Zoom – The Fatigue is Real

What was previously just another onomatopoeic “ding dong” is now going to be one of the most used words of 2020. The word zoom, will forever take on a meaning of endless work meetings and the location for all social interaction for the large part of the last three months. We’ve celebrated birthday’s on zoom, praised achievements, had hard discussions and now honestly, I’m zoomed out.

Ironically, the word “zoom” usually indicates that you are moving quickly, flying through life, but my god are we trudging right now. Since moving to London time has flown, I’ve posted once since September! Days and nights instead filled with commuting, drinks in the pub, exploring new areas and for the large part, flopping exhaustedly on my bed after a day in the office. But now, we shut our laptops after a day of working from home, only to open them an hour later to join our friends and family for another edition of the weekly lockdown quiz.

But there is no shame in wanting to turn off the laptop, put it in a cupboard and never turn it back on. That would be admittedly a little dramatic, but honestly, I feel you. We are not programmed to live our lives through a screen, social interaction is a fundamental part of our nature and sometimes we all just need a physical hug.

I’ve found that since I’m spending the entirety of my social time on a laptop, whether that be for work or for catching up with friends, I’m sure as hell not wanting to spend my “me time” on it too. Whereas I once could have spent hours reading blogs, watching youtube videos and *ahem* playing the sims, now I find myself craving activities that don’t require staring at a screen. I’ve found I actually love colouring – turn’s out my creativity was playing with the colours in a picture someone else has drawn for me rather than drawing them myself, something my art teacher was more than definitely aware of at school…

I also have finished my first leisure book in a long time. Sophie Kinsella speaks to me on another level and I resonated hard with Samantha from The Undomestic Goddess. I’ve been delving into Caroline Hiron’s Skincare and have been learning to tell my AHA’s from my BHA’s in an attempt to justify a whole new skincare routine that’s Caroline approved.

So if you’re feeling a little ‘zoomed out’ then do yourself a good deed and step away from the screen. Social media is included in this – if you are digitally fatigued then the last thing you need is to see how others are living it up in lockdown!

Pick up a book. Go for a socially distanced walk. Paint your nails. Draw a picture. Fake tan. Try on every item of clothing in your wardrobe. Take a bath. Ultimately, make some time for yourself offline.

Yes, this is temporary, but whilst this is the way things are, make sure you adjust the other aspects of your life to account for this change. Will I ever pick colouring in a picture over meeting my friends for cocktails and brunch in the future? No, probably not. But for now it’s ok to say no to a zoom call and do an offline activity that’s just for you.

Brb, off to sharpen my pencils.

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Let’s Have A Catch Up

Stop the traffic, I have actually written a new blog post. Much to my family’s delight I am sure after months of asking why I haven’t been blogging. But the reason why I haven’t been blogging? Real life is hard. Most of my posts so far on here have been about finding a job, I seem to have that bit sorted. But what to do once I actually got one? Not a clue mate.

In truth, some aspects of my job have been even better than expected. I do really like the people I work with and not being micromanaged means I have the responsibility of planning how I am going to spend my time, which has proved to be one of my strengths. I’ve still got my pastel highlighters which are used every day to co-ordinate which areas I’m working on and I have been incredibly organised. Emails get filed as soon as they have been dealt with, my desktop is surprisingly uncluttered and I make sure that I only have the essentials on my desk throughout the day. Sounds pretty good so far!

But the world of work is incredibly tricky to navigate, especially as a recent graduate. Starting a new job there is obviously so much to learn, but when you’re trying to learn how to deal with office politics, finding an evening and morning routine that isn’t going to leave you feeling like a zombie and the feeling of pure exhaustion after fighting through rush hour at the end of the day it seems like one big Eat-Sleep-Work-Repeat cycle.

As you can see from the complete lack of blogging, making the time for myself and my hobbies has taken somewhat of a back seat. I have a gym in my building but if I make it once during the week then it’s a good effort. I’ve barely read any blogs never mind written my own! All those areas of London and restaurants that I wanted to visit? Yeah, not doing too well on that front either.

What have I been doing then? Aside from sitting on the jubilee line for what feels like the majority of my day, having a flat where most of the surfaces are white or wooden takes a lot of cleaning. Whilst I did obviously have a flat at uni, having a place that is totally my own has given me a much stronger sense of pride and I’ve been making conscious efforts to ensure that it stays both tidy and clean. Whilst this might sound like the most basic of housekeeping, for those that know me then they will know I not only have “the chair” where all my clothes get piled, but also “the floor” and don’t even get me started on my non-existent makeup storage that covered my entire desk. But I’m enjoying feeling like a domestic goddess after bleaching the entire kitchen and feeling like the best girlfriend in the world after ironing Ed’s shirts for the week.

So in short, this being an adult thing is actually a little bit harder than I thought. The unlimited free time of University to do with as I pleased is now a distant memory. But, in the New Year same-but-trying me vein, I am determined to manage my time a little better and make sure I don’t lose the bits of me that make me me. So that’s getting myself back in the gym and making sure that I start sharing all the experiences of the working world that I’ve had on londonsnewgirl. After a delightful walk through Hyde Park yesterday I realised how much more exploring I need to do of this incredible city. I do still get butterflies sometimes on my walk to work as I catch a glimpse of the Thames and the London Eye so I think I’ve had my settling in period, it’s time to go grab London life with both hands.

What to Expect from an Assessment Centre

One of the most common steps in finding a job as a graduate is attending an assessment centre. Before I’d actually been to one I was so confused as to what it would involve, would I be doing tests, would it last all day, would it just be me there? Most employers/recruiters aren’t actually very good at communicating what an assessment centre is and what you would actually have to do, so I thought I’d put together a little guide based on my own experiences. I’ve been to a few over the past few years for various internships and job applications so whilst I do have a pretty good grasp, it’s important to remember that each will be slightly different depending on the company and the role you’ve applied for.

Essentially, an assessment centre is a group interview held at the company offices, usually taking a couple of hours. It’s a great opportunity for you to present yourself to employers, as well as a chance to have a look around the office and see if you can get a feel for the company culture, which is so important! You’re there to be interviewed, but you have to also make sure the company is a good fit for you.

Will this be my only interview?

In my experiences, unfortunately not. Assessment centres are usually the first or second step (after a phone/video interview) in the application process. Assessment centres can have anywhere between 6-20 applicants attending, which in itself is pretty varied. I recently attended one where there were 29 of us and it was honestly a total disaster. The more people there are the harder it is to make yourself stand out, but stick around till the end of the post for my tips on how to best present yourself and succeed!

I have also been to assessment centres for recruitment companies, where the interview is only for you to get accepted on to their books and not for a specific role. If you are attending an assessment centre like this, I think the most important thing is to be enthusiastic. You’ll have further interviews for the specific roles, so the recruiter is just testing your ability to present yourself.

What will I be doing?

All the assessment centres I have attended have followed roughly the same format. After waiting for the whole group to arrive, you’ll be taken to an interview room, usually a large table with chairs round the outside. The company will then give a short presentation about themselves, highlighting what they do and a bit more about their culture. This is a great chance for you to find out more about them and their style. If I find my mind wandering during this first section then it’s not a great sign that the company is a good fit for me.

This is usually followed by some icebreaker exercises. Introducing yourself with a fun fact – prepare two or three in advance because this has come up at every single one and it’s not a great start if you don’t have one thing to say about yourself! There will then be some group/partner exercises, whether that’s you doing a mini interview with your partner and then presenting them to the group or working together on some sort of group task. I’ve had everything from working together to rank the most important items if you were stranded on a desert island, to having to come up with a product and pitch it to the whole group. Honestly, these group exercises usually have little to do with the role itself and are just a chance for the interviewers to see how you work in a group, so my best advice here is to listen! Make sure you are actively listening to your group members, commenting on what they are saying and offering your own ideas.

There will then usually be a short break, which is such a great chance for you to go and have a nosy round the office! Whether I need to or not I always try and go find the bathroom during this break so I can have a little explore, as you get a much better feel for the office and the people working there when you are by yourself compared to being led around in a group.

Then comes the one to one interview. I’ve written a separate piece on how to best prepare for an interview, but this is your chance to shine. This is when you really need to get your personality across and show why you specifically want the job. The group tasks are great for them to see you working in a team, but the individual interviews are where they will test your competency and determine why you actually want the job.

Sounds fine right?

It is! An assessment centre might seem intimidating, but it’s also a great chance to meet some fellow job hunters and find out how their experience is going! I’ve met some great people over the past few weeks and getting to share my thoughts and difficulties with them and hearing theirs is actually very comforting. Finding a job in a graduate market is so difficult, but really everyone is in the same boat!

One thing that isn’t quite so nice is that unfortunately there can be cuts throughout the process. I did not realise there was going to be cuts when I recently went along to one and I was absolutely shocked. Halfway through they split us in to two groups and half the room were taken away. There’s no other way to describe it other than savage. However, if you do find yourself in this situation and you aren’t successful you have to see the positives – no point in you wasting your time and going through the one to one interviews if they have already decided you aren’t a great fit.

So here are my ultimate do’s and dont’s. After your first one, they really do become easier as you will have a better idea of what to expect! Hopefully this post has given you a bit of an understanding of the process, don’t forget to share it with anyone who’s currently looking for a job and might need some advice!

Do’s

• Listen to everyone
• Speak to the other candidates whilst you are waiting – not only is it a nice thing to do, having an ‘interview friend’ will make you more comfortable
• Bring water and a notepad and pen
• Give a firm handshake
• Be confident!

Dont’s

• Sit on your phone while you are waiting – first impressions count
• Treat it like a competition
• Talk over anyone
• Sit in silence – it’s a hard balance between talking and listening but sitting in silence won’t help you either!
• Expect it to end on time