Hi Vicki,
Well, one spin-off from the job hunt is that I'm getting better at interviews. The first time a florist invited me to make a bouquet using anything I wanted in their store, I just about had a nervous breakdown. I didn't want to be the one that mauled her imported roses or squashed her luscious pink anthuriums so I tentatively straussed about 6 stems and tied it up with moss green ribbon, stuck it in a vase and ran for my life. The last invitation I had, they asked me to make up a mini-box and I thought, dammit, I'm gonna show off. So, I grabbed a gorgeous mauve disbud and just went with the flow. I made a soft feminine arrangement using cool pink lillies, mauve disbuds, eucalyptus coin gum, and a few other things. It was the best I could do on the day.
I seemed to have a good rapport with the two owners of the store, but it would only take someone with more than 3 months experience to pip me at the post. That said, I'm hoping the fact that I studied web design at Uni will help me over the line as they are currently working on their web-site. Stay tuned, I should know by the end of this week. (-:
Another thing that helped me in this interview was preparation. I studied every single florist job advertisement I could find online and came up with a list of skills that everyone seemed to want. Then, I sat down and thought about each one and how I met (or came close to meeting) them. It helped me greatly in the interview because when they asked me, I didn't stumble for examples. Some of my examples were from previous positions, but some skills are transferrable.
I have been doing a little work with a local florist as an 'on call' casual. I felt like it was barely enough to maintain my sanity and cover my childcare fees because I never knew when I was going to get called in, so I asked her one day if I could volunteer one day a week and learn with her. She has been so good to me and spends time advising me and giving me feedback. Being a small store, she doesn't have enough work to hire me on a regular basis, but her time and assistance at this stage of my career is almost more valuable than being paid. I think confidence gained from that practise also helped me at my last interview.
As I said, stay tuned.
Regards,
Anna.
