Howdy #2

Well I have had a whine on here but I haven't yet spoken about where I actually am or what I am doing, so while it is a little late, here is what I have been up to:

I was accepted to Julie Bishop's office after a long, painful process that dented the old ego and left me disenchanted with my future job prospects, which for those who read my first posting are only too aware! Jeez, talk about having a hard time selling myself for free! To secure this spot I first called and emailed Premier Colin Barnett's office in Cottesloe. It is a good tip to know; if you contact an MP's office, they will always get back to you. It was surprising for me to learn and I think reasonably reassuring to know that our Members of Parliament are actually very accessible and will in fact respond to all of your correspondence. Anyway, ol' Col' was very helpful (well at least his staff) in pointing me towards a number of options, including approaching Julie Bishop's office in Subiaco to find a placement, as he was unable to take me on at that time.

I then decided to go straight to the office itself - many of my other attempts at getting a placement had involved sending email, calling departments (which usually landed me with a hard-ass receptionist who would not not give me a contact!) and was generally unsuccessful. I should have known this from my previous experiences; I have only ever landed a job, whether it is for a professional placement or for a blue-collar position, from meeting face to face with my future employer. I think it is important to show that you are willing to go above and beyond to show your employer that you really want the job, plus when you meet with them you can express to them much more than you are ever able to in a cover letter or resume - but that's just me. I was incidentally accepted as an intern to Julie's office and was over the moon.

The team itself has been an integral part of my internship, as they have gone above and beyond in helping me understand media relations in politics. So far, some of my duties have included assisting correspondence with constituents, accompanying Julie to press engagements and general duties associated with media communications from her office. Given the scope of her portfolio, the work is often extremely varied, which I believe is a major key to maintaining interest and enthusiasm in a job!

I look forward to flying to Canberra on the 23rd November, where I will see the chambers and offices that they operate from and meet with the team over there. I have decided to use some of (OK all of!) my frequent flyers to get myself over there for a few days and see how it all works in the ‘big smoke’. To be honest, I can’t wait. Whether I get a job from this placement or not is irrelevant. That is the mindset I went into this placement with, however I am happy in the knowledge that my time at this office has cemented for me my decision to pursue a career in this field.

Until next time, to those that have bothered to read this far, I hope you are all having fun and I read with interest your experiences, many much more exciting than mine at times!

Catch you all soon you little Spin Doctors...! :0