How Account Handling Has Changed Me

I almost can't quite believe the words I'm about to type: I have been an account exec for one whole year. Actually, if we want to get exact about it, it's been a whole year and a week (because blog post scheduling is hard *sad face*).

Making it through a whole year of employment isn't exactly a huge achievement for a lot of people, but this is my first real job, and the fact I haven't blown it (yet) makes it a huge deal for me. Not only that, but the amount of growing and learning I've done in the last twelve months is honestly astronomical (love that word, it's far too underused) so it feels right that I take a look back and review how far I've come. Plus, in the future when I'm A) a real housewife of Beverly Hills who no longer needs to work or B) a washed up has-been, I can look back at these golden times and reminisce about life as I started out in my career.

• I'm way more confident when speaking to new people.
• I no longer have a fear of picking up the phone.
• I can spell 'available'.
• I find creating spreadsheets hugely therapeutic.
• I'm 100% not a fan of buffet lunches. How many sandwiches is too many sandwiches?!
• Automotive clients are my thing. I absolutely love working with car brands.
• I also happen to know everything there is to know about car finance so.
• Still no idea what I'm supposed to do with my mountain of business cards.
• My immune system SUCKS #TwoDaysOffSickForAThroatInfectionSayWHAAAAT
• Sometimes things get a bit stressful.
• I thrive off the stress.
• I swear a lot more now.
• I've more than definitely effed up my back from slouching in my desk chair.
• It look me about six months to pluck up the courage to use the coffee machine.
• I'm not very good at keeping secrets. Especially when I've signed something to say I have to keep something a secret.
• I'm slowly learning how to participate in conversations with people about their children...
• I write a humongous amount of lists.
• I bullet point absolutely everything. In case that wasn't already obvious.
• I know what an umlaut is.
• I have become a morning person.
• Leftover meeting food is the one.
• I heard the chief of PSA finance speak at a conference in January and I now wish to name my future son, Cruciano.
• My voice goes so high whenever I chirp "Morning!" that I'm sure only dogs can hear it.
• The joy of pay day lasts for about two seconds before you remember all the bills you have to pay.
• I like being surrounded by such an array of accents. #PronounceMyNameAgain
• Still no idea how I'm expected to answer the question "So how was your weekend?" when all I did was fill my online Anthropologie cart and then exit the tab before looking at the final price.
• You can make it through three years of university and never play beer pong. Your first work Christmas party and you're being forced to play by your Account Director. Obvs.
• It's a good idea to have a standard greetings card message that you can whip out at any time, for any occasion.
• It's always someone's birthday.
• Using the devices to test things is my worst nightmare. SO. MANY. GERMS.
• I sound really posh when I answer the phone. It's awful.
• The stairs in my office are really hard to maneuver. Or is that just my overly long feet?
• The autocorrect on Mac is a sneaky little bitch. You know full well that is not what I wanted to type.
• Everyone's on a diet until someone brings in biscuits.

~ Eleanor xo

What Not to say in a Job Interview

Today marks a whole year since I missed the phone call from my recruitment agency telling me I'd actually managed to blag myself a job. True story. I genuinely missed the call. Luckily, I was able to call her back pretty quick, whole-heartedly expecting to hear another rendition of "they really liked you but....". So in memorial of this momentous day, I'm finally publishing the below blog post, which I wrote during my job search. I hope it provides a little inspiration, or failing that, a good laugh xo.

---

I don't know how to tell you guys this, but I seriously loved the whole 'unemployed graduate' thing. I mean, every day that recruitment agencies ignored my emails, rejected my applications and lost my phone number, it was all just one big confidence boost after another. I was bursting with so much pride and confidence, it could've been weaponised.

Psych! It was hands down the worst time of my life.

I won't lie to you, when I started my job hunting journey, I had next to no interview experience (I wonder if that's obvious by the below...), so I had pretty much had no idea what I was doing or what I should be saying. Now, ten points to Gryffindor if you can work out why the below statements caused me to not get hired...

1. Me: "...I once spent a summer doing nothing but scanning and it basically made me want to kill myself"
   Interviewer: "There will be scanning involved in this role"
   {Of course there will be}


2. Interviewer: "So tell me about yourself. Tell me what you're about"
   Me: *Internally wets self* "Umm well at uni I studied..."
   {Good one Eleanor, he now officially knows you have NO LIFE.}


3. Me: "Haha, so I'd get to pick up the phone and boss people around?"
   Interviewer: "Ha, well we tend to call it 'manage'"


4. Interviewer: "How would you say you work best?"
   Me: "I tend to work quite well under pressure [insert incoherent babble about stuff my brain has quite clearly blocked me from remembering for a good reason]... So what I'm saying is, I tend to get the best results when my life is going really badly." *Mentally punches self in the face*


5. Interviewer: "So does that all sound good?"
   Me: "Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeahhh... I'm just saying yeah a lot now." *Awkward laughter*


6. Me: "Sorry, my brain's just trying to process it all in-case there's a test at the end" *mimes writing a test*
   Interviewer: "There's no test"
   {What a waste of a perfectly good mime.}


7. Interviewer: "So why this industry?"
   Me: *Gives long winded explanation and probably goes off subject* "Well I think I probably just used up all the fifteen minutes with that answer so I'll just leave now"


8. Interviewer: "So what do you read, newspaper wise?"
   Me: "Well I'd say the Daily Mail but my dad would never speak to me again"


9. Interviewer: "So how many twitter followers do you have?"
   Me: "Well, probably not as many as you... But one of them is Britney Spears"
   *pause where I'm not sure what's going on*
   Interviewer: "Wait, Britney Spears follows you on twitter? How! Why isn't this on your CV. That's the kind of thing you need to put on your CV!"
   {It is now on my CV}


10. [A couple of days after the interview]
    Recruitment Agency: "I know you were only late to the interview because of very heavy traffic which couldn't be helped, and you informed us in time, but this company are very big on punctuality so it's not looking good..."
    Me: "I totally get that being late isn't a good quality but there was literally nothing I could do about getting stuck in traffic... I think not offering me a job simply on those grounds is a bit... well... Nazi like"
    {Luckily for me, I didn't actually want that job, but I can't say calling the HR team "Nazi's" would've really helped my case if I did...}

There are probably about a bajillion more examples that I could pull up for you to enjoy but I think we all get the picture here: I am not gifted at interviews. And I am in no hurry to relive this experience. *Hangs head in shame*.

~ Eleanor xo

The Working Gal's Honest Food Diary

Welcome to the working girl's honest food diary. I kept a food diary for the whole of the last week (you can tell I didn't plan this in advance because it was the week of both pancake day AND valentine's day so let's not judge too harshly...)

I feel like there are so many healthy food blogs out there where they encourage you to recreate recipes using healthy ingredients (but what they don't tell you is that coconut oil costs £8 per pot and where the eff am I supposed to find almond flour????) that they seem to forget that most average working women simply don't have the time to be healthy twenty-four seven. So you know what, this is me kicking all those health guru's in the face and proudly telling the world that a couple of weeks ago I woke up with a Ferraro Roche sticker stuck to my face.

I'm owning it. Here's how a real working girl eats:

MONDAY

a full work day

• 7:05am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and blueberries
• 8:15am Douwe Egberts with skimmed milk and vanilla syrup in a to-go cup. I'm so super fancy that I drink this in my car
• 12:30pm A banana 
• 1:35pm Homemade sourdough bread sandwich with a filling of what can only be described as plastic ham
• 2pm 500ml water
• 2:30pm Grande skinny peppermint latte from the mothership (AKA Starbucks)
• 4:30pm 3x Kallo blueberry and vanilla rice cakes. First time trying them and I'm feeling undecided.
• 7:00pm A jacket potato with cheddar cheese, slices of chorizo and tomatoes 
• 7:30pm Some grapes
• 8:45pm My last Christmas Ferraro Roche 

TUESDAY

a full work day + Pancake Day

• 7:05am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and overripe blueberries 
• 8:10am Drops about a quarter of to-go cup coffee on the floor. Drinks what remains.
• 10:15am 500ml water + pain relief tablet 
• 12:35pm A banana 
• 1:45pm Sandwich of homemade sourdough bread and Marmite because yesterday's plastic ham wasn't very joyous and Marmite is my soul mate 
• 2pm 500ml water
• 4pm 3x Kallo blueberry and vanilla rice cakes. Why must they be purple and yellow?
• 7:10pm Homemade cottage pie made with buffalo mince and green beans
• 8pm 2x Sainsbury's ready made pancakes plus a huge scooping of Nutella

WEDNESDAY

a full work day feat business trip

• 7:05am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and about 3 blueberries because I suck at portion size 
• 11am A much needed frothy latte. Headache is cured
• 2:15pm Mozzarella, pesto and tomato baguette from 'Tossed' at a service station on the M40
• 2:15pm 500ml sparkling water
• 4:30pm A banana
• 7:45pm Spanish style chicken, homemade ratatouille and roast potatoes
• 8:30pm Some grapes

THURSDAY

a full work day

• 7:05am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk (blueberries have run out by this point in the week)
• 8:20am Coffee that after yesterday's caffeine withdrawal headache is consumed with gusto
• 10:40am 500ml water 
• 12:50pm A banana
• 1:45pm Waitrose tiger bread with plastic ham. That's right, we're back on the plastic ham
• 2:45pm Grande pistachio and rose mocha from Starbucks that was frankly vile
• 3:15pm 500ml water
• 7:10pm 1x Kallo blueberry and vanilla rice cake because desperate times 
• 8pm Chicken pie and tomatoes because tomatoes are life

FRIDAY

a half work, half vegetating day

• 7:05am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and blueberries from a new punnet that aren't yet overly ripe
• 8:15am Coffee consumed while sat in standstill traffic
• 12:25pm A banana
• 2:45pm Fresh carrot & coriander soup with Sainsbury's giraffe bread
• 4:20pm Coffee with Monin blackberry syrup mmm yeah
• 4:30pm Gingerbread heart
• 7pm Lasagna with two slices of garlic ciabatta bread (self control at its finest)

SATURDAY

weekend, duh

• 9:30am First cup of coffee (consumed in a bubble bath while catching up on Real Housewives)
• 10:30am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and blueberries that've somehow over-rippened overnight #life
• 11am Second cup of coffee. What a luxury it is to drink it at leisure out of a mug
• 2:30pm Remaining half of carrot & coriander soup with not-so-fresh giraffe bread (that's code for: really sort of stale)
• 4:30pm Four squares of Lindt chocolate. Feel massively sick afterwards. Self loathing ensues.
• 7:15pm Jacket potato with tuna mayonnaise and tomatoes because if it wasn't already obvious, tomatoes are everything

SUNDAY

Valentine's day

• 8:30am Coffee (consumed while watching K.C Undercover on Disney Channel. Zendaya is life)
• 9:45am Bitesize Honey Nut Shredded Wheat with skimmed milk and blueberries that mostly seem a good ripeness
• 1:45pm Roast beef with roast potatoes, veggies and yorkshire puddings *drools*
• 4pm 2x Stroopwafels that I may've given as a valentine's gift
• 6:30pm Homemade waffle, vanilla ice cream and hazelnut syrup coffee because that's what St Valentine would've wanted

As you can tell, the state of a blueberry can really make or break a day. If you're encountering the same over-ripening issue, stay strong, it'll be ok.

~ Eleanor xo

A Day in the Life: Meetings, Mocktails & Marmite

Well that title is horrendously more satisfying to me than it should be. Alliteration is so spiritually fulfilling I almost can't breathe. It also probably makes a typical day in my life sound a little on the strange side...

But if we're being honest, this particular day was one of the stranger I've lived through because I spent the majority of it in one of the largest shopping centres in London, Westfield. I heard tales of France and limited edition cars while sipping on foreignly-spiced mocktails, glided around an ice-rink and tried to take sneaky snaps whenever possible. Who knew digital marketing would be so active.

9:40am The perilous train journey from Windsor to Shepherds Bush begins. Hop on a train to the exotic content of Slough. Connecting train to Ealing Broadway is delayed by 15 minutes (good job Great Western Railways). Use the time to ponder where this 'Ealing Broadway' place is.

10:57am Arrive at Westfield in the knick of time. Hurry towards the meeting location, dodging happy shoppers and wishing I hadn't chosen today to break in my new (but thoroughly beautiful) ankle boots. Welcomed with bespoke four ingredient mocktails that've been created to celebrate the launch of the new DS 4. Secretly hope the drinks are less 'mock', more cock-; alcohol.

11:15am Taken to the secret top floor of Westfield where about a million boardrooms can be found. The temperature of the room is approximately -100 degrees celsius. Everyone seems in a chipper mood. Sip mocktail absentmindedly while still trying to identify the ingredients. The presentations are actually rather interesting and notes are scribbled down in my company branded notebook which I occasionally position in a way that shows off the embossing. #WorkBitch. There's so much secret stuff discussed that I attempt to tune out so I don't put myself at risk of accidentally blurting it out to someone I shouldn't at a later date. #BlabbermouthProbs

12:30pm Buffet lunch is served. Why must everyone serve a buffet lunch? *groan*.

1:30pm We head to the ice rink. The lead presenter mutters "we're from DS" to the guy at the desk and we're all whisked through like VIPs. Which we sort of are, considering DS Automobiles are sponsoring said ice rink and their logo is plastered everywhere. Ice skates are hugely uncomfortable and it takes a while to shake the rust from my ice skating skills until soon I'm stumbling around the ice like a pro. Others fall, I do not. Others fly around and perform twists and turns, I do not. Not sure how to feel about getting hot and bothered while ice skating. Fake snow showers from a machine above and it's hard not to burst into every song from the Frozen soundtrack.

2pm We have a nose around the DS Automobiles stand outside The Village and see the web app we built in practice. It is opposite the Marmite Pop up store. We head into the Marmite pop up store. I leave the Marmite pop up store with a jar with my name on it. Love life once again.

3:04pm Get back on the underground. Realise we got on the wrong train. Spend ten minutes at North Acton waiting for the correct train to turn up. Feet are really starting to hurt now.

4:34pm Make it back to Windsor in time to realise that while gallivanting at events is fun, the normal every day stuff still piles up and there is mucho work to be done. It's all a bit stressful and as the office empties, we're still hard at it. Who'd have thought the Christmas season would be so hectic...

7pm Feet are crazy sore and I limp back to my car and head home via Sainsbury's to pick up some dinner and a punnet of blueberries that I absolutely must not forget. Forgets punnet of blueberries. Life is awful.

7:51pm Eat dinner, attempting to control disappointment over lack of blueberries. Wash hair, prepare self for next working day. Mood is lightened slightly with the realisation that the following day houses a Christmas lunch with another client, Honda.

Dreams of crackers, turkey and it being socially acceptable to midweek day drink.
~ Eleanor xo

A Day in The Life: An All Agency Day & Getting Behind the Wheel of a Citroën

I won't lie, I had a superb time writing my last Day in The Life post so I felt it only fair to make this a regular thing when exciting things go down at work.

Let me set the scene: it's a cold, dark, rainy and everything-else-you'd-expect-from-a-December-day Thursday and Citroën have invited all of their agencies to their UK headquarters to attend an aptly named "all agency day" to give us a rundown of what's a-happenin' in the world of Citroën and to let us loose in some of their most popular vehicles. Here's how it all went down:

{Ed's note: The day was hella long so this has been edited down a teeny bit}

5:30am Awake feeling the complete opposite of bright eyed and bushy tailed. Use the time wisely to groan, complain and Google some random crap. Manage to pull self out of bed and dress in something that at least looks like it matches. There's a high chance it doesn't.

6:40am Leave for work. Grimace at how dark it is. Mum's parting remark: "it'll be Christmas soon!". Not sure what to make of that. Barrel down the A322 belting out my favourite High School Musical numbers. The Troyella duets are the best. #IVEGOTTAGOMAOWNWAAAAAAY

7:42am Jump in Account Director's car and head northwards to Coventry. Remember what a dull drive it is. Become acutely aware of the lack of caffeine in my system. Attempt to keep eyes focused and not let myself slip into oblivion.

9:07am Arrive at Citroën UK headquarters. Given a pass with my name on. Very swish. Other agencies in attendance all sit in the foyer. Everyone's eyeing everyone else up. Start to feel a bit like I'm on a school trip. Or The Apprentice.

9:45am We're taken to the top floor and shown into the Boardroom. I muse aloud how I'm surprised the room is so large. Mentally face-palm. Everyone eyes the tables lined with food at the edges of the room. Pour myself some OJ and pick a croissant. Realise what a terrible mistake I've made while trying to eat said croissant and spilling crumbs everywhere.

10am The day gets going and we're taken through a whole host of presentations about the brand, their goals for 2016 and the latest top secret info about the cars and surprisingly-sort-of-cool technology. Someone accidentally mentions something they shouldn't. Attempts to recover with a "but that's not to be shared outside these four walls". Wonder if they're aware that actually it's three walls and one massive floor-to-ceiling window.

11:30am We're all put through our paces with a "fun quiz" about Citroën. It's most certainly not a fun quiz. We then all venture downstairs to get a proper in-depth tour around the Nemo van, the Grand C4 Picasso, the C4 Cactus and the C1. These people know a lot of stuff.

12:50pm The buffet lunch is served. Absolute worst nightmare.

1:15pm We're taken outside to begin our test driving session. In pairs we each clamber into the cars. A procession of about eight Citroëns makes its way around Coventry. It's all fun and games until it's my turn. Can't get the indicators on the C3 to stop. Hysterical laughing ensues. Keep saying "I do know how to drive, I swear!". Turns out I'm not so good at test driving. 

6:16pm Arrive back in Windsor. Hella thankful to be back in the safe arms of my Fiat. Even if she is running rather low on fuel. Make sure to pull into the petrol station with only two of their twelve pumps open. #Blessed.

7:10pm Manage to make it home in time to appreciate the full wack of a mahoosive headache. Blacked out, probably.

As you can tell, I had a fun old day, and my Snapchat story, as the kids would say, "was off the chain."
~ Eleanor xo

What I've learnt about business so far

This week marks three months since I began my new life as a digital marketing account executive (which means I've passed my probation period and I'm a fully fledged member of the team! #balling) and if I think about it, it's been a pretty crazy ride so far. I've been involved in some hella cool things and had to maneuver my way through some tricky challenges (surprisingly, it ain't all plain sailing). This is only the beginning of course, but here's what I've learnt so far (besides the fact that business cards are like an albatross around your neck):

1. Every client thinks they're your only client
It's normal practice to pick up the phone to a client and hear them say "oh hey, yeah we'd like you to build this super cool awesome mega app with both iOS and Android capabilities and it needs to do this, this and this and be ready in two days time". Right. Let me just magic this out of my behind.

2. Clients are more often than not, completely wrong
But you will absolutely never tell them. Go figure.

3. They are also the sneakiest individuals you'll ever meet
They'll try and weasel their way around getting more out of you than their contract allows. Kudos to them for trying, but directors aren't idiots, so that ain't gonna fly.

4. It's all about tact
You want your client to like you (and by extension, the agency), so you laugh at their jokes, ask how their kids are doing and never tell them how you really feel.

5. Keep your eyes wide open

Everyone has their own agenda, even people who should be on the same side as you. 

6. People talk about their kids a lot

Which is super awkward and hard to relate to when you don't have your own.

7. It's not a 9am-5:30pm way of life
Marketing is a twenty-four hour, three-hundred-sixty-five day job. Digital doesn't sleep, so neither should you.

8. Sticking to an NDA is really really hard
You know something is super awesome when you have to sign a three-page document legally binding your mouth shut. And that just makes it a thousand times harder not to tell everyone you know.

9. A well organised inbox is the most therapeutic of things
My inbox is divided into six mailboxes and forty-one sub-mailboxes (yes I've counted them). Everything has its place and I can always find exactly what I need. It's magnificently reassuring and just generally good for the soul.

10. It's ok to make mistakes
I don't think you ever stop learning in a job like this, and I think that's one of the beautiful things about it.

~ Eleanor xo

A Day in the Life: Client Monthly Meeting & Top Secret Projects

Very few people seem to know what my job as an Account Executive within a digital marketing agency entails, so I figured I'd break down a typical day to give you an idea of what I get up to. Obvs, I'm contractually obliged to keep the majority of what happens inside the agency to myself, so I can't reveal too many deets. But this day included the end of month meeting with the marketing team of the account I work on, so it seemed like a good day to pick...

6:30am Wake up. Double check it's not the weekend. It's not. Grimace. Check emails. Force self to get up. Make a little more effort than usual as don't want client to think I'm sloppy. Which I am, but they can't know that.

7:05am Head downstairs for breakfast of Shredded Wheat and homegrown blackberries. Feel certain Martha Stewart would be proud.

7:25am Leave house and start commute. Remember why I never wear this shirt, so uncomfortable. Witness two ponies grooming each other. So moved, feel a bit teary. Consider if sleep deprivation is affecting me. Decide that's a ludicrous thought. #WhyDontHumansGroomEachOther.

8am Get cut up by Volvo. Lose my shit and deem it a horn-worthy offence. Sound horn. Feel slightly better. Make mental note to hate all Volvo drivers.

9am Working day starts. Down some coffee. Answer urgent emails ahead of meeting. Print every kind of document known to man. Run up and down stairs. Feel awful that I've almost certainly just destroyed half the rain forest. More concerned with whether all this stair climbing counts as working out. Decide it does.

12pm Client team arrives and meeting begins. Agency is supplying buffet lunch of Marks and Spencer sandwiches, crisps, beverages and chocolately snacks. Realise this must be what it's like to be a dog in a dining room who's not allowed to eat food. Wonder if nail polish is a bit slutty. This shirt is really sodding uncomfortable. Agency and client chat about the weekly status update of account, (lots of stuff going down); review the success of the last quarter, (everyone seems pleased); chat about stats and stuff, (feel chuffed as eff that I totally get what's being said because I covered it in a unit at university); mention of other digital web based type things regarding the client and their partners (and us potentially poaching their business). Pay close attention. Strange pieces of furniture arrive for another client's event. Bit awks. Finance is discussed. Hooray for money! #DoesThisMeanMyJobIsSafe. After faffing about with temperamental wifi, client shows some top secret upcoming digital and web based thangs they're working on and planning to release within the next few years*. All very impressive. Lots of head nodding and complimentary remarks. Feel super important. Want to tweet about it but contractually obliged to keep my gob shut.

4:30pm Meeting draws to a close. Make mental note to work on my handshake. Bit out of practice. Feel a bit flushed. Four and a half hours in the boardroom does not fly by. Scoff some of the leftover snacks. Hate self a bit. Back to desk to sort through emails and pretend I'm V important.

6:12pm Time to head home. Wonder why woman in Honda behind me wants to get in my boot. Yell at her to learn to drive. Bust out to T Swift, almost deafen self.

6:57pm Arrive home at last. Very nearly put nail polish remover on cotton pad instead of micellar water. Vow to live each day like it's my last. And to move micellar water away from nail polish remover. Jump in the shower. Wrap up in pjs. Scoff some dinner. #GBBO. Rant about how much I dislike Flora. Rejoice when she gets cut. Wonder if acted a little too insensitively before falling asleep approx twenty minutes after show ends. <End Scene>

Spoiler alert: M&S buffet food is the bomb. But you already knew that.
~ Eleanor xo

*Client emails two days later to say that what was shown at the meeting is super secret and not to be shared... Privacy concerns ON FLEEK.

Advice About Job Hunting

Looking for your first adult job is unbelievably daunting. Picking up the phone to strangers telling you they've seen your CV online and feel you'd be perfect for a role they're recruiting for; your inbox being flooded with emails titled "1000 jobs in your area matching your search credentials" (quite how 'Forklift Driver' matched my search of "advertising account executive", I'll never know); and endless hours of waiting, searching, driving, smiling, lying, dressing smartly, re-working your résumé and so much more. Keeping your sanity is definitely no easy feat.

Still, I somehow made it out alive and I picked up some handy tips along the way:

1. Lose the bullshit
Every person looking for a job is "hard working", "a fast learner", and every other cliché under the sun, so don't waste space on your CV proving to an interviewer that you have zero individuality. Either provide relevant proof, or cut it out altogether. It's not an accomplishment to have "IT literate" on your CV anymore; this is 2015.

2. State your achievements loud and clear
Make the interviewer pay attention to you; I chose to create a small section on one side of my CV briefly listing four of my best (relevant) achievements. Interviewers won't read all the mindless body copy, but they will take notice if you state that an advertising campaign you helped create won an award in Antwerp.

3. Have confidence in yourself
This is something I struggled with; I still do, in fact. But once you realise that oh wait, you are ready and more than prepared to do this, it'll be so much easier to tackle any question an interviewer has for you.

4. Don't let the recruitment agencies boss you around
Or tell you what you want. I had one agency tell me which roles they'd be seeking out for me and neglected to hear when I tried to suggest otherwise. This is your career, don't let someone else tell you what you should be doing.

5. The perfect job does not exist
But the one that's perfect for you, will absolutely find you.

6. Be prepared to put up a fight
I have no shame in admitting that I fought very very hard for the job I have now and I don't regret casting my ego aside for one moment. In order to get this role I had three separate interviews and wrote an email to the MD stating the reasons why, although they had doubts about hiring me, they really needn't. Turns out they liked my ballsy attitude and my desire to not give up, and lo-and-behold, I now get to call them my managers.

7. Always ask at least one question at the end of an interview
Something I realised far too late, frankly. It is so important to ask your interviewer questions, either about the job, the company or what you can expect from your life at work. By doing this, you're showing you're interested, you're keen and you have a drive to impress. Just make sure they aren't questions you should A) already know the answer to, or B) something they've already covered. (Or C) "What's the salary" - that'll get you struck off straight away).

Job hunting is one of the most unenjoyable experiences there is, but what you learn will be invaluable.
~ Eleanor xo

Recent Purchases: Workwear

1. Calbourne Cord Trousers, Jack Wills - £49.50 £8.50
2. Oversized Shirt, Zara - £25.99

3. Stripe Dobby Skirt, Gap - Sold Out
4. Windowpane Boyfriend Shirt, Gap - £34.95

5. Slim-Fit Cotton Trousers (Navy), Mango - £19.99 £12.99
6. Miss Fancy Pants, Essie - £7.99

7.  Slim-Fit Cotton Trousers (Light Beige), Mango - £19.99 £12.99
8. Fitted Boyfriend Oxford Shirt, Gap - £34.95.

9. Calvert Slipper Shoe, Jack Wills - £49.50 £24

There are two very exciting things about getting a new job:
1) New clothes!
2) Having a salary that means you can afford said new clothes!

Being a jeans and tee devotee (how musical), I have a very, perhaps even borderline unhealthy, casual wardrobe. I like to throw things on that are comfortable, clean and usually dark coloured. Easy peezy. However, that kind of laziness, ehem, 'style', doesn't really fly in an office environment, so I knew I had to do something about it and hopped online to my favourite stores to kit myself out with responsible adult level office attire.

Luckily for me, I'm not heading into a suited and booted emporium, but I do need to make an effort - especially when meeting with clients (no matter how much I love my ripped jeans, even I know they aren't boardroom appropriate). I love some of the things I've found, and what can I say, I'm a sucker for a good bargain. And apparently, shirts with stripes...

~ Eleanor xo

A New Beginning...

Greetings, loved ones, let's take a journey... to Windsor! My new playground! I mean, work place. That's right, you don't need to adjust your television sets, I am in fact an employed person! Wahooooo! *releases confetti canon and twirls in circles*. As you can tell, it's still very early days, hence the continued excitement. Give me a month or two and I'll be dragging my heels and ruing the day I ever decided a 9-5:30 job was a good idea.

Officially, I am a 'Digital Marketing Account Executive'. I know, that probably means absolutely nothing and I've spent the last week attempting to explain what it is to various family members. It means I'm badass. Basically, my soul purpose is to help manage the digital marketing of a certain French car manufacturer (and at times, a few other brands). And it's super exciting!

I'm actually not sure how much I'm allowed to say because I've signed so many confidentiality and 'non disclosure' agreements that I'm a bit scared to open my mouth at all. One said NDA was for a little known company called 'Apple Inc.'; maybe you've heard of it? There's a lot of super cool and top secret stuff happening in the three-story townhouse conversion I now call my office, and I can't wait to see what's in store.

I've had a whirlwind first week of production meetings, agreement signing, team introductions, welcome emails, business trips, client meetings, software training, celebratory lunches and "no, I don't shorten my name to Ellie"; and I couldn't imagine anywhere more perfect to work than beautiful Windsor.

Here's to this exciting next chapter!
~ Eleanor xo

{Keep your eyes peeled for lots of fun job related content coming soon!}