Fruits of July

July has been a less than favourable month for me weather wise, but we did get a few good days so I whipped up some nice little outfits for my sunny moments.

The necklace is H&M (£12) and was a gift from one of my Women Folk, the top is actually borrowed from my sister - but I have it on good authority that it is also H&M - and the skirt is Primark (£16). Topped off with my favourite Primark bling for £2, and the good-old horse belt for £1.50. I wore this out for my friend's birthday as it was dressy enough for a celebration without being too much for a bar crawl in the middle of the afternoon. The skirt is just beautiful on, as it's so light and floaty.

The top is a Topshop steal for £12 in last year's sale I believe, the shorts are New Look (£16), the tights are Primark (£2) and the brogues are also a Primarni classic for £8. And of course the horse belt is making another appearance! I obviously wear it far too much...! This is a great summer outfit if the weather outside is looking far from summery, as the shorts keep in current but the tights keep you dry.

The double denim look has always been a tricky one but I was hoping I'd got the right mixture just keeping it to the top half? Sunglasses are New Look (£5), the denim shirt is from an ex-catalogue store in the Bullring Link called Hypnotic where everything is £7 (bargain!), the denim crop is Topshop (£16), the leggings are Primark (£5) and the boots are New Look are were only £21.99 - which is the best money I've spent on shoes in a long time as these boots will last an age. I wore this camping recently but it would work equally well as festival-wear, as it's comfortable, casual and a bit edgy.

I'm always on the hunt for new trends and can never seem to stick to one style of dress for too long, so stay tuned for more monthly updates.

On the hunt

This week has brought about the start of my forth week as an official ex-student, so I thought I'd let you all know how I've been getting on in my quest to become a fully-fledged Journo.

To date I have applied for around 20 different jobs, ranging from writer, online reporter, social media manager, press officer...if it's media related you can pretty much bet I've applied for it. I have gone out of my way not to limit myself to one particular area of the media industry in my first steps towards finding a job, as I think whatever position I manage to secure straight out of Uni has the possibility to teach me so much about the industry I so badly crave to work in. Plus, as a fresh-faced Uni graduate, I don't have years of industry experience stacked under my belt so just getting a foot in the door at this early stage of my career is taxing enough.

I have so far secured myself a place freelancing for The Experts.co.uk, where I am now a Fashion and Trend writer for their online platform. It's a on a pay-per-article basis, but at only 400 words a piece it's hardly long hard labour, so I can usually knock out several in an afternoon; making a bit of extra money for myself and helping to build my published portfolio in the process.

I did get one knock-back a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately. I was denied the chance to be interviewed for a position as a Social Media and Content Manager for a PR company based in the Custard Factory, Birmingham. However, I didn't allow myself to become too down about this, as I lost out on the job simply due to a lack of industry experience. It wasn't that I wasn't right for the job, or that I really just cannot write, but simply that I am a graduate and they had a high volume of much more experienced applicants. The nice people at the PR company even emailed me to say that despite them choosing to progress with the more experienced applicants, my application was a very strong one for a entry level or graduate position - so that cheered me up a fair bit!

I have also had some interest back about my application to become the Press Officer for a Birmingham law firm, and just yesterday I received a response regarding my application to become a graduate Communications Executive - so I am very much hoping that one of these positions is right for me.

It can be incredibly frustrating job hunting post-graduation because you are so desperate to get out into the real world and start making the most of your degree. After all, it has taken three long hard years of your life, and it is nice when you can put it to good use. The main problem with job hunting post-graduation is that you are up against all of the other graduates who are sporting the same qualifications as you. This is where your attempts to involve yourself in your chosen industry by carrying out unpaid work placements really helps to boost your appeal to potential employers.

If I could give any undergraduates some advice about preparing for the world of work after graduation, it would comprise of two elements. Firstly, make the effort to take on as many work placements as possible, don't just preform the required hours. There is no excuse for not doing a few weeks over the holidays, as this shows a real willingness to learn and an enthusiasm to work in your chosen industry. Secondly, start searching early. One of my friends started job hunting a couple of weeks before graduation and she is the only one to be offered a full time job so far. If you leave it too late you end up having to compete with a whole heap more graduates, and that quite obviously narrows your chances. Believe me, this was the big mistake on my part!

I shall keep you updated with the job hunt and any other little pointers I discover along the way. Keep your fingers crossed for me though, as I could already be on to something good...