Introducing new resident guest blogger Jayne Read, University of Leeds graduate.
Being unemployed totally sucks, doesn’t it? Nothing to do and nothing to focus your energy on, you feel stuck in a rut. Often it feels like you’re stuck in a vicious circle because you don’t have the experience to get the job you really want or need, but you are struggling to get a relevant job in order to get the experience that will eventually progress your career.
For me, the advantages of working in retail for nearly two years after graduating meant that the hours were flexible, I was earning money to pay the bills and I was still interacting with interesting people. Working weekends, meant that I had weekdays free for exploring and pursuing personal interests. I dabbled in freelance photography, fashion modelling and writing. It was writing that eventually caught my full attention.
About two years ago I started contributing to local and online magazines and earning a little income from online article writing. However, it was my blog that captured my imagination, because I could write to my own briefs and my own rules!
Having lived with a boy (who is now my husband) for 6 years and being obsessed with browsing the internet for interesting fashion and beauty brands, I didn’t have anyone to share my exciting finds with at home, so I started Jayne’s Kitschen to share my enthusiasm for kitsch, vintage inspired and quirky fashion, beauty and baking!
For a long time, my little WordPress blog went unappreciated, with only about 5 to 10 views a day. After playing around and learning about social media, I began to utilise Facebook to promote my writing, this increased my reader numbers, and it also enabled me to link directly to companies I was writing about.
It wasn’t until a year ago that I reluctantly started using Twitter that my blog really kicked off! Twitter baffled me, I had no idea how to use it, but with some perseverance and research I mastered it and am now proud to boast nearly 300 followers! I use Twitter to promote my blog and also as a way to contact potential companies/ people to feature. My blog now gets at least 150 views a day!
Although I was working full time in a job that I knew I wasn’t going to be in forever, and although I had periods of unemployment, this constant interaction with the digital world and the skills I have used for this hobby and others, have lead to me gaining my first career role! After seeing a company director Tweet that he needed someone to do social media for his company, I replied and within a week I started my new job!
In addition to being hired via social media, I have made some fantastic contacts within independent fashion and beauty and have started making a name for myself. In the past few months people have started approaching me for features and guest blogs, it’s fantastic and gives me hope that I’m heading in the right direction now!
Blogging is a great tool to share your personal interest and views, to keep you busy and in the end will add to your CV and help you to network with relevant people.
You can follow me on Twitter @JayneJRead, check out my blog www.jayneskitschen.com and become a fan of Jayne’s Kitschen on Facebook. Please feel free to Tweet me if you have any addition questions!
Watch this space, my next guest blog will feature tips on using social media for internship and job hunting and the pursuit of personal interests.
For the student or graduate of fashion, it would be fair to say breaking into the London fashion scene is high up on the ‘to-do’ list. Alongside Paris, Milan and New York, London claims the title of being one of the fashion capitals of the world, harbouring some of the most sought-after designers and never failing to produce fresh talent each year from some of the most prestigious fashion schools and colleges. It’s such a highly sought-after career path that it seems like the young and inexperienced are willing to undergo exploitation in order to secure their dream job.
