Lush Job Update

Sad news! I didn't get the job!
I was up against a lot of people, some who were a lot more theatrical (drama students obviously), so I wasn't that surprised when I didn't get it.

The manager was so lovely about it though, she called to let me know and to give me some feedback. She said that I was great in the interview but on the shop floor I wasn't interacting with customers enough. This kind of surprised me because I spoke to every single customer that came in the store, some more than once, having a laugh with them and what not but apparently I need to be more full on. I know they're really enthusiastic in Lush but I was surprised that they wanted me to be more full on than I was already being as I hadn't had proper training. I mean I did some demos and made some sales within my half hour trial but I guess if I wasn't right for the position I can't really complain

I wouldn't enjoy the job if I had to act any more of a twat jumping and dancing in people's faces who really don't appreciate it, you know what I mean. I would've enjoyed it if I got the job and didn't have to be even more full on. I know that's Lush's thing and I don't really mind it when I'm shopping in there but when I'm being observed by staff going in people's faces who clearly are not enjoying it it's very different.

Not getting this job means I don't get 50% discount :( but it also means I can get more hours at my other job. So no real loss really.

My Lush Trial

My trial shift at Lush was today! I really enjoyed myself and had so much fun.

I got there a little early so I just wandered around the shop until they called me down. They photocopied my passport and explained that I'll be shown how to do demos and stuff by the other girls. So a lovely supervisor showed me where the demo bars and bombs where and send sent me on my way.

I had to blag my way through helping a man with buying a hand cream for his mum, while the supervisor was right next to me:( but I managed to sell him the Charity Pot in the end yay!

I spoke to the customers, helped them with choosing certain products and did a bath bomb demo and before I knew it my half an hour was over! They called me down to the back for a quick interview. The questions were pretty generic, there was only one that was a bit different. For that I was given a book of the new Lush make up and told me to choose a lipstick name that would describe working at Lush. 

They then told me they'd be in touch either way, tomorrow evening so I have to wait until then to find out if I was successful!!

I feel a bit confident but they were trialling like 20 people so there's a large competition. I did everything I could and I was completely myself and that's all I could do so, fingers crossed!

My Lush group interview

So I've just got in from my Lush group interview. I had a look on a few people's blogs to see how they generally go, none of them were exactly the same but I knew what to roughly expect. But I'll tell you how mine went.

I'll start at the beginning. I was out shopping in my local Lush store and saw they had a vacancy posted in the window and behind the till asking for a CV/résumé and cover letter. I chatted to the girl about the position for a bit then went home, spruced up my CV and wrote a cover letter and sent it off.

On the closing date for applications (Monday) I received a call saying I was invited to a group interview on the Thursday. I was told to bring my passport or birth certificate and my favourite thing. "Thing" is a bit of a general word I thought, so it's my chance to pick something fun. The girl who phoned specified it didn't have to be a Lush product, which I wouldn't have picked anyway, don't want to kiss arse too much.

I didn't ask the dress code but I thought, I know group interviews and I know Lush, so I wore a burn orange short sleeved collared blouse with white polka dots, a dark blue jumper over the top and a black skirt and tights. I was a bit dubious about make up but I went with it wore red lipstick anyway💁.

So I went to my interview, 6pm. There were a few of us waiting outside the store and there was already a group of about 10 in there for a previous session. There were about 10 of us (two boys, the rest girls) and we were told that there was another group of the same size after us. We got in, told our name, availability and had a photo taken. There were a lot of drama students I could tell and everyone was quite quirky and out there which I was expecting. 

We had a little talk from the manager, who was lovely, telling us about the company and the position etc then came the bit about us. We were shown a demonstration of a bubble bar then we had a few minutes to pick one of our own and demo it in front of everyone. I hadn't picked one by the time they aller us back so I grabbed one, had a quick look in the magazine and just blagged my way through. I picked one of the macaroon bubble bars. I felt like I spoke for longer than everyone else but I focussed a lot on the ingredients and the way it felt. I did feel a bit nervous as everyone was looking at me but I went with it and thought I did an okay job.

Next we had to stand in a circle and present our "favourite thing". Everyone's was pretty normal, lucky paintbrushes, teddies, photos. Mine was this...

The elfy clogg slippers I bought from Amsterdam. I said they represent the fact I love to travel, and they're cute and fun. I made a joke that I'm not materialistic so these would be what I'd save in a fire. They seemed to like that. It wasn't very deep or personal so I thought that might have not been as good as the rest.

So it was time to leave and they said they'd only ring if we were successful. They'd ring offering a trial shift and a small interview, but I wasn't expecting a call as I thought there were stronger candidates. But as I was writing this, post I got a phone call OFFERING ME A TRIAL ON FRIDAY!

I couldn't believe it they rang me like straight after the final interviews! So I have my 30 minute shop floor trial on Friday and a 15 minute interview, I'll post on Friday how I get on!

Living at home vs Living on your own

Moving out. Buying new décor, packing your stuff, squeezing it into the car. It’s one of the most stressful yet exciting times. I love living away from my parents but obviously there are factors that would keep me living with Mummy and Daddy dearest. Let's see...

Pros of living at home

·         Less responsibilities

When living at home, you don’t need to worry about running out of milk or detergent or toilet roll- that’s not your job.

·         Home comforts

Those little things like your mum bringing you a cup of tea when you’re ill, or little family traditions. They’re what you tend to miss.

·         No housemates

Like many people my age, nobody moves out on their very own straight away, there are housemates.  And that means new annoying habits to get used to. It’s okay when it’s your family, you love them unconditionally and you’re used to the annoying things they do. I’m not used to having someone barging in at 5am absolutely inebriated, that’s what I do. It’s only okay when I do that.

·         Nicer house

There’s no denying it; student houses are vile. No matter how nice they start off, they will end up completely inhabitable. Students don’t care about anything. And the landlords don’t care that much either. My parents’ house is so cosy and warm and generally nice, nothing can beat that.

·         The cost

Living with your parents is inevitably cheaper than living on your own. Food shopping, bills, everything is paid for, you just have to worry about paying your keep, and if your parents are generous, that won’t be much at all.

·         It can get kind of lonely

With everyone’s different schedules, and the fact these people aren’t your family, it means you can feel a bit lonely at times. Especially if you’re going through a shitty time, there’s nothing you want more than an encouraging hug from your mum or dad and when that’s not there, it can be a bit crap.

Pros of living on your own

·         The independence

Oh Lord the independence. When I first moved out I felt like a baby bird leaving the nest and becoming a freakin strong as hell independent bird flying around the skies and buying as many pop tarts as it wants.

·         NO RULES

I know this makes me sound like a child, but the fact I wouldn’t have my mother moaning in my ear about not taking my plate out immediately after I had my last forkful was just lovely. Although I couldn’t really be told what to do as an adult living at home, it didn’t mean it wasn’t the end of complaining about the volume of my music, my intake of alcohol, the “wasted” money on Lush products.

·         Doing my own laundry

This may not be the case for everyone, but doing my own laundry and only mine means there is no mix up with any clothes and I know where all of my clothes are at all times. At home, there’s me, my sister and my mum who all have the same leggings, tights, vests etc and there is something at least every wash that goes missing.

·         Food shopping

Although realising you are out of milk and loo roll, as I have mentioned, is one of the most irritating things, I can buy whatever food I want. I can buy the “disgusting” chilli sauce I like. I can buy ramen noodles. I can buy all of the food my mum and dad refuse to spend their money on.

·         The housemates

Although they’re annoying, you love them. They’re fun, always down for a good time and won’t tell you you’re too drunk. Living with a bunch of pals is one of the most annoying, yet most fun thing in the world. Plus there’s almost always somebody awake who will be willing to drive me to McDonalds (because I can’t drive you see cry cry).

Okay so we can see that pretty much all of my reasons for living away from home revolve around me being able to do what I want and pretty much be a disgusting human being but that is what I want at my age. I want fun. But I also want to save money. But I also want fun. But it’s always nice to have a warm, clean house. But I can buy copious amounts of Pop Tarts and drink cider at 10am if I live on my own…I think we know which side wins.

Ere mate it's Job Seeker's Allowance not dole

Okay so my previous posts have made it pretty evident that I left uni and moved back home (yes I am restarting in September). Since I moved back I have been endlessly searching for a job, obviously accompanied by hours of Netflixing which does make me seem like a bit of a dosser, but I have been applying for every single job I could find. Even a job which would require me wiping old people's arses. I don't think I was actually qualified to do that. Wow. I have also been waiting on my old boss to get back to me who said I could back to my previous job but it turns out she's ignorant and rude so there's no light at the end of that tunnel.

I honestly forgot how hard it was to get a job, a month went past and I went to "sign on" as it's called. I don't know if that's a colloquialism or the official term but I went to the Job Centre to claim Job Seeker's Allowance. Obviously any of my friends who found this out blasted me with comments about being "a doley" which unfortunately has very negative connotations. I find it really fucking horrible and bleak that someone looking for a job in this shitty economy, accepting a little bit of help from the government at a time of need gets branded as scum. I do, however, understand why singing on has such negative views. The only people claiming JSA that are ever shown in the media (mainly because most of these documentaries are made by channel 4) are always showing the drug addicted, child neglecters who live in filthy tab end infested hovels, not the people who have been made redundant or whatever, who are actively looking for a job.

Fortunately I live on the outskirts of Hull and have a different Job Centre rather than the Hull City Centre one, so it's not as bad. I've never been in myself, but my mum used to work there and laughed at the idea of me sitting in the Hull Job Centre, saying how I'd probably cry and rather have no money at all than have to go in there. Additional note: "it stinks". So thankfully, I go to the smaller, quieter annd probably more pleasant smelling one near my house. Even for a Job Centre located in a fairly respectable area, I have seen a few sights, even though I've only been in twice. The first time I went I saw a woman who had been in the paper for attacking a minor with a riding crop, and the second time a smelly man came in yelling about how his money has been stopped but he needs to go pick up his "meFadone" before he can see anyone about it. Lovely. So these are the people that Channel 4 films. The rest of the people I have seen in there are actually in there for the reason JSA was created, accepting help in SEEKING A JOB.

So no, I'm not a "doley". And I have two interviews next week so hopefully I don't have to sit in the Job Centre for much longer getting advice on how to improve my CV while pretending I didn't know this shit already.

9 Problems of Being a Naturally Lazy Person

There is no denying that I am naturally lazy. I love chilling out, watching Netflix, doing nothing. Once I am comfy nothing is going to change that, I will not move. I've come to terms with the fact I'm lazy and I don't mind, it's who I am. But obviously the word lazy gives negative connotations and it's not difficult to understand that being lazy is not one of the greater things in life. So here are some problems I've found that naturally lazy people will probably understand, if they bother reading any further than this paragraph.

 1. People thinking you’re unhygienic
Just because I like to lie in bed it doesn't mean I don’t get a shower, OK? I do shower, but I will procrastinate for a few hours. Then slob back on the sofa so it still looks as though I haven't showered. But I have, even smell my pits.

2. Having to set 29 alarms in the morning
Each of which are 5 minutes apart from the previous, because it’s just so easy to wake up, turn your alarm off and drift back into a blissful sleep. 

3. Having to lie in bed scrolling through the latest news on Twitter for half an hour before beginning to contemplate getting out of bed
For us bed lovers, getting straight up as soon as you wake up or as soon as your alarm goes off is not even a conceivable idea. I need to allow my brain to wake up before I actually try functioning. So I will set my final alarm to half an hour before I really need to get up so I can ease myself into the day.

4. Being called lazy
You know you’re lazy. You have accepted you’re lazy. But when someone else calls you it, it’s just plain hurtful.

5. Getting comfy on a bus/train journey
When you’ve just become remotely warm and comfy on public transport, chilled out, earphones in...then oh shit it's my stop next. The sudden realisation you're going to have to get off the bus or train into the freezing cold is a momentous moment of heartbreak for me as a lazy person.

6. Having so many intentions but being restricted by your naturally lazy personality
For example, planning on going for a Sunday morning jog, waking up, remembering it’s Sunday and falling back to sleep. I am so motivated before I fall to sleep, I'll make a list of all the important, constructive tasks I will do the next day. But after a few hours sleep all motivation has been lost and I can't even bring myself to look at the list and thinking about doing anything.

7. Always running lateI never leave myself enough time to get ready, especially on nights out. I’ll be chilling for ages, being so relaxed that I can never be bothered to get up and get a shower just yet, so ending up racing out the door 15 minutes late blowing my freshly painted nails because I NEVER LEAVE MYSELF ENOUGH FUCKING TIME BECAUSE I AM LAZY PIECE OF SHIT AND I WOULD HAVE LOOKED BETTER IF I STOPPED WATCHING THAT CRAPPY SOAP AND STARTED GETTING READY HALF AN HOUR EARLIER.

8. The bursts of self loathing you get for being so lazy
See #7

9. The choice between food and not moving
One of the world's major issues: food or my bed. I'm in bed watching Netflix, it's dinner time and I'm starving but I'm so comfy and warm, what do I do? So I have the mental debate with myself that goes something like this: Will the food be worth moving and going downstairs? When I get back I probably won't get comfy again. But Food. No I'll get food I'm hungry. After this episode. Maybe I'll just wait until someone offers me some.

Finally

I haven't posted anything in sooo long because the wifi has been down.

It really pisses me off the way it has ONE JOB and it can't even do that, it's 2015