Experiencing The Workplace

The workshop with Craig Lawrenson was interesting as he gave us some insight to the services he provides at Propellor.     He gave us a talk about how to do a tax return because as creatives it is likely that some point we will be classed as self-employed. He simplified the process down to the following points: 1. Write down what you learn. 2. Keep receipts for what you buy.         Income - Expenses = Profit 3. Tell HMRC about it. * if you earn more than £230p/week / £11,500p/annum you have to pay tax.      Most important was learning that these Propellor services are available to us in thw future, even after we have left university.

       I found looking for jobs for Textiles jobs really exciting as it was interesting to see what opportunities are out there.      However the Cover Letter Workshop was quite daunting as all the examples show what previous experience you have but as new graduates we won't have any relevant industry experience in the fields we are applying for. We learn how important S.T.A.R. is: Situation - experience in role Task - job given Action - what I did Result - what was the result and how to pick out details from the job description and refer back to your own experiences/skills.      I am going to use the things I learnt to help me apply for work experience. I am currently thinking of getting in touch with Matalan who are based in Liverpool, Asda who I work for instore and Standfast & Barracks whose open day I visited in the summer. Ideally sometime with all 3 would be the best scenario as I could compare the different atmosp...

I think our class Pop up shop went really well as we each made a profit. However there were a few things that need to be remembered and learnt from for future experiences. - Materials     The perspex we ordered said it was fine to be lasercut however we had alot of trouble getting it cut and only ended up with half the number of decorations we had originally planned. The colours that didn't work as well also turned out to be the colours that sold the best, such as the bright pink, which was unfortunate. Also due to their smaller size we had to reduce the prices. - Division of Tasks      This workload was not divided very equally,  certain people had much more responsibility than others. This was also because in reality a small shop of this size would.not require the input of 12 people.. there simply wasn'  enough work involved to keep everyone busy. Saying that some jobs were still not completed as well as the could be. - Posters    ...

This week we had a session to nail down the specifics for our pop up shop and to delegate tasks. We have decided Wednesday 6th of December is the best option as the last week of term may be too chaotic, students may have already returned home and it also gives us more opportunity to sell any left over stock afterwards. We have decided that we will sell perspex xmas decorations and cake (to lure people in).. We delegated the tasks as follows: Aisha & Myself : design decorations Claire & Myslef: organising lasercut of decorations Erin: design leaflet and posters Kirsty: sort university funding Claire: source suckers and ribbon Caitlin: cakes (buying, Designing and making) Sally & Rosh: arranging the timetable of shifts Maria: organising/booking the space and music Fatima: marketing via emails - university wide By the end of the session we had worked out 5 designs and 5 colours for the decorations, cake themes (matching the decorations). We sorted out price po...

For the 'What Makes Me Tick?' questionnaire I got unusually equal results with Achievement, Affiliation and Security orientated receiving equal results of 5, whilst my lowest score for Influence Orientated was only shorter by 2 marks at a 3. I think the descriptions for the first three categories match my personality quite well. Certainly, the Achievement Orientated description of 'taking great pleasure in a job well done' fits me perfectly. along with the security orientated description of needing 'to feel that their job, and the future of their organisation, is secure.' especially in my current position of owning my own home and being the sole bill payer. The Affiliation Orientated descriptions says I ' need to develop good relationships with work colleagues' this is true but (as highlighted by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter) this is less from a need for people than an avoidance of conflict ('enjoy interaction whilst avoiding conflict...

According to The Keirsey Temperament Sorter I am an ISFJ - Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. aka. The Protector/Defender. On reading the profile for this personality I think it fits me exactly. Some of the characteristics that stood out to me in particular are: Internal 'has a rich inner world' - I am very independent and struggle with long periods of close contact with people. I live alone and my friends don't understand why I'm not lonely but I'm not, there isn't a day I don't see people and enjoy the space and quiet when I go home at night. Awareness- I think I have always had an awareness of the people around me and how they are feeling. Also, of the bigger picture and how situations are affecting the wider world I think this comes from my passion of travel and different cultures. Speaks up when others need help - I am not very outspoken but this is one time when I do find myself speaking out, I don't like to see other peopl...

Answering Steve's worksheet of seven questions was interesting because I didn't realise how much I was ignoring the question of 'what happens next?'. It also served to highlight how the 'Security Orientated' (a blog to follow later on 'What Makes Me Tick?) part of me tones down the aspirational side of me. I am a mature student and I own my own home and those responsibilities will dictate my path after university. However most of the inspirational figures I highlighted in answering the questions are self-employed, trend-setting women who do not work the traditional 9-5 job. These questions made me realise that though I want a traditional bill-paying job when I leave university that's not necessarily my aim for the long term. I also know from past experience that a job without challenges leaves me unsatisfied and frustrated. I need a job that will challenge and interest me, offering opportunities for progression. Use of my creative skills in a job i...

I found the CV workshop quite useful as I have always thought mine was quite good up until this point but it helped me see that there are always improvements to be made. I have been able to reduce down some sections of text that were too large and would of been skipped over by potential employers. I also learnt to highlight the qualifications relevant to the job I am looking for and relevant previous experience. One thing I need to double check is that I always thought that unexplained gaps on your CV were bad but I have been advised to pick 3/4 of the best of my past jobs to present in my work history. I still need to do some work on making the CV 'More Me' but by reducing a long list of interests I will be able to give more detail on the most important ones and develop the opening statement somewhat. Whilst remembering that large sections of text are off putting. I am also looking forward to emphasising some of the results from the person...