Occasional Unsuccessful Applications

"Thank you for applying for the position of Runner Pool - Manchester. We have carefully considered your application and regret to advise that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion."

Thanks very much BBC, for advising me that my application was unsuccessful. Oh hang on, it was only on this occasion. In that case, BBC, on what occasion will my application be successful?

If I'm honest I am a little gutted about this. I know that I will get many rejections while applying for jobs, but knowing that I tried my absolute hardest in answering the cryptic questions the beeb seem intent on setting, has knocked me somewhat. It was a runner pool for crying out loud, who exactly are these people looking for?!

Perhaps I should stop obsessing over getting my first job at the BBC. There are other broadcasting corporations out there, believe it or not. Saying that though, they are launching their production trainee scheme 2010 next week. If my predecessor at Fuse FM can get on it, surely I am in with a shot too?

Despite this set back, I am feeling slightly more sane than at the time of my last post. I think its something to do with the sun shining today. It might also have something to do with the fact that I caught the mouse last night. On a glue trap. Not the most humane method I know - but the damn thing was too clever for conventional traps. Not too clever for some brazil nuts sprinkled on a slab of glue though eh, mr mouse.

I got my exam results back too, a few hours after receiving 'the email' from the BBC. They were good, thank god. A 68 and a 63, two sturdy 2:1's. I think I had been hoping for a cheeky first in there somewhere, but that's me in a nutshell: optimistic. Realistically a 2:1 is great, especially considering how much time I spend on my course, or rather, how little time.

As far as the dissertation is going, well, it isn't. I had my presentation last week though. I wish I could say how it went, but the fifteen minutes is a blur to me. I remember saying the words 'interaction' and 'facebook' a lot. And gesticulating too much. But that's about it. I'm giving a talk this week to second year sociology students, to prepare them and encourage them with their own dissertations. I will tell them that's its fun and exciting, to study something you love, and that its not as scary as they think. This is of course, a lie.