How to get the most out of work experience...

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I don't have an answer to that but would like one.

Two weeks beginning today at major British weekly publication. first day of the week (sunday published) so no-one's really doing anything. should i be actively seeking people out to make connections while i have the chance and dudes aren't gonna be too busy? i've sat in on a few meetings and conferesences so far and opened a load of post - contained within one parcel was one of those persil ball things that steven gerrard advertises so i've had that away - and emails are being checked yaddayadda yadda. should i be asking people if theres anything i can do to help 'em out? clearly sunday papers are awesome places to work.

alternatively should i just sit ehre and write m yolatengo review?

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:04 (eighteen years ago)

Is the album any good then? And yeah, have a chat to as many people as you can who AREN'T busy (journalists when busy are the grouchiest souls I've met). When I did a week at a newspaper and a further week at a magazine I discovered that the best policy was often not to try to impress but to do the jobs you were set to your utmost capacity, basically, get your head down and get on with it. Oldies don't like it (cough) when young whippersnappers (cough) start pestering them and telling them how great (cough) they are. Good luck, though! :-)

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:09 (eighteen years ago)

yeah doing your job well's the best trick but you'd always do that wouldnt you nick!

― secondhandnews (secondhandnews), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 14:01 (eighteen years ago)

Clearly no-one else is interested in this thread but woteva.

I'm not sure whether you're being a cheeky cunt or not Kelv! I shall assume not. Things have livened up exponentially it has to be said. I interviewed a load of Japs today to find out why less Japs are coming to britain since 9/11. And contributing to a piece on global warming. awesome.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Friday, 8 September 2006 16:24 (eighteen years ago)

Steal shit yo

― S- (sgh), Saturday, 9 September 2006 01:45 (eighteen years ago)

Am i supposed to use my initiative? find/suggest stories? write some shit. possibility of byline tomorrow whic is kinda cool but doing sweet fa right now. did go nd buy someoen acopy of vogue earlier.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Saturday, 9 September 2006 12:16 (eighteen years ago)

For your last two questions: yes and yes! They've got space to fill and if you can fill it, a winnar = you.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Saturday, 9 September 2006 14:05 (eighteen years ago)

interesting. sitting on my arse all day. [YAWN} but amazing idea for a piece on why people don't stop at sebra crossings any more. thoughts....

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Saturday, 9 September 2006 15:19 (eighteen years ago)

Sunday editions r tough.. all the daily folks are out partying or hanging with their families while you ~~arse around on the internets~~ toil in the office.. plus somebody's probably already scooped the story you were working up for three days

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Saturday, 9 September 2006 15:46 (eighteen years ago)

Plus you don't get your story out of your system for a whole WEEK, whereas the daily dudes are like wham bam go to the pub

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Saturday, 9 September 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago)

Hassle the cunts every second you get. It's better to be remembered as the overkeen one who at least got something done than the other 49 weekly interns they get who they can't remember a month later each year.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 9 September 2006 15:53 (eighteen years ago)

Hmm. I agree. but that's not really what i've done so far. more inclined to hassle the cunts at the start of the week when none of 'em are doing anything than towards the end when deadlines loom. starting tuesday I'm gonna be INYOFACEINTERNBITCH.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Saturday, 9 September 2006 19:20 (eighteen years ago)

japs?

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Saturday, 9 September 2006 22:26 (eighteen years ago)

i wondered about that too.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:14 (eighteen years ago)

i had a similar spot (maybe the SAME spot) as nick exactly five years ago.

at the end, they said, 'stick around, come into the office, do things'.

which would have been fine only uhhhh well, there weren't any *paid* positions going...

so to answer the question: either live in london, have understanding friends who will let you live with them in london, or have a parental allowance.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:38 (eighteen years ago)

enrique sadly OTM.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:42 (eighteen years ago)

looking back i should have made more of an effort to take up their offer, though, so from semi-bitter experience: you need to suck fucking arses.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:47 (eighteen years ago)

i wouldn't go that far ...

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:56 (eighteen years ago)

In any job, it makes good sense to be friends with the receptionist, tealady and postboy.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 11 September 2006 09:39 (eighteen years ago)

sage advice

― secondhandnews (secondhandnews), Monday, 11 September 2006 10:55 (eighteen years ago)

Not had so much contact with the receptionist, tealady, postboy but do share a jape with the security guys on the front desk downstairs. Undeserved as it was I DID get the byline in the end, which, oddly, some of you probably read (or, as is more likely, passed over on the way).

Any thoughts on stories to pitch this week. Something I could actually maybe write this time? Tomorrow's the day to do it. I've had a few thoughts but would welcome ideas (and this isn't just me trying to get someone else to do my job for me/claim credit for someone else's ideas as the accusation is so often levelled).

(and if Japs was inadvertantly offensive to anyone i apologise. you know what i meant. no-one gets offended by the term "Brits" do they?)

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:05 (eighteen years ago)

i wouldn't worry about pitching ideas as much as doing what dom says and just being ENTHUSIASTIC WORK-EXP BITCH. speak to other staff, find out what they're doing, help them out in whatever way you can. ask to work with as many different departments as possible. spend time with the production desk, and with pictures: you will be fucking LOVED for that.

here endeth the lesson etc.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:12 (eighteen years ago)

that said: keep thinking of ideas, 'cos it's not like you're gonna go wrong by pitching 'em.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:13 (eighteen years ago)

those word wise. i think last week i was a bit inhibited the first coupla days when opportunites were there to interrupt and not piss off but tomorrow i do think i've really got to take advantage of where I am and the range of different people who are going to be around and who could be good to meet. i'm not desperate to come up with and write a story but they seem to be willing to listen to ideas and i think I should at least be able to get my stuff read.

thereth the plan anyway. love that no-one gets in before 11.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:19 (eighteen years ago)

yeh, but if it's anything like the sunday paper i worked on, they won't leave till 3am on friday and saturday :(

good luck with it! keep us posted.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:28 (eighteen years ago)

also: if you're at the place i'm assuming you're at (not sure why, but it seems quite likely) then there's one person you MUST AVOID AT ALL COSTS because they are teh fucking insan0r and truly dreadful. heh, trying to work out who should keep you occupied happily for all of, er, 10 minutes. their job title means they should hardly ever be in the office, but i don't think they see it that way :)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:36 (eighteen years ago)

uptoeleven, you sound like a fanny

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:45 (eighteen years ago)

Make friends with production and pictures. They'll remember you if nobody else does. I wonder who GF is talking about, although what he says is true about almost every newspaper office. Tho I wonder why the truly deranged in newspapers nearly always seem to be women?

― stet (stet), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:54 (eighteen years ago)

¿And also why I can't coherent construct a sentence?

― stet (stet), Monday, 11 September 2006 22:55 (eighteen years ago)

Tracer: yeah, probably. Valid point.

GF: I'm also wondering if it's the same place. most people here seem pretty much sane, if eccentric in a pleasantly posh way, so suspect i have not come across the lunatic as yet. and i will go and hunt down the prod/pic pople.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 08:33 (eighteen years ago)

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