The payoff

Often, I agree to an assignment, start work on it, and then find myself asking ‘why did I agree to this?’ The NHS Jobs website task from last week is one such example. However, the feedback given to me today on completion of an interview and accompanying story for the site made me realise exactly why I agreed to it.

Proud moment

I have learnt many new things in my time here, but telephone interviewing (which I regard as a skill) was one of the toughest to get to grips with. My interviewee’s patience and willingness to talk openly without being prompted certainly helped, as did my new confidence in my own ability. The phone call only lasted twenty minutes, but the intensity of it left me exhausted and drained. Right now though, I have a real sense of accomplishment, and, dare I say it, pride at what I’ve achieved.

There may be hope!

My frustration at the lack of colour, life, and general merriment in the Camden Calling newsletter may soon be over...hopefully. Dan showed me some of his cartoon drawings today, and they are ridiculously good. How anyone can draw like that I will never know. I think his creative input could really raise the newsletter’s appeal, and I’m certain it couldn’t lower it. I’m not sure exactly where his pictures would be placed in the document, but right now I think anything that adds to its visual effect is a positive thing. This way people might actually read the whole thing – and I won’t feel as if half of the time I spend writing it is wasted!

CC ally

I get on well with Dan – which always helps when you’re stuck in a room together with no air-con for eight hours in the middle of summer. We’ve got a few things in common, which helps. We’ve been through similar(ish) circumstances, have a focused / determined streak, and don’t like AA or NA. And of course, it’s good to get the views of another CC member on how the newsletter should look.

Plenty more to do

My reward for doing such a good job with the last interview is to do another one – this time with the Chairman of the NHS’s PA. I’m confident I can do a decent job, as I’ve proved that I’m capable of interviewing by phone. Similarly, I think I will be able to successfully write another section for the Poached Creative website. Jess has asked me to write the ‘About us’ section for the forthcoming site, and I have already effectively contributed by writing the ‘Training’ section.

Improving prospects

The good thing about trying something for the first time is it gets easier from then onwards. Feeling a bit uncomfortable is just part of the process of learning something you’re not familiar with. It’s a wariness of the unknown and it’s instinctive. Overcome the fear and try something different, and usually it’s not as ghastly as you expected. Plus, by acquiring new skills you are of use to more people; hence your employability is increased.