Jennie Holland PR always strives to support emerging talent in the industry. This month we have a guest blogger, Alice Cammell, who recently completed her MA in Broadcast Journalism at Nottingham Trent University.
We’ve all had a lot of time to think this year … maybe a little too much time. We’ve been given a lot of time to reflect, to question the lives we lead, and to ask ourselves what we want for the future.
For me, this year brought the end of my MA in Broadcast Journalism which I completed during lockdown. Since September, I have been applying for jobs all over the place and I’m hoping that even amongst the chaos that was 2020, I might be given a chance to prove myself and show employers what I have to offer. But after applying for lots of different roles, though all within media, I’ve found that I really need to know what I’m about in order to sell an application; to sell me.
So, who am I? What do I want? How do I want to be perceived? These are questions that I can guarantee people in their twenties especially ask themselves probably ten times a day, if not more. And often the answer is, “I don’t know”. I know this because I’ve said it. A lot.
The trick is to identify your ‘self-brand’; that thing that encompasses everything about you and sets you apart from the crowd. And let me tell you something … no one else can do what you do.
I used to say that I had no idea what I wanted and in all honesty, that never got me anywhere. I’m not saying that I have got that dream job yet, but I’ve definitely got a better idea of where I want to be because I’m listening to myself more, and lockdown has played its part in that, for sure. I’ve spent many days now with just me, myself and I. The thing is, we all know what we want deep down; we’re just often too scared to admit it because we’re skipping ahead a few steps.
Instead of just thinking solely about what we want, we end up thinking about; how realistic it is, if we know what we need to do to achieve it, if we can put the work in, if there is even a job ‘like that’ close to where we live, if we can afford to move somewhere that may have more opportunities, if our loved ones approve, if we have the necessary qualifications … and so on and so forth.
I personally have found approaching applications a lot easier recently when I just admit to myself what I really would like to do, given the chance.
For me, lockdown has been incredibly tough but also a real opportunity to focus my mind on what I want when all of this comes to an end. We were all robbed of our time in 2020 and it has made me realise how important normal life is and I am excited to return to it. I’m missing people I care about and I’m missing working on things I have a passion for.
So when we’re all released back into the wild, I put it to you to be brave … to be bold, and to just go for it. Sure, it’s no easy feat trying to sell yourself via an application form or through your social media, even. These days, it takes a lot to convey an original, authentic ‘self-brand’ that will make employers sit up and pay attention. But it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
I think the trick is to take inspiration from everyone else, but do things differently and better. Most importantly, be true to who you are and what you want out of life.
Bring on 2021, that’s what I say, and hit the ground running.