You Can Do It!

Today I found myself holding my breath in a room with six other grown adults, who each held theirs too. No it wasn't some strange sex game - it was a careers advice workshop!

And it was actually quite helpful. Well, more helpful than the automatons at the Jobcentre, who organised today's 'jolly'.

We discussed securing jobs, our CVs, and preparing for an interview, and how the way we view ourselves can differ from how we are seen by others.

We looked at examples of how this relates to people in the public eye. My partner and I were given Labour leader Ed Miliband.

These are the ways in which we thought Ed would describe himself:

- Powerful
- Capable
- A Born Leader
- A Man of the People
- A Family Man
- A Good Communicator

These are the ways in which we thought of Ed:

- A Joke
- A Nerd
- Weak/Wet
- Privileged
- Boring/Bland
- A Poor Communicator
- Manufactured
- Pampered
- He Lives in the Shadow of his Brother

... not all good then.

We also looked at potential interview questions - such as the killer 'What's your favourite animal?' followed by the slightly tamer 'What's your second favourite animal?'

My answer to question number one was 'Dog', and my answer to number two was 'Military Dolphin'.

The best piece of advice I heard today, however, was a technique to get your CV to stand out during recruiters' keyword searches: to fill the white - or empty - space on your CV with particular keywords - but, and here's the clever bit, CHANGE THE FONT COLOUR OF THOSE KEYWORDS TO WHITE!

So these keywords won't be seen by the naked eye, yet they'll be picked up by computers during keyword searches. Genius!

I would shake the hand of whoever thought of that.

All in all, there was a lot today to keep us positive. Although when I need some motivation, I just imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, in his thick Austrian accent, "You can do it!"

Or I watch this video.