Blogs: Danielle secures her dream job

Danielle King graduated from Aston University, Birmingham, with a BSc in English Language. She's now pursuing writing jobs after realising that's the career for her

Having signed on in late August, I know as much as anyone else how demoralising it can be being unemployed. And knowing that so many talented graduates are struggling to find employment, you can imagine my delight when, within the space of ten days, I got offered my perfect job.

Day one

After waking up determined to search high and low for work, I got a phone call from someone at a local recruitment agency - completely out of the blue. They informed me that they'd seen my CV online and thought I'd suit an editorial assistant vacancy at one of the firm's global clients, which is based in Stevenage. I jumped up (and down, literally) at the chance and waited in bated breath to get a call back.

Day four

Knowing that it was an immediate position, the pessimistic side of my brain started to take over as I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever hear back. My phone finally started to ring and it was the same agency telling me that the company wanted to invite me to an interview at 9.30am, the very next day. 'Tomorrow?!' I exclaimed to myself, 'not much time to prepare...' But I was obviously more than happy to accept!

Interviews are tough as it is, so when you’ve got less than 24 hours to prepare, no one would be surprised if you started to panic. But in fact, panic wasn't an emotion that came over me; instead I felt determined to succeed and followed these crucial preparation tips:

• Research (an oldie but a goldie, as they say). I explored the company's website and found out that I was really interested in what they do. It also helped me learn about their key policies and publishing house style - information which became crucial when they asked me my day-to-day expectations of the role.
• Analyse the job specification and compare it to your skills. If there are five daily responsibilities in the spec, write out at least five experiences that showcase that you can succeed. Don't be afraid to write these down, as well as any questions you have, and take them with you - I did. 
• The last is, perhaps, one of the most important: get organised. Plan your outfit, your journey... hell, even write out what you want for breakfast. This will calm any last-minute nerves as you'll focus on what you have to do next, stopping you from running around like a headless chicken.

It may seem monotonous, but it paid off I was asked back for a second interview.

Day ten

I went back to the firm for a copyediting test and a few more in-depth questions about how my abilities matched the job requirements. Four hours later, while I was on a train wondering if I'd done enough, I got yet another phone call from the recruitment company.
I'd got the job!!

Now one week in, I can't believe my luck. I work in a friendly and lively office with lovely people, get what feels like hundreds of benefits, and had my own responsibilities since my first day. More importantly, I love my day to day duties and can't see myself getting bored anytime soon. What's the moral of my story? Dream and believe!