just going to keep praying and hoping.

In the mean time, I've had another interview for a jewellery company - not at ALL what I want to represent, but its for PR assistant, and they are a luxury, high end brand. Step in the right direction.
My interviewer said that she 'feels so bad' for us, there's 'too many of you and not enough jobs'.
You don't say.

It's funny, but mostly tragic, to think that I'm sat here, desperately waiting for a positive call from Burberry. Along with about a million other equally desperate hopefuls.

Bleugh this is so not ideal.
Keeping positive though, I just need to wait, and be patient, something will come along.
Someone has to get the job right?

Uhm..

...
Still waiting..
...
...
I want this SO BAD. Ahhhh...

Tick, Tock..

So Burberry said they'd get back to me with a decision at the end of the week.
It is now, past the end of the week and in fact, a new week. (fascinating how that happens..)
I've been assured it is perfectly reasonable to call in and check on the status of my application. I was convinced I hadn't got it, since I hadn't heard back.
I wanted to call just to hear a firm 'no' so I could move on with my life.
By that I mean the absence of Burberry themed dreams/nightmares where I get the job/don't get the job waking me in a cold sweat/false happiness.
Oh the joy.

I called this morning, very cheerful, professional, look-how-great-my-phone-manner-is.
Basically I'll next hear from them in a couple weeks.. eeekkkk!!

It's not a no, its not a yes.
It's a .. Wait.
I can do that, I'm all over that. If there's a job worth waiting for, its a job at Burberry.
Peaceful nights will have to wait.

'When you said Burberry my heart LITERALLY skipped a beat'

Finished interning at Nicole Farhi - It. Was. Fantastic.
I really loved it, it was such an incredible experience. I got to work A/W12 Press Day, which was great, loads of journalists and stylists to schmooze with - excellent.
Due to the stupid Inland Revenue cracking the whip on fashion houses taking on unpaid interns for too long, a month was the maximum time I could stay. I was a bit irritated about it.
But Then....

So since I've decided to do this, I've sent out precisely a million copies of my CV.
(http://www.fashintern.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/playing-with-big-boys.html)
Wasn't really sure what good it was doing.
Last week, I got an email, with 'PR assistant role' in the subject field.
I hadn't sent any recent applications and I wasn't aware of recent vacancies anywhere so I was totally surprised.
Open the email and who is it writing me?
Burberry. BURBERRY.

INVITING ME IN FOR AN INTERVIEW.
Now forget everything else, whether I get a job or not, the fact that I have been invited to the most iconic fashion brand in England is a Big Freaking Deal right there.
So I went, last Tuesday, portfolio in hand. I honestly would have waited all day to get a shot at being a Burberry employee.
I mean RIGHT, its BURBERRY.
The building is without a doubt the nicest place I have ever entered. Upon asking for a bathroom I was told to go over to a full length mirror and press the silver button beside it. When I did this, the mirror slid sideways into the freaking wall.
Seriously.
The interview itsself went really well. So well that I think the reason I won't get it would be because she interviews someone better than me, rather than me not being good enough.
I'm definitely not getting my hopes up though, don't want to make the inevitable devastation worse.
Fingers crossed. Infact, lets just cross Everything.

Internship Number Three Please

Updates.. I finished interning at Flax PR last Thursday. It was great to learn so much about how an agency runs, and it was a hugely informative experience.
But it really just wasn't fashion forward enough. Half of the whole PR excitement for me, comes from being passionate about the product/clients.
Passion for Cath Kidston/Laura Ashley, I do not have.
So I interviewed on my birthday for another internship (after dragging myself to the interview because I was THAT SICK - my birthday was not a happy time) and tomorrow I start in the press office for none other than ..

Nicole Farhi.

Very Excited.
I think it's fabulous because I've now had so many different experiences, in-house for a smaller designer, agency, and now in-house for a huge, established designer. Nicole Farhi has done wonders for London Fashion Week and I think it's really to her credit that LFW is known and respected in the fashion world.
Huge fashion houses like Nicole Farhi, Paul Smith, and Burberry just give London the brilliant name it has.
What to wear for the first day?!
Fail safe black. Works everytime.

In Love.

I am so head over heels. Completely and truly smitten.
Unfortunately, t'is not a man at the centre of my affections, but these trousers.

They are utterly delicious.
Smart, and casual, show my personality, nod to st patricks, and still oh so on trend for this season's florals.
I thought they'd be one of those pieces that I ADORE so much I have to ignore that others hate them.
BUT I wore them to a party last night and had exactly 1 million people ask me where they were from.
Love is a very splendid thing.

F U M I N G

Oh, ANOTHER rejection for paid position. At Burberry. Just to make it hurt a little more.
ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY. AS IF I CANT BE A PRESS SAMPLES ASSISTANT. How could you BE more qualified?! I would genuinely like to know what makes you qualified to be a samples assistant, not a general press assistant, no no, a SAMPLES assistant. Are. You. Kidding.
I'm angry. So angry.
That job would be a quarter of all the responsibilities I had at my in-house internship. And I would work SO HARD. Urgh. I freaking hate the recession. I hate it. And everyone who has a job a the moment and is getting paid for it. Its a far off concept for me.
And hell yes I'm bitter about it.

Dance it out

No worries.
Just danced around my room to banging music like a hooker on tequila.
Et voila.
No more frustration.
p.s. 2 intern offers in a week - I'm doing something right.

Oh here's a novel idea..

Hire me.
2 interviews this week, both for intern positions, all positive and in the right direction and bla bla.
Both went well, both were clearly impressed with me and my portfolio.
But it's just like.. why don't you give me an actual job!? I will not disappoint!! It's frustrating, because I can DO THIS. I would do such a good job, I would work my actual ass off. I would be efficient, dedicated, I have positive energy, I'm trustworthy, I want to learn - I'd hire me in a shot!!
You know what I need, I need a break.

Technologicified

This is me making an effort to be all things PR. Not only have I created a 'Linkedin' page (which titled me as a Public Relations and Communications Professional - easy there, let's not disappoint so soon..) but am currently opening a twitter account.

About to start the tutorial and am so out of my depth I may even take notes, uni-lecture style.
Goodness help us.
I may even.. I'm ashamed to even type this.. Tomorrow I'm going to call and see if I can get hold of a blackberry..
I'm literally selling my soul and doing something I always said I wouldnt..
BUT its actually becoming a real issue. If I'm serious about PR I can't be travelling and impossible to get through to/contact/have no internet. Still.
#sellout

Playing with the Big Boys

I finally finished my killer cover letter, it starts

Dear XX, I realise in your position at XX your time is precious and you receive a plethora of emails daily. However, please allow me 3 paragraphs to prove I am far from a time waster.

Boom. So today I've been sending out applications to the biggest fashion PR players in London. As I was sending I could see that I was getting messages back at the same time. My heart sank because the replies were so fast there's no way they could be good responses. Hesitantly, I click 'open'..
'Would you like to interview with regard to an internship?'
'Thanks very much for your response. I would definitely love to interview.'
'Free at 4:30pm on Tuesday?'
Oh shoot I have lunch with Alexandra Shulman and Sarah Burton.
Of course I'm free.
As always, not naming names, but I have an interview with an account manager working for one of the biggest global fashion PR companies in the world. I'm talking London, NY, Paris, Milano, Hong Kong.. Their offices are based in Mayfair, naturally.

Despite my excitement and willingness to intern (if you work with good people, its great and takes the pressure off - you're there purely to learn and be taught, which i adore) I do have reservations..
I spent 3 months interning and working my a s s off getting into huge amounts of debt. With no job at the end of it. Am I an idiot doing the same thing again?
It is a different situation I guess. This is a huge company. They wouldn't hire me because they hated me rather than couldn't afford me. I have no problem with that. In fact I'd probably rather that.
Being told 'We want you to work for us but don't have the budget' certainly does not pay the bills. Or keep me warm at night. And all other cliched phrases.
Also now I have this magical thing.. options..
I now have 2 potential 'jobs'. I can choose, keep looking for paid work whilst interning, and hopefully, one of these days I will work for someone and they will give me money in return. A novel idea.
One big shot replied with details of his agencies paid internship program, which sounds rather promising. Except then I have direct competition, which I don't love the idea of. I'm good at standing out from a pack, but I don't appreciate the variables in competitions - even MORE applicants to be better than, some poor slave of an assistant trawling through tons of applications, hating us more than she hates her job, so tired she starts picking out applications purely if she likes the applicants name.. I don't like competitions. I don't like relying on someone else to make my career. That said, I'll apply. Definitely can't hurt. Shall let you know how swanning around Mayfair goes next week, I'm off to party for the weekend. x x

Must be talking to an Angel

It's been a week since I met up with Rachael and the PR search began. I have created a super stunning spreadsheet, so organised it would blow Monica Gellar's little brunette mind.
The sheets are organised by all the avenues I need to cover - PR recruitment agencies/PR agencies themselves/PR Job sites/In-House PR - with all the appropriate contact details.
I've been going through each person/company and calling, sending emails with my cv, follow up calls etc for each person in the spreadsheet.
Rachael said I need to:

'Make a job of getting a job'

and that is indeed what I'm doing.
Yesterday I was going through my PR recruitment agencies page, just making calls. I came to a company I didn't pay much attention to as their site suggested they were quite a small company - When I got an answerphone I moved on.
I'm so glad I called again. Mel, the MD and founder, answered. After explaining my situation she told me 'I don't take on graduate/entry level, purely because I don't get paid for it! But I'll send you all of my fashion PR contacts?'
Uhh... you mean you want to send me your goldddust list of PR contacts, at absolutely no benefit to yourself? Yea I think I'll take it!

This morning I had a missed call from Mel, called her back and she says..
'So I've got you an interview'

Sorry WHATTT?! The woman got me an interview in under 24 hours with a PR agency in Marylebone specialising in lifestyles - exactly the kind of thing I want to be doing.

The company would probably want to start me out interning (travel paid) and then hopefully hire me after. YES YES YES.
Just can't get over this lady. And the fact that this is happening. Even if nothing comes of it, just the idea that something CAN come of it is enough.
And grateful, I know this is all purely because of the Lord and the help he's giving me, could not have done it without Him.
Mel still sent me her contacts list - direct emails to HUGE agencies like Relative MO, The Communications Store, Starworks.. INSANE. Big-guns like these don't even have 'career' sections on their sites their that exclusive. I CANNOT GET OVER THIS LADY. She told me 'she likes me and wants to help' - I have no idea why since our call lasted 2 minutes, she sounds mega powerful and I'm like this puny, unemployed graduate. I didn't think people like Mel & Rachael existed. I've heard of them, but thought they were popular myths, like 4 leaf clovers, unicorns, and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow..
I'm excited, I'm so utterly and completely excited.

I want to travel. No, nanny. Sorry make that fashion.

Past few weeks have been .. varied, shall we say..

-decided to nanny in London to get.money.fast & high-tail it to New Zealand (Random I know, but I'm fantastic with kids and could definitely do it, especially for £400 net/week thankyouverymuch)
-worked hard, signed up with 3 agencies and interviewed for nanny positions - (in one interview, the mother welled up when her baby cried - definite crazy potential.. I saw myself out)

Then came the inevitable 'What am I doing?'
I don't want to be a freaking NANNY.
I'm 21, have a ton of potential and could do SO much. Why would I want to chase some snotty child around in what would probably be my very own remake of 'The Help'?
To be fair, I do think I could have done it, and still do. It's not the worst job and its respectable for those that can handle it long term.
I'm not sure I could.
I wondered why on earth I was trying so hard for a role I wasn't passionate about. What was I passionate about?
I then met up with the contact, Rachael (see last post) who was
i n c r e d i b l e. The help, advice and strategies for getting into fashion PR was invaluable. We sat down in Notting Hill over steaming mugs of chocolate and she just gave me the push I needed, spurting a plethora of fantastic ideas.
Rachael is my new love. She helped out a perfect stranger to the best of her ability when she could have just sent an email or something quick and easy. More than anything, she made me see that it is possible, there are jobs out there, and if I want them I have to work dam hard.
I know now that I hadn't done as much as I thought. Haven't exhausted all avenues. Could do more.
And I will.

What do we want?

FASHION.
It's been 3 months since I had my lifechanging, whirlwind dip into the sweet pool of fashion. And I'm craving it.

Basically I'm addicted.

I miss the constant creativity, the art, the glamour, the CLOTHES, the fast paced conveyor belt of events (and emotions), the SHOES..
I've always thought I would be a bit above it, you know, intellectual and all. I was challenged and stimulated for 3 years studying the inner neurological workings of the mind and human behaviour.
Fashion? Yea, fine, but surely I'd eventually tire of its superficial, hollow nature.
Turns out no.
Now that I again return like a lamb, to suckle at its silk swathed teat.. That's weird.
What I'm saying is, I miss it.
I plan to travel, I want to live in New Zealand for a year (http://newzeal-thatgirl.blogspot.com/) but that may be partly because I cannot seem to get a job in London.
Goodness knows I tried, h a r d.
But I now have .. a contact. A friend of a friend is a model booker. She's agreed to meet me for a late lunch next week to discuss.

Hurrah! Back to lunching in london with leisure.

We will chat about what she does, I will ask many interesting questions and be charming and engaging. Most likely she will be able to sense efficiency and hard work in my aura alone.
She'll set me up at her agency and I'll consider it.

..
Back in the real world.. I am meeting her, but its more out of interest and keeping my options open. I can't say that the model agency world has ever kept me terribly interestd, but then I know nothing about it. I'm sure I may have said the same of fashion PR a few years back.
She sent me a few links to fashion job sites, which was lovely of her. One I use regularly, the other was new.
I then saw THIS gem of a job description:

The XXXX fashion team are looking for an account assistant to work on some of the agency's most high profile and exciting fashion accounts.

Applicants must have completed previous fashion internships and show a strong industry knowledge. Key responsibilities will include media liaison, showroom management and assisting the team on various administrative tasks. This is a great entry level opportunity for someone looking to take the next step up from an internship.

Uh can you say perfect?
I applied, of course. Despite turning my back on the fashion industry forever on account of my consistent rejection after my internship.
Like I said, I'm addicted.
Shall keep you posted. (she says after not writing for an age..)