I HAVE A JOB.
A REAL JOB.
A FULL TIME JOB.
I will be working for a nearby council and I am SO EXCITED! I will now be closing down this blog and corresponding pages, but I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and goodbye. This blog actually did lead to a number of job leads, and while they haven't resulted in this particular job, the support I have received by doing this blog has been lovely. To anyone out there looking for a job, hold on, and you will get there! It's NOT easy but hang in there and work hard!
With love, bloggers,
Sarah :)
August 28, 2015
August 26, 2015
Jobs!
Well, in the last two and a half weeks, Internet, I have had more than 12 job interviews! Seem like a lot? Well - I was the applicant for only two of them, for the rest, I was the interviewer!
My first one was to gauge my interest in a project, and the other was a full-on, whole she-bang interview. For my next batch it was several interviews for my Bonds job - getting Christmas casual staff at group interviews. This is the second year I have done this and I love it - though I am just a casual minion, I get to do cool things like stay in hotels when away to open up new stores, and also help out the HR department, and I love it. Meals on the company? Hell yes.
My first one was to gauge my interest in a project, and the other was a full-on, whole she-bang interview. For my next batch it was several interviews for my Bonds job - getting Christmas casual staff at group interviews. This is the second year I have done this and I love it - though I am just a casual minion, I get to do cool things like stay in hotels when away to open up new stores, and also help out the HR department, and I love it. Meals on the company? Hell yes.
How did they all go?
Well, I am happy to report that the Christmas casuals are going to KICK ASS and hopefully some of the talent will stay on in the business past Christmas! The job where my interest was being gauged is dependant on the outcome for the position that involved a full job application, and now that it is Wednesday I can now tell you that...
...I haven't gotten a call yet.
I am nervous, excited and optimistically hopeful that I will hear something by the end of the week, but here's something for you to chew over, friends... I think that if neither of these opportunities bring employment, I may have to shelve my search until next year. At the end of November, I am marrying my best friend and fiance, Steve. This is, obviously, super exciting and requires a lot of organising. I have decided, internet, that given there is so much involved in that, and the casual work at Bonds will continue to flex upwards towards Christmas including more work for HR, that to continue adding all this together and search for jobs would send me bonkers, not to mention the rejection is pretty hard to take, and from now until the end of the year, I really want to focus on being happy and not put so much weight on my self worth being tied up with my ability to find a job.
Is this something you have ever decided or faced, internet? It is a difficult thing to do because I have invested a lot of time this year into looking for jobs, and to shelve the search until Janurary would mean I would be up against even more graduates next year (although this hasn't been the issue this year, it has been me against more qualified applicants!).
...I haven't gotten a call yet.
I am nervous, excited and optimistically hopeful that I will hear something by the end of the week, but here's something for you to chew over, friends... I think that if neither of these opportunities bring employment, I may have to shelve my search until next year. At the end of November, I am marrying my best friend and fiance, Steve. This is, obviously, super exciting and requires a lot of organising. I have decided, internet, that given there is so much involved in that, and the casual work at Bonds will continue to flex upwards towards Christmas including more work for HR, that to continue adding all this together and search for jobs would send me bonkers, not to mention the rejection is pretty hard to take, and from now until the end of the year, I really want to focus on being happy and not put so much weight on my self worth being tied up with my ability to find a job.
Is this something you have ever decided or faced, internet? It is a difficult thing to do because I have invested a lot of time this year into looking for jobs, and to shelve the search until Janurary would mean I would be up against even more graduates next year (although this hasn't been the issue this year, it has been me against more qualified applicants!).
August 10, 2015
SUGAR
I love sugar. Love love love it. Give me fruit, give me gelati, give me cake, give me pie, give me milkshakes and slices and lollies oh my! But lately, sugar has been getting a bad rap, as we look at our battle with the bulge, some people have sugar in the firing line. Last week, I watched two documentaries about sugar and health.
The first was the much talked about 'That Sugar Film'.
There has been a lot written about this film by people far cleverer than I so I won't harp on about it. There was some things I liked in this, and some I didn't. Bottom line: if it gets people thinking and talking about their diets, it's great, but casting sugar as the devil in this piece is perhaps a little one dimensional - little time was given to the dangers of excessive salt or fat in our diets. More time could also have been given to the importance of exercise, and making a stronger definition between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. I think this documentary sits well among other health information (and I am not talking about self proclaimed experts on Facebook) - because while I am sure experts were consulted on this project and informed the development - it was a study of one, conducted by a television actor, and has virtually zero external validity, given the number of confounding variables in this 'study'. But as I say, starting the conversation is part of the battle, and this is a good thing.
The second was 'Fat V Sugar' (Click this link to watch it all online for free in the next seven days)
Again, there have been many things written about this documentary. Since it is not as well known, the basic premise is that a set of twins, adult doctors as it happens, decide to undertake one each of a fat or sugar loaded diet and monitor the effects they have on the body, in much the same way as That Sugar Film does. Long story short: both men have poor health outcomes. And while again, this study has no repeatability, and has too many variables to make it a legitimate study, they presented two sides of the diet debate, and had an excellent, if boring, bottom line.
Everything in moderation.
I know I know how revolutionary. And how boring! Why can't I just cut one food out of my diet and be skinny! Why can't I eat this instead and it is a miracle food which does everything else I need! This is the thing - we want a quick easy fix. I'll quit sugar and I will be healthy! I'll start eating kalettes and my internal health will be amazing! But it doesn't work like that, moderation is key. Extreme diets where all food groups are cut out (unless you have a medical reason, of course!) are unsustainable.
And this is the other problem.
When we use the word diet, it can mean two things. It can mean, "I'm going on a diet where all I eat is lemon tea and acai berries" or it can mean "I enjoy a well balanced diet 365 days of the year". We need to get away from yo-yo diets and fad diets and losing 10 kilos so we can be bikini ready and looks at making our 365 diets more well rounded and sustainable. Make little changes here and there, don't bother with cheat days - keep it rocking all the time, and never get yourself to a point of excess for any food. Don't eat a whole bag of chips or block of chocolate. Just don't. Try and bring some more whole grains (I am doing this, I hate it, but I am doing it), try to bring in more greens (Helllooo spinach in everything) - but don't cut all carbs, and only eat salad - and try drinking less soft drink.
Which brings me to my final point.
Label reading is IMPORTANT. But not all the time - just be aware. A few weeks ago, before I watched either of these documentaries, Steve and I were in the supermarket shopping for the dinner we were cooking for family. As I said above, I have made small changes - one of them is cutting back (not quitting) sugary drinks. I didn't drink a lot, but I felt it was something I could do less of. We decided we would buy mineral water instead of soft drink, because it's healthier, right? Well! This is what we found.
Can you see that? You might not be able to. The Coles Mineral water - which I grabbed first based on price, has 10.5 grams of sugar per 100mls. For some reason, I decided to compare this to the same flavour in the soft drink. It's 13 grams per 100mls. Only 2.5 more grams! I was flabbergasted at this. These are both fine products (don't sue me Coles), but if you are looking at sugar, there was little difference. I then looked at the Schweppes brand and true to the label advertising less sugar - which I often ignore as a simple marketing ploy - it has 5.1 grams of sugar per 100ml. Whoa. Bet you can guess which one I picked.
So what is my bottom line? Well, I am just another flog on the internet. I don't know it all, and there are things I struggle with, but I think moderation is honestly key, and maintaining a constant diet always is better than yo yo-ing, and if you can do anything to cut back realistically on your excess sugar, fat and salt intake, then do it!
Adios bloggers!
The first was the much talked about 'That Sugar Film'.
There has been a lot written about this film by people far cleverer than I so I won't harp on about it. There was some things I liked in this, and some I didn't. Bottom line: if it gets people thinking and talking about their diets, it's great, but casting sugar as the devil in this piece is perhaps a little one dimensional - little time was given to the dangers of excessive salt or fat in our diets. More time could also have been given to the importance of exercise, and making a stronger definition between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. I think this documentary sits well among other health information (and I am not talking about self proclaimed experts on Facebook) - because while I am sure experts were consulted on this project and informed the development - it was a study of one, conducted by a television actor, and has virtually zero external validity, given the number of confounding variables in this 'study'. But as I say, starting the conversation is part of the battle, and this is a good thing.
The second was 'Fat V Sugar' (Click this link to watch it all online for free in the next seven days)
Again, there have been many things written about this documentary. Since it is not as well known, the basic premise is that a set of twins, adult doctors as it happens, decide to undertake one each of a fat or sugar loaded diet and monitor the effects they have on the body, in much the same way as That Sugar Film does. Long story short: both men have poor health outcomes. And while again, this study has no repeatability, and has too many variables to make it a legitimate study, they presented two sides of the diet debate, and had an excellent, if boring, bottom line.
Everything in moderation.
I know I know how revolutionary. And how boring! Why can't I just cut one food out of my diet and be skinny! Why can't I eat this instead and it is a miracle food which does everything else I need! This is the thing - we want a quick easy fix. I'll quit sugar and I will be healthy! I'll start eating kalettes and my internal health will be amazing! But it doesn't work like that, moderation is key. Extreme diets where all food groups are cut out (unless you have a medical reason, of course!) are unsustainable.
And this is the other problem.
When we use the word diet, it can mean two things. It can mean, "I'm going on a diet where all I eat is lemon tea and acai berries" or it can mean "I enjoy a well balanced diet 365 days of the year". We need to get away from yo-yo diets and fad diets and losing 10 kilos so we can be bikini ready and looks at making our 365 diets more well rounded and sustainable. Make little changes here and there, don't bother with cheat days - keep it rocking all the time, and never get yourself to a point of excess for any food. Don't eat a whole bag of chips or block of chocolate. Just don't. Try and bring some more whole grains (I am doing this, I hate it, but I am doing it), try to bring in more greens (Helllooo spinach in everything) - but don't cut all carbs, and only eat salad - and try drinking less soft drink.
Which brings me to my final point.
Label reading is IMPORTANT. But not all the time - just be aware. A few weeks ago, before I watched either of these documentaries, Steve and I were in the supermarket shopping for the dinner we were cooking for family. As I said above, I have made small changes - one of them is cutting back (not quitting) sugary drinks. I didn't drink a lot, but I felt it was something I could do less of. We decided we would buy mineral water instead of soft drink, because it's healthier, right? Well! This is what we found.
So what is my bottom line? Well, I am just another flog on the internet. I don't know it all, and there are things I struggle with, but I think moderation is honestly key, and maintaining a constant diet always is better than yo yo-ing, and if you can do anything to cut back realistically on your excess sugar, fat and salt intake, then do it!
Adios bloggers!
August 03, 2015
How's the job hunt going? (and look, I'm famous!)
The question loved and loathed by job seekers everywhere!
First off though - That Sugar Film - I still haven't watched it - I tried to watch it after I cooked dinner for my family last night and was greeted with 'What, are we at school?', and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy instead, which is excellent, obviously, but has little to do with Public Health. So, let's aim for next week on that one!
And the job search,
Well, I'm still hunting! I'm very excited about the position I am applying for this week and have high hopes for it, and I continue to bust my ass working my two jobs (last week around 50 hours!), including my retail job where last week, I was in Bendigo for two days, opening a new store with the good people from Head Office (and staying overnight and being fed on the house, I might add!)
First off though - That Sugar Film - I still haven't watched it - I tried to watch it after I cooked dinner for my family last night and was greeted with 'What, are we at school?', and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy instead, which is excellent, obviously, but has little to do with Public Health. So, let's aim for next week on that one!
And the job search,
Well, I'm still hunting! I'm very excited about the position I am applying for this week and have high hopes for it, and I continue to bust my ass working my two jobs (last week around 50 hours!), including my retail job where last week, I was in Bendigo for two days, opening a new store with the good people from Head Office (and staying overnight and being fed on the house, I might add!)
Thats me, third from the right! Legend that I am.
At a rough count, I have applied for around 16 jobs since the start of the year.That might not sound like a lot, but it needs to be remembered that there is not a lot of jobs in the field (I have been recommended a lot of jobs which have been a long way removed from my field. This has been less helpful), and that it works out to be about one a fortnight - which when you are juggling two part time jobs is just about all you can fit in! Whoever said job hunting in itself was a full time job was correct! In that same amount of time, I have had 2 interviews - so a 10% partial success rate! Both times I have received the same feedback - you were great, we loved you, but we have gone with a candidate with more experience. Sigh.
Not to be put off, because I know I can make a dent in the world of health, I am keeping on keeping on, I have put my hand up for some volunteer work at the end of the year - if I don't have a full time job - with the Cancer Council at their Skin Cancer Conference in Melbourne. I've also put my hand up for another store opening with Bonds - I have a fair few under my belt now and love the excitement of meeting and helping to train a new team.
There is a tendency, when looking for a job - or technically, in my instance, a job in a different field to current employment - to postpone the rest of your life until 'the job thing' is sorted. I've not learnt that this simply cannot be how you run your life. Things I thought would follow once I got a job: get engaged (wait - did it last year already) get married (oh what the hell - we are doing that this year as well too!) buy new, grown up make up and learn how to use it (had to do that too, because buying more crap was a false economy), make plans for anything beyond next week (well that was just stupid). I'm now trying to live in the moment and take things as they come, and take hope in that I will eventually get there!!
Until next week bloggers.
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