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Browsing tag: work

  • February 10, 2012

    Worst case scenario

    I find it strangely comforting sometimes to contemplate what I’d do if I lost my job.

    The very first step I’d take is try to pull together a patchwork of jobs to get some income coming in – and I definitely would have a couple of industry starting points from which I might get a few hours a week. And depending on the circumstances, freelance work for my company might also be an option.

    I wouldn’t qualify for unemployment, so I suppose we’d tighten up our already firm belts even more in regard to food and entertainment. That’s because I have a partner, and too much in savings (I *think* you have to be down to your last thousand or so but I could be wrong on that). Which leads me to ask – do you think it’s right to collect unemployment, if you could, even if you didn’t need it?

    That aside, I would seriously consider taking some time out to do some extended travelling, depending on my bank balance and T’s work situation. It’s not my preferred MO, but in a situation like that, I might just change my mind.

    Otherwise, I’d be reaching out to contacts at my previous company, and throughout the industry at large. It’s a small field, so I know someone at most of the major players. I might contact some editors directly, and if I was thinking about changing tacks, possibly approach other organisations that interest me (in banking, education or more generally creative endeavours beyond publishing).

    Given my interest in money and personal finance, it might seem like finance writer would be a logical next step. Women’s mags often have a money column (usually done by one of a couple of media-savvy financial coaches), Diana Clement’s Herald column sometimes yields interesting stuff but by and large is pretty unexciting – interest.co.nz‘s personal finance editor Amanda Morrall probably has the most interesting job. But to be honest, most topics have been clubbed to death and trampled all over. I’m much more interested – and always have been – in personal journeys. Maybe I could brainstorm potential approaches during my funemployed days.

    I’d also definitely consider two things I would not have a couple of years ago: opportunities in Wellington, because the city is just so darn cool, and contract jobs. I used to think of fixed-term contracts as offering no security – but really, if they paid well enough and the work was right, contracting can make for a decent lifestyle and afford you more time to travel.

    Do you ever consider what you’d do in the event of a job loss? If you were eligible for unemployment benefits but didn’t need them, would you take them?

  • December 17, 2011

    Link love (Powered by interns and hunger pangs)

    Yep. That was my week last week. Two interns, at very different stages of experience. While #1’s work needs very little going over, #2’s stuff requires heavy editing. But I was an intern once – it’s a rite of passage several times over in this field – so patience it is. #2 also gets bonus points for being a keen bean this early on in her education.

    I also did what I’ve been meaning to do for about a year – do a few days of clean eating. I’m not sold on the idea of crazy detox diets, but I did like the idea of eating as close to natural for as long as I could hack it. I was guessing around four days. I ran out of fruit after three (and then had three days of an Indian wedding, and certainly wasn’t about to deprive myself).

    Here’s how it went. Breakfast: fruit salad of melon, berries and kiwifruit. Bananas for snacks. Silverbeet and onion stirfry with rice, and lentil fritters for lunch. Dinners were corn fritters with a melon, carrot, apple and spring onion salad; eggplant and tomato with a bit of fish; and roasted veggie salad.

    The idea was to cut out wheat, meat, dairy and sugar. I love my carbs and I have a sweet tooth like no other, but it was the grains I missed for the fullness.

    How did I feel? Pretty darn good, apart from the hunger – I just couldn’t stay full up to lunch, and felt briefly nauseous in the mornings – I’m used to cereal, oats or toast, or occasionally pancakes or bacon and eggs – so fruit for breakfast was really the only shock. (Eat more of it, you say? I actually don’t like fruit all that much, so I’m not sure I would have been able to put any more into me – even my favourite fruits, which I specifically picked out. See nausea reference.) On the other hand, I never felt bloated or heavy, either.

    Anyway, I’m glad to be back to delicious noodles, couscous, bread, ice cream, chorizo and baking. Also, corn chips.

    A quick public service message

    Hands down the best thing I’ve read was this Megan McArdle oped – What do low income communities need? (and her followup post here).

    If poor people did the stuff that middle class people do, it’s possible–maybe probable–that they wouldn’t be poor.  But this is much harder than it sounds.  As John Scalzi once memorably put it, “Being poor is having to live with choices you didn’t know you made when you were 14 years old.”  Which often means, he might have added, spending your whole life doing the sort of jobs that middle class people sometimes do when they’re 14.  It isn’t that people can’t get out of this: they do it quite frequently.  But in order to do so, you need the will and the skill–and the luck–to execute perfectly.  There is no margin for error in the lives of the working poor.

    Basically everything I tried to say here, but far more eloquently.

    Special mention also goes to this disturbing piece on the slim differences between lad mag readers and rapists. Yes, it’s typically hyped up in Jezebel fashion, but it’s still a story that stands alone.

    Oh, and RedHead Writing’s explanation of how to deal with the Facebook message purgatory of ‘other’.

    To the rest!

    WORK

    Want to change careers? Here’s how to get started, via Ms Career Girl.

    Susannah Forbes’ tips for getting on the telly.

    At Make A Living Writing, one writer’s story of landing his first paid blogging gig (in the three digits).

    And Sean Blanda’s excellent tips for startups pitching the media. Heck, it probably even helped me understand my job better.

    LIFE

    Dancing Through NC’s list of love myths she’s glad weren’t true.

    Questions to ask yourself before quitting, at Yes and Yes.

    Fabulous post from StacFace on the things she needs to own about herself.

    Only stupid people never change their minds, says Matt at Life Without Pants.

    Ah, technology. Andrea lists 35 things her son will never experience.

    Cordelia Calls It Quits on the 10 signs you’re on the right track.

    MONEY

    One simple way to improve your living conditions on the cheap. Via You Have More Than You Think.

    A couple of goodies at Get Rich Slowly: protecting yourself against sexually-transmitted debt and why financial literacy fails.

    FOOD

    Cate Linden’s rustic potato leek soup.

    Asparagus tart. Deeelish. (At Wandering Food Lover.)

    Smitten Kitchen’s caesar salad devilled eggs sound quite divine.

    10 quick and easy side dishes, courtesy of Dinner: A Love Story.

    Lemon meringue pie in 15 minutes? Jules of Stonesoup says yes.

    These Christmas chocolate cookies by Iowa Girl Eats look super easy.

    Mmm. Coffee blondies with cream cheese icing, via Hungry and Frozen.

    And salted caramel apple bars thanks up to Dishing Up Delight.

  • December 5, 2011

    On balancing work, life, and Penelope Trunk at her best

    I’m ambivalent on Penelope Trunk. But you can’t deny that she calls it as she sees it, and she gets it spot on in this interview.

    There is no magic solution.

    There is no get rick quick online.

    A blog in itself is not a business.

    Want to quit your job and work for yourself? You need goals. You need a strategy. You need a business plan.

    Listen good, online empire wannabes.

    What really stood out to me was the point that she made that business and lifestyle go hand in hand. If you want to spend more time with your kids, you’re not going to be able to put in the kind of hours someone single and single-mindedly devoted to growing a business will. (The fact that starting a business takes hard graft goes unsaid, surely.)

    For me, the lifestyle is the most important part of the equation. I changed jobs this year in pursuit of better balance, trading off a few financial benefits, flexibility (a double-edged sword; it goes both ways) and the prestige of a big name for no shift work, shorter commute, more variety and room to stretch myself. As much as I loved my previous position, and felt I was part of something important, I was increasingly frustrated with the sacrifices that came with the territory. In any choice, there are trade-offs, and those may chop and change at different stages in your life.

    (BUT I have to disagree that you are either a people person or a writer and that the two are mutually exclusive. I work with people every day who disprove this theory. There are plenty of journalists who are rather awkward in person – me included – but there are just as many writers who thrive in social situations.)

    As evidenced here on Stuff Journalists Like, it’s a lifestyle that ends in a crash and burn for many. How many times have I read about people giving up on the pay and odd hours that cut into plans or make it straight up impossible to make plans ahead of time? (Answer: Enough to depress me.)

    I’m not convinced by the assertion that journos don’t have many transferable skills, however. True, we have to sell story ideas to editors, but pitching a feature is probably not on the same level as attempting to close a five or six-figure business deal. And some of us are lucky enough to be largely autonomous and work independently – in which case getting used to answering to others in the corporate world could be a nasty change.

    But we’re articulate, know how to ask the right questions, know how to research, have good contacts and know how to handle people, something that shouldn’t be underrated. Some of us have particular areas of knowledge and expertise, although that’s rare nowadays.

    If I couldn’t be a journalist … well, I’d like to try my hand at doing something in the music industry, in arts, in a university setting, in a nonprofit – what exactly I don’t know, but ideally something incorporating creative and editorial aspects.

    Do you agree with any of these points? Or are you just sitting there shaking your head?

  • August 25, 2011

    Jobhunting faux pas, and more

    I’ve tripped myself up a fair few times over the years, professionally speaking. I’m not good at being put on the spot. For me, preparation is key. While there are some things you can’t plan for, in most cases the majority of questions or curveballs that come your way can be anticipated with a bit of research!

    Faux pas I’ve made (but which didn’t seem to hurt me) include:

    Disclosing –  more or less – what I was making.  But in the first case, they offered me a fair bit more, and in the second, well, I was already overpaid, so I couldn’t have come out any worse off. In fact, I still ended up with more than I’d hoped for.

    Not being prepared for certain questions, which in hindsight, I should really have expected. I’ve probably broadcast it enough times here that while I have lots of personal goals for the next few years in life, I really have no clear plan for the career branch of that equation. But working in digital does mean you could well be doing a job in future that doesn’t currently exist. Luckily, my brain was working relatively quickly that day, and I managed to blurt out something half coherent about continuing to learn, grow and seize opportunities.

    Not finishing my drink. Lesson learned: Drink up your hot beverage. Quickly. Before it gets cold and nasty.

    Mistake

    Image via Wikipedia

    On the other hand, I’ve had a few things going for me which have got me to my position now.

    For one, reliability – I always thought this was a given, but apparently it’s a biggie – too many flaky creatives around?

    It also helps to have a foot in the door. Bosses don’t like to gamble; they’re more willing to bet on someone already known and trusted. Contacts and work experience, rather than resumes, have been more important for me.

    That said, I wish I had made more of the potential contacts I’ve come across over the years. And as socially awkward as I continue to feel – a curse which often makes me wonder if I’m in the right field – it’s a reminder that no matter how big my workload, I need to make more of an effort to cultivate relationships with my coworkers during the work week.

    What mistakes should you have known better than to make along your career path?

  • July 20, 2011

    Want to be a freelance writer? Act like one

    Magazine rack.

    Image by Randy Weiner Photography via Flickr

    The secret to making a living out of writing does not lie in job boards and content mills.

    You gotta HUSTLE.

    Maybe you don’t know anything about the journalism industry. That’s fine. But you do need good ideas, to put yourself out there, and pitch. To magazines. To big blogs. To corporates whose websites need a revamp. Whatever. It’s not enough to be creative; you need to get business savvy. In other words, targeting better-paying markets. Real markets. Scary, I know.

    Writing is a profession. If you want to make a living from it, treat it as such. Professionals take their business very seriously. They cultivate and maintain relationships with editors. They spend a lot of time on marketing as well as admin (invoicing is probably half a job in itself), and they’re organised enough to juggle multiple projects, multiple deadlines and multiple clients. They carve out niches for themselves; while a broad base is important, specialising is often where the bucks are.

    You can bet they wouldn’t waste time writing for eHow.

     

  • July 4, 2011

    Big pond or small pond?

    backyard pond

    Image by massdistraction via Flickr

    As I settle into my new role, the days continue to race by. In a good way.

    I suppose I can now, professionally speaking, tick off “taking a career risk” on this list. I took a few risks on this. Trading a degree of job stability, betting that I would thrive in a smaller environment. Swapping some straight financial benefits for not strictly monetary ones. Giving up an amazing team, but thankfully joining a similarly awesome group of colleagues.

    It’s funny how quickly you adjust to an entirely new situation. My old position is now being advertised for, and thinking back just a month ago, it feels like a distant dream.

    I once asked my (rather wise) mother whether she thought it was better to work at a large corp, or a smaller, more tightly knit company. Which one would you get more out of?  (I am aware these are not the only two career options in existence, but striking out on your own can be a topic for another day.)  Obviously, it depends on your priorities. But I’m talking generalities here, and Mum’s take was that it’s often better to start out in a big organisation and learn all you can, then take your skills somewhere smaller. Be a cog, learn the basics of the business, then go somewhere where you hopefully can make more of a difference, become better-rounded, enjoy more flexibility. Incidentally, that’s exactly the same sentiment echoed in a business advice column I read not long ago.

    Where do you fall on the spectrum – and what have your experiences been?

     

  • June 11, 2011

    When tossed in the deep end, will you sink or swim?

    View from the diving board at Rippon Lea in Vi...

    Image via Wikipedia

    I vividly remember the one and only time that I was assigned to a striker position. (Once upon a time, yes, I played soccer, but only as a social thing. With a few of my friends, we hung around at the back, chased the ball occasionally, got a bit of a workout and got an extra team photo in the yearbook.) And one day when we were short of players, two of us were moved up to the front.

    I recall not knowing what the hell I was doing. Floundering. Tapping the ball and running forward, because it was what I’d always seen them do. Faking it, in short.

    Recently, I have been feeling this way a fair bit. I’ve started a new job, and the last couple of months in my old position were rather full-on. When you get tossed in the deep end… Run with it.

    So far, it’s been rad, thanks for asking.

    The biggest change for me has been the hours. No more evenings, weekends, public holidays. (It’s AMAZING. My schedule was increasingly a source of stress for me and T – resentment at never seeing him and various shifts doing away with all other aspirations of living a balanced life.) I’m not commuting into the CBD anymore. Oh, and I’m going to be paid monthly…

    It also means a lot is riding on me. For the first time, I’m going to have a work phone. I’m going to have more riding on my little shoulders, rather than being part of an entire team. In short, it’s gonna be intensely challenging but also more rewarding.

  • May 26, 2011

    Five reasons why I have no management aspirations

    (aka, Things I’ve Learned on the Job, or Why I’m Glad Ladder Climbing Is Less Of A Concern In This Industry Than Others)

    Outside in management model

    Image via Wikipedia

    1. The BS. The massaging of egos, the corporate speak, the endless talk talk talk.

    2. Big picture thinking. I get that all that talk is vital when you’re thinking on the strategy level. Me,  I prefer to get on with the job…actually doing things rather than endlessly discussing them. I’m more of a detail-oriented person, and that lends itself more to the execution side of things.

    3. Meetings. I used to like meetings. Get paid to sit around, watch presentations, listen to people talk? And sometimes even get fed while doing so? Yes please. Oh, how wrong I was. After a few, I realised just how damn interminable meetings actually are. (Much like I thought I liked lunch breaks, but given the choice between a slow day when I could basically take a whole afternoon for lunch and a day when I barely get to catch my breath, I’d take the latter.)

    4. Any actual managing of people. I’m a control freak and delegating is something I still struggle with. But it does help to have capable, competent and *willing* people around you. (I am a showerer of praise but have no patience for timewasters.)

    5. Personal time. The higher you go, the more work bleeds into your own time. I’d like that to be on my own terms, rather than by necessity.

  • May 25, 2011

    The Queen’s Meme #84: The Workaday Meme

    I’m taking a leaf out of Lesley’s book. Want to play?


    Let’s talk that 4-letter work today: W.O.R.K.

    1. Are you in a job/career you always wanted?

    I am. I’ve also come to realise something: while I couldn’t do something I hate for a living, by the same stroke, work is not everything – there’s so much more to life.

    2. Do you find your workday world fulfilling and rewarding?

    Mostly, yes. But another thing I’ve learned: despite what some like to espouse, it’s insane to expect every day to excite and inspire you.

    3. If you could change jobs, what would you do?

    It’s less about what I would *do* per se but I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at something in the music industry. I’d also be open to working in government, a university, a bank (or somewhere like Sorted.org.nz that’s all about personal finance), a nonprofit, travel or the arts. If not in editorial, probably within the marcomms department or a function like technical writing.

    4. What about your job irritates you the most?

    I’m going to copy Lesley verbatim here: Talking and making nice to other people. Dealing with people who don’t know what they’re doing (myself excluded). Also, crap technology (!!!), frustrations with systems/processes.

    5. Would you rather have a high pressure meaningful career or a mindless clock-punching job?

    Ugh. I’m highly-strung and try to avoid stress as much as possible – after all, I’m trying to swing towards balance, not away from it. I guess at this stage I’ll still go with the former.

    6. I believe in the concept of “paying myself first” as in tucking away dollars for emergencies and vacations. If you started a special savings plan and could save a certain amount each week to do something only for yourself, what would that be?

    It would be for travel. Actually, it already is.

    7. What do you think is the hardest paying job on earth?

    I think working in emergency services – fire, police, or medicine. The pressure, the responsibility, and the hours, plus they require both mental and physical stamina.

  • May 12, 2011

    What it means to have a communications degree

    SO YOU HAVE A COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE - WHAT NOWAs a comms grad, I’m used to being mocked and looked down upon. Being one of the supposedly more intellectual types in high school, the reaction to my choice was pretty predictable. Why not go to a more prestigious university? Because it doesn’t have a communications course and I can’t do what I want to do there. Why not do a BA – isn’t that the same thing? No. And between paying for an arts degree with no clear end goal, and a scholarship for a comms degree with a defined major (in my case, journalism), the choice was easy. Had I gone the other way I would probably have close to zero realistic employment options now. I say this without intending to contribute to the arts hate. Communications and Arts are often seen as waffly, copout options. Which stems from ignorance, really. Degrees in architecture, med, law – they all offer pretty clear cut pathways. So, I’m here to say…

    Comms grads are:

    Images of custom amirugami, an amirugami gradu...

    Image via Wikipedia

    • Editors
    • Writers
    • Publicists
    • Designers
    • Marketers
    • Advertisers
    • Producers
    • Managers
    • Consultants

    Just to name a few options.

    They may work in radio, TV, magazines, digital, or newspapers – or they might work in politics, nonprofits, education, startups or big business. The 2.0 world is a media-savvy world – and every organisation needs to communicate with customers, stakeholders, the press and more.

    Some even make buttloads of money. Just like the humble arts grad, we have a lot of transferable skills. We also learn a ton of practical skills. Internships and work experience are part of the whole package, and we learn to use industry-standard software – programmes that are actually in use on the job.

    So if you’re thinking, “I have a communications degree – now what?” let’s be honest, you’ve probably left it a bit late, but as you can see, there’s no shortage of possibilities.

    While the narrow focus of the Communications faculty sometimes frustrated me, it was also a blessing in some ways. It’s industry-focused, kind of like a trade (which makes sense as some of these are professions once learned by on-the-job training or apprenticeship but now require a qualification in most cases).

    So, what are some of the lesser known facts/job options in your field? The older I get, the more careers I learn about – so many more exist beyond the ones you learn about growing up.

    (In response to Darwin’s Money. Krystal also presents her view here.)

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