Write a list: Organisation can be therapeutic. Get yourself in order for the day.

Take ten & enjoy a cuppa: take out cups have ruined the delight of drinking tea & coffee. It is an experience in itself and if you have the time to savour it, do so! Even if just for ten minutes, take yourself away from it all and enjoy your morning cuppa. Use it as time to collect your thoughts and decide what you’ll do with your day. Coffee/Tea break = the girl on the go’s version of meditation. Escape into your mug, just for a bit.

Journal your day a year from now: this time next year where will you be, what will you be, who will you be? Write a page in your journal in the voice of your future self. Be wild, crazy & ambitious. Dream big and remember that in your life, you are the leading lady and you will be every bit as amazing as you want endeavour to be- you just need to dream it first.

Get perspective & awareness: read a few articles from the world section of the newspaper (or online). Keep in mind what else is going on around the globe right at this very moment and be grateful for your situation. It is easy to be overwhelmed by workload and forthcoming tasks at the beginning of a week but it takes mere moments to realise that chance are, whatever it is we are facing in our week, pales in comparison to the plight of those existing in war torn devastation. It is ok to feel scared, upset and inundated but we should be grateful too.

Pop Muzik: regardless of the type of music you enjoy ordinarily, Monday is not the time for sappy ballads or hard out metal. A good dose of pop goes a long way towards improving your Monday morning mood- go for You Can’t Stop The Beat from Hairspray for a few minutes of high intensity super joy or if that’s a little too bold for your sensitivities then jump on the Motown train and enjoy some old school tunes, I Want You Back & River Deep, Mountain High are some of TL’s favourites.

Stretch it out: grab 2 minutes of you time, lock yourself away in a loo cubicle if that’s what it takes and stretch it out, baby! Reach your fingertips up to the ceiling while stood on the tips of your toes. Yawn a huge big yawn. Stick your chest out, lean back, channel Shane Warne and stretch it out cricket style. You’ll give yourself an instant burst of energy & feel all limber & ready to tackle whatever the morning throws at you.

Twitterverse: tweet it up with the rest of the twitterverse, you’ll find inspiration, consolation & just a whole lot of fabulous. While you’re there, add TL.

Look fabulous: if you have an early start on Monday mornings, make life a bit easier for yourself and pick out your outfit on Sunday night. Lay everything out ready to go & wake up to a fab little ensemble all ready to slip into & strut your way to the train station. Do something a bit quirky & different, tie ribbons in your hair, wear frilly ankle socks, do your shirt all the way up to your neck & use a scarf as a makeshift tie, paint your nails hot pink & yellow. & remember, if everything goes arse up, at least you look cute, right?


How are you handling your Monday morning?

Public Transport
Originally uploaded by potecina

If you commute to and from the city on week day mornings it would be easy to assume you’d actually gotten yourself lost in a procession of funeral attendees. Long faces looking like they’d belong better on someone who had lost their last friend rather than that of a commuter on their way to the office, pushy fellow commuters who are far to eager to give you a good hard shove in the back to ensure their place in the carriage, suits whose self loathing is matched only by their selfishness – cutting in front of you at ticket barriers and ticket machines….

And so, the joys of city commuting, with a mixture of equal measures immaturity and depression – it is hardly the most positive start to the day – so how does one avoid feeling like they’ve done a days hard yakka before they’ve even set foot in the office? Here are a few pointers… be sure to share your tips in the comments:

Listen to a bit of Michael Jackson on your mp3 player. Then some Bob Sinclair. Then the Time Warp. Smiling yet?

Switch over to Tiny Dancer – secretly imagine how great it would be if everyone started singing along, Almost Famous style.

Pay attention to the scenery that you pass, take black & white photos as you speed past.

Download some podcasts and use your time productively.

Dream up your next blog post.

Smile at the crankiest looking person within eye shot.

Profile your fellow passengers, imagine what they do, who they do (!), why they’re secretly smiling to themselves/looking so cranky. Dream up their story.

Take a pen and paper, get the creative juices flowing, write for a few pages – anything you think of, it need not be a masterpiece (or even make any sense), just write. Scribbles, blog posts, a play, poetry, letters, conversation observations…

Eavesdrop – sometimes people have the most fascinatingly odd conversations (See: Overheard in New York). Don’t feel bad for listening in, think of public transport conversations like a blog, if they didn’t want their story out there, they’d shut up.

Draw up a set of post it notes with kind words “SMILE!”, “Have an AWESOME day!!” … & stick them in different spots throughout the day for others to find.

Got your laptop? Create a slideshow full of all the embarrassingly funny moments from Friday night drinks to send around to the department at work. Make Monday fun for everyone (bar those who over indulged on aforementioned Friday night).


Alright, over to you – The best way to pass time on the [insert method of public transport here] is _________?

We girls like to be pretty & prepared for anything – but lets face it, we live in a world where as much time is spent at work as is at home, so how are we to be socially, hygienically, technically and glamorously prepared, in this cramped home away from home that we know as the office?!

Here at TL, an Office Survival kit has been drawn up to ensure we all step into our workplace tres prepared for anything that gets thrown our way – holey stocking, the office flu, 3pm munchies, impromptu after work drinks, coffee breath & dead mobile phone batteries – we’ve got it covered!

Tres BASICS

Lucas Paw Paw Ointment: the essential item that no girl should be without. It is good for just about everything, especially keeping your lips lovely.

Hand Cream: keep your skin soft & fresh after dealing with icky papers/keyboards/phones all day.

Decent Tissues: no doubt your office will supply you with tissues but chances are they an awful 1 ply, try some easy on the nose eucalyptus tissues.

Mints/Gum: to spare the office from your post lunch/coffee breath.

Spare Change: for the parking meter, vending machine, birthday/farewell gift collections.


Tres GLAM

Press Powder: to save your makeup from certain death.

Blush: to look fresh & pretty allllll day long! A freshen up of your blush can really lift your whole look.

Hairspray: to fix crazy frizzy hair suffering from exposure to sub par weather & public transport!

Spare Tights/Stockings: because you WILL get a ladder when you least need it & it’s far nicer to pop on a new pair then have to constantly explain that YES you are aware of the run, thank you!

Bobby pins: to secure aforementioned crazy hair. & if you don’t need them, be assured some other girl in the office will.


Tres TECH

Mobile Phone Charger: because your phone WILL die and it will be Friday afternoon and you really don’t want to miss out on the socialising, do you?

USB Stick: for all those “oh no outlook/internet is down, how do I get blah file to the Janes computer!?!?!”.


Tres REPAIR KIT

Mini Sewing Kit: for when you have a hot date lined up for after work and suddenly realise at 5 to 5 that the hem on your skirt has come unstuck.

Neurofen: to save you from period pain, killer work induced headaches etc.

Cold & Flu tablets: because there will be days when you just can’t bring yourself to take the day off, but you won’t make it past midday without these babies.

Safety Pins: for …. not sure actually, but someone is always looking for one, aren’t they?


Tres CULINARY

Breakfast Cereal: for all those times when you skip out on breakfast to make sure you get your train and then end up feeling ravenous by 10am.

Lolly Jar: because you will spend far more on vending machine/coffee shop snacks if you don’t have that little something to get you past 3:30itis!

Packet Soup: for those awful days when you really don’t have time to stop for lunch, ready in a moment & some are really quite tasty!


What’s in your office survival kit??

Is the daily grind starting to, well, grind? Is Monday simply day 5 of the countdown to Friday? Does your life seem like all work and no play? If so, it's time for a shake up! Who says week days need consist only of work, eat, sleep, start over?! It's time to kick start you weekend: starting MONDAY. Enjoy & make the very most of you leisure hours. Here are some top tips to get started:

Celebrate a day well done with a glass of wine.

Spend a few hours watching your favourite television program or movie, uninterrupted. Turn off the mobile & laptop ...now kick back & relax.

Have a long soak in the bath, bubbles mandatory.

Stop by your local pharmacy & grab some face masks & hair treatments. Super cheap & top way to spend some time pampering yourself! While you're at it, moisturise from top to toe and paint your nails - enjoy quality me time.

Have dinner by candle light, romance yourself!

Have dessert & enjoy it.

Call a friend & plot your attack on the social scene for the upcoming weekend.

Dress up, do fancy makeup you wouldn't dare try regularly & take photos.

Dye your hair a new colour.

Write a letter to yourself, on pretty stationery, reminding yourself of all the fabulous things going on with you at the moment.

Stalk your local pet shop & play with the puppies.

Go to a coffee shop & sit for a nice long latte. Coffee is not just for the AM!

Drink tea out of fancy vintage tea cups.

Get a blender & some fruit and start experimenting with new smoothie flavours for that burst of natural energy you need each morning.

Dance to your favourite guilty pleasure music (PCD? Girls Aloud? Celine Dion? Shania Twain? Spice Girls? Mika? Elton John? Choices truly are endless!) in some knee high socks, your fave knickers set & high heels. Be sure to close the curtains to avoid your neighbours getting an unexpected show!

Listen to songs from your favourite musicals & imagine you're the star - pump up the volume & have your own mini karaoke fest. (TL loves & recommends: You Can't Stop the Music from Hairspray, Time Warp or Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror Picture Show or Downtown, Don't Leave Me This Way, Go West, Hot Stuff, I've Never Been To Me from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert)

Try on outfits for work, mix & match with your casual stuff and go for some bold accessories & pretty shoes. Take photos of your favourite ensembles to stick up on your wall for dreaded I-have-nothing-to-wear mornings.

Leave work before dark & watch the sunset.

If you live by the ocean, swing by on your way home & stare out into the azure abyss.

What do you to unwind / live it up mid week & avoid the slump of the daily grind?

If you work an office job, then chances are you spend quite a significant chunk of time at your desk. You could perhaps, unfortunately, liken it to a second home. While organisation & order is key when coming to creating a productive work space – your desk should reflect a piece of you too. It’s all well and good for your desk to be the epicentre of industrious work related output, but without some personal touches, it can quickly become an idle and mundane environment. You want your work space to enable productivity – not prevent it! Having a desk that is organised and personalised is the best way to remain productive & get inspired while on the job.

Food & Drink stash – maintaining a healthy diet is an issue unto itself, but if you are the type of person who enjoys a snack and you find yourself ducking out of the office at 10am and 3pm to pick up a bag of chips from the convenience store down the street, a good way to save time and money is to stock up. This way you can also enable a more positive diet by preselecting snacks that are in line with what you want to be eating. Keep a box of muesli bars, cereal, dried fruit, herbal tea or whatever you so desire in a desk drawer.

Bottled water – this one is more about organising your health then it is about organising your desk. But if you are spending 8 hours of your day sitting at your desk, why not keep a bottle of water handy. It will save your going back & forth to the kitchen and you’ll easily consume those illustrious 8 glasses a day!

Spare change – good for parking meters, vending machines, coffee breaks, bus tickets home and so forth. There when you need it; it means you don’t need to be digging through your bag in the hope of finding junk change at the bottom.

Desk organisers – pick out a colourful desk organiser to store all your pens/highlighters/correction tape/scissors/etc in. This way you are reducing the amount of clutter about your desk and it also means that you have everything you need at your fingertips, right when you need it.

A place for everything – this is an obvious one, but one that a lot of people fail to put into practice. Ensure there is a place for everything on or around your desk. Don’t leave your desk as you have had it assigned, change it to suit your job and daily tasks. If you require an IN TRAY, make sure you have one, if you don’t, get rid of it to decrease the amount of redundant gear on your desk. & clean out your filing. Yes, the bottom drawer, that you never actually file things into. Clean it out, utilise the space properly & to your advantage. If filing & organising paperwork isn't your thing, make it a little more fun, order in some colourful files and get a colour scheme going. In the very least it will be nice to look at and when people ask you for something you can instruct them "oh, it's in the hot pink file over there by the yellow folders".

Diary– keep a paper diary on your desk to write down the things you need to remember, people names & numbers, meetings, errands, daily task lists. In this world where we are so heavily reliant upon electronic means of organising our schedules and tasks, the merit of a paper day diary is often overlooked. It can be immensely useful for keeping track of important information and progress and act as a back should you be unable to access your electronic calendar / contacts list.

Computer - keep your desktop icons organised and download a wallpaper to personalise (if your company allows this). Make your PC your own. Subscribe to your favourite blogs in Google Reader so you can quickly skim the content when you need a 5 minute break from work tasks.

Personal Touches – pin a few photos of your favourite people up (a digital photo frame is great if you can afford it, won't take up much space & will flick through all your favourite photos for a bit of variety). If that is not quite your style, try pinning up your favourite photos of travel destinations or Vogue's fashion pages. Another idea for a hit of aromatic style inspiration is to keep a fragrance card spritzed with your favourite perfume (from your local department store) on your desk. It will lightly scent your work space - bring to your nose, breath deep & capture the aroma for a calming & invigorating hit you need first thing in the morning or mid afternoon. Write your favourite inspirational or funny quotes on post it notes and keep them in a drawer. Each week, take one out and pin it on your PC or wall - for a little bit of positivity throughout the week. An important thing to remember with personal touches such as photo collages on notice boards is that too much can cause the projected image of clutter- making you feel snowed under when, in actual fact, you have work related tasks under control. Be sure to keep personal touches neat for optimal effect!


What do you do to make your work space a little more comfortable? What inspires you at work?

Writing a resume is simple. Writing a good great fantastic resume is not. Anyone can put their experiences down on paper but it is how you do it that is really important. Presentation matters as much in your resume as it does at your interview, a sloppy resume could cost you a chance at scoring an initial interview.

Your resume needs to exhibit professionalism and be representative of your experience and potential as a prospective employee. You need to ensure that it accurately and engagingly represents your skill set. It's about putting your best foot forward, presenting the best version of you and creating a knock out first impression!

Keep in mind the objectives of a hiring manager: they want to entrust someone with a role in their company and they want that someone to be a superstar candidate! If you cannot do a good job of representing your own experiences … could you really expect someone to consider you as the ideal fit for the job? If writing or formatting is not your area of expertise than enlist help - a friend, relative or an expert (check out your local paper, in the jobs section) – this is your chance to sell yourself as an asset to any potential employer. Your resume needs to reflect you as the smart, professional, creative individual that you are. Below are a few of the basics to keep in mind when tailoring your resume...

Basics

Contact Info. Use a professional email address, preferably eg. firstname.lastname@gmail.com rather than katierulz77@gmail.com or angel_eyes_xox1986@hotmail.com. Avoid numbers, dashes, underscores, nicknames, random combinations of letter. Even if this means creating a separate email contact explicitly for the purpose of employment applications. You should also include your home & mobile phone numbers and full residential address on your resume. You want to be taken as a serious contender for the position and your contact details play a part of your personal representation at this stage of the application process.

Photographs. Unless you’re applying for a job as a model, you shouldn’t be including a photograph in your resume. An employer does not need to see a headshot to be able to assess your professional capabilities. If you’re qualifications and experience are appropriate to the position that you are applying for, you can prove your standard of presentation in the interview.

Personal Details. Similarly, your marital status and other personal details of such nature (ie. Children, ethnicity, age) should have no bearing on your suitability as an employee and as such should not be included in a professional resume. The jury is still out on the relevance of hobbies/interests. Some argue that it adds a dimension to the projection of yourself as a ‘whole person’ rather than as a potential cog in the machinery of the business.

Verbosity & Descriptive Precision. Take care with suitability in wording of previous experience . This does not mean misrepresenting the facts, rather, simply being selective with inclusion of details. For instance, if you are applying for an administrative position and in your last job you were tasked with opening the incoming mail and franking the outgoing, an apt way of wording this would be “Mail distribution and coordination”.

Explain Gaps. If you have been travelling or had periods where you did not work, this is okay but should be explained. Again, keeping wordiness in check, a simple general explanation will suffice.

Proof Read & Spell Check. This is of key importance. Attention to detail and ability to communicate effectively are vital tools for almost all types careers. It is important to exhibit these skills in your resume. Lack of thorough proofing can result in simple mistakes that cost you a place on a candidate short list.

File Name. Simplicity is key. YournameCV or YournameResume will do just fine. Don’t leave in details like ‘long version’, ‘version2’, ‘Resume2008’, ‘CustomerserviceResume’. While this may help you find the file on your PC, it looks unprofessional when seen by any but you.

Formatting

Continuity. Check that your fonts, spacing, bullet style, paragraph structure, written context and other formatting remain uniform throughout entire document.

Fonts. Nothing fancy or gimmicky. As a general rule, stick to the basics: Arial, Verdana or Tahoma. They are widely used and easy to read.
Bullets. As with fonts the general rule of stick to basics applies when making lists. Stick with a simple dash or round bullet rather than using clip art images or gaudy arrows.

Colours. Generally, black text on a white page is the best option. It is simple to read from and indicative of professionalism. Colour in a resume is often used with detrimental result to the author due to overuse and misuse. If you choose to use colour, try and keep it simple. It is a good idea to stick to just one or two colours (aside from black and white) to maintain simplicity and clarity.

Length & White Space. Be aware of the importance of being conciseness and relevance. It is important that you cover your strengths and experience in a form that will not be tediously read by hiring managers who often have quite a number of resumes to get through. Make your first impression just that, impressive, but succinct. Also pay attention to white space, for instance, there is no need to have a title page containing just your name, contact details and nothing else. This is an unnecessary waste of space.

Templates. Try to avoid using the templates found in MS Word/Publisher etc. This shows a lack of effort and originality. You want your resume to stand out from the pack, not blend in!

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when creating your resume is that this is your only chance to make a first impression, so take your time writing and formatting. Ask for help if you need it. Keep it simple, succinct and professional. Marvel the finished product as a true reflection of your professional abilities.

Backpacking and fashion are not two concepts that would normally be associated, unless you were talking about what not to do ie. cargo pants, which, despite what anyone will argue, really belong in the same basket as Crocs: comfortable yet utterly and ridiculously unattractive, no excuses, there are better options. However, the task of packing what will become the total of your material possessions into a somewhat restrictive 80 L rucksack can teach you quite a lot about what you actually need and the value of what you have already got. Add to that the fact that you are often preparing yourself for an entire barrage of climates and situations and you will discover that another skill you acquire will be sourcing aesthetically pleasing yet versatile and sensible pieces of wardrobe. It will also teach you that you can, in fact, survive with just four pairs of shoes (for the record, your four basics are: black mary-jane heels, black flat boots, thongs & joggers). Here is what this tres lola girl has learnt after spending the best part of the last two years living out of suitcases and rucksacks…

You have far more than you need: regular wardrobe clean outs are essential. Get rid of your ‘just in case’ pile! ‘Just in case’ it ever fits me again. ‘Just in case’ tie dye makes a come back. ‘Just in case’ I decide leopard print is my thing. ‘Just in case’ my feet grow into the fabulous yet one size too big heels. Sell them on Ebay, donate it to charity, give it to your sister – if you haven’t worn it in the last month or two, give it the flick.

Basics are key: this is particularly vital if you are working in corporate offices to support your habit (travel, that is). Basics such as plain cotton t-shirts/singlets can work well casually with jeans as well as making a top choice tucked into a high wasted skirt or teamed up with a blazer to wear into the office. They also tend to travel well, requiring minimal bag space & ironing. Another example of a versatile basic is a simple black vest. This can be used to layer over other pieces (shirts, dresses, t-shirts) for corporate or casual to deliver a different look. A good pair of fitted straight leg dark coloured jeans will become a wardrobe staple too, respectable enough to team up with a nice top to wear out and being jeans they are the epitome of appropriateness for casual wear, and lets not forget suitable ‘casual Friday’ attire. A good, warm, double breasted charcoal coat will do you will too. Although this choice of colour may not be your usual, it is versatile in that you should not tire of it as quickly as say, a red trench, and it is versatile enough to wear with most all of your other wardrobe pieces. Basics in general are the most practical and stylish way to go when in comes to travelling, packing according to the current trend will see you soon turfing the contents of your pack and wasting money better spent say, drinking champagne in … Champagne, than on keeping up with the latest fad- choose classic & avoid this!

Black mary-jane heels are the epitome of versatility: comfy, classy, essential. Mary Jane heels aren’t sky scrapers and they have a wider heel compared to most, making them more comfortable for day to day wear. They can take you from the office to the pub and right back around to the Sunday morning crawl to home/to Starbucks. Corporate, night out, casual… one shoe fits all. They are the style conscious travellers ultimate investment.

You can’t have it all so choose wisely: develop succinct personal style. Use Polyvore to create some sets to refine the basic style of looks you want to achieve while travelling. Print out your creations and paste them into your moleskin to create a more defined personal style. Keep this handy when shopping or picking from your current wardrobe in preparation for travel. Remember your space is limited and what space you do have you should use wisely – choose items based on three key factors: Respectability, Comfort, Flexibility. Try and fill your luggage up with pieces that fulfil these criteria and you’ll be one happy, stylish traveller.

Be grateful: for the amount of clothes you usually have. For your wardrobe space. Your shoe collection. Your accessories.

The saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ certainly rings true when it comes to your wardrobe & travel. It’s difficult to see just how much excess exists in our wardrobes until having to cull work wear, casual outfits, going out gear, accessories, coats, shoes etc.. down to the airline allowable 20 kilograms. Learning to live out of your suitcase can be difficult but it certainly allows you to develop a greater understanding of need vs. want and therefore teaching you a lesson in being grateful for life’s little extravagances – like a full wardrobe!

It is as inevitable as the interviewer asking you what you consider your weaknesses to be, that at some point towards the end of your interview, you will be asked if YOU have any questions. "Uh no, I think you've just about covered it all" is not the correct answer. Making sure you have a few questions in mind to ask is as important as ensuring you have researched the company before arriving at the interview. It is important to remember that the whole purpose of the interview process is to find a fit between company and potential employee. Seeking as much information as possible is imperative to finding the ultimate match!

A few sample questions to ask your interviewer

Why is this position vacant?
Knowing the answer to this question can help you get a better picture of the type of workplace you are putting yourself forward to become part of. People leave their jobs for all sorts of reasons: travel, better pay, uneasy work environment, boss from hell, simply feeling the need for change. You've obviously left your last job for some reason or another, to be sitting in the hot seat at this interview. If you can decipher which reason the last person left the position you are going for, it may help you decide if this job is, in fact, for you or not.

You must keep in mind that your interviewer is there to fill a vacancy, and they would not want to scare off any potential candidate with the horror story leading to the departure of their last employee. This means you need to listen to their answer quite carefully and read between the lines. Another question to follow up with could be, How long did the last employee hold this position? If they were there rather briefly, this could be a reflection on their own inability to stay put, or it could be indicative of the environment. The other information you've learnt throughout the interview should help you figure out which of the alternatives fits best.

What sort of boss do you see yourself as?
This question is irrelevant if your interview is with HR and the boss is not sitting in on the interview. In which case you could alter the question slightly to, What kind of boss do you consider X to be? Think of this as interviewee revenge. Your turn to put them on the spot and give you a bit of an insight into their personality, even if their description of their own abilities turns out not to be entirely accurate. Remember that no person wants to willingly set out their flaws and so the focus of their answer will be on the positive ways in which they lead their department/company, rather than their downfalls.

The answers to these questions should arm you with some of the knowledge you need to make a more informed decision in regards to acceptance of this job, should the interview result in you being offered the role. On the other hand, it can also clarify if a position is not ideal for you. As they say, knowledge is power, and getting the lowdown on the quirks of a company before the first day can save months of workplace drama.

There are far too many websites and people out there that dedicate their precious time to harping on about the dissatisfaction and stresses associated with working in an office job, but the corporate world need not be drab. There's a whole bunch of terrific, ambitious people out there that thrive in their offices and love the rat race that is city life- here's a few ways to brighten up your own office environment... because it's about the little things, really.

- Use pretty pastel post it notes, rather then generic fluro yellow ones.

- Multi coloured filing :D!

- Use stamps: draft, file copy, sent, emailed, for your info –go on! Post it stickers too, (the flaggy things you stick onto the edge of a pile of paper to point something out) either plain colour flags or ones such as "sign here", "initial here". Colourful fun!

- Say hi to people in the lift, no one likes to be ignored!

- Don't wear any black, even just one day a week. You're going to work, not a funeral.

- Put a few photos/pictures up behind your PC. I like personally have a preference for orangutans doing amusing stuff (like playing soccer).

- Get a lolly jar on your desk. Sugar is a pretty exciting thing at 3pm.

- Got a label maker? Leave little labels notes on your fellow cube rats PC's (don't let the office dragon catch you, though, this activity may be considered not-work-related-tape-wastage :P).

- Decorate the cover of your notepad/daily book with cut outs of your favourite things, quotes, photos etc. It will liven up your desk and make you smile.

- Play music! (Within reason: don't aggravate the person at the next desk, or have foo fighters pumping if you're taking incoming calls regarding insurance policies for over 55's).

- Take your lunch break and try not to use this time to do banking/post/mundane boring tasks. Go sit by the river/in the park/at a quaint café. Use your lunch break to recharge the batteries and prepare for the afternoon.

- Mix it up, don't spend an entire day doing the same task- it'll do your head it. Work your routine so that you rotate through a whole bunch of different jobs in a day. Create your own variety.

- Learn. Take a look around you- what is everyone else's role in the business? What does their job entail? Learn things from those around you and help out where you can.

- Be organised. If nothing else it’ll save you a few headaches.

- Learn to love tea: there are so many delicious takes on tea these days, it's a great way to curb the munchies & break up your day- I love peppermint or chai with honey.

- Change your Windows theme & wallpaper. You've gotta stare at it all day, it may as well be pretty.

- Don't use times new roman font. Go with verdana, arial/arial narrow, trebuchet MS, Tahoma. All much nicer too look at.

- Give your space an overhaul. Clean out the cupboards, organise the filing, rearrange your desk.

- Use triangular paper clips. Cuz they're cuter.

- Lucky enough to do work lunches/ days out of the office at another site/interstate travel? Don’t see it as a drag, get excited about it and see it as a perk of the job!

- Take 5-10 minutes to read the newspaper/news website in the morning. It will give you a little perspective.

- Subscribe to a ‘quote of the day’ type email (if your company email policies allows) it’ll give you something different to think about/ponder over/smile at each day!

I almost always get the job I want. In fact, I can not recall one job I've interviewed for that I've wanted and not been offered. Don't get me wrong, I've been turned down before. It was one of the first job interviews I'd ever done. I was excited, having just quit the only job I'd ever had, in retail management. I saw a world of opportunities in front of me. I wanted a change of career and held the naive confidence that I could do anything I wanted and be whomever I wanted to be.

I applied for an office junior role. I bought new shoes and a new shirt, to ensure I looked the part. I also accessorised nicely and made sure my hair and makeup were impeccable. I arrived at the office 15 minutes early and the first thing I noticed was that in my black trousers and blue shirt, I was horribly overdressed. The receptionist was wearing cheap tight white pants and an oversized hoodie. Her makeup was smudged and her hair greasy. She was talking to a friend on the phone and looked highly put out when I asked her to let the manager know that I'd arrived.

I took a seat in the foyer: admired some plastic plants and flicked through old magazines. I tried to focus on the task at hand, selling myself. Though with the standard apparently low, I found it hard to believe this interview would be a challenge. After waiting over half an hour longer, an older man dressed in brown trousers and a pink shirt, proud owner of an impressive beer gut, a dodgy comb over and one gold tooth, ushered me into his "office". The room smelt of curry and piles of paper covered every surface. I introduced myself and he asked me a million questions about myself, not many of which I believe were necessary to deduce my abilities as an administrator.

By half way through the interview I was 100% certain that I did not wish to work in for this company. I sat through the rest of this charade out of courtesy. I never got offered that role and I like to believe that its because I was too good for it or that the universe was saving me from a horrible mess. I learnt from this to take rejection in my stride, I wasn't meant to get that job, these things occur for a reason. I got a (much better) job within two weeks.

Since then I've learnt how better to pursue potential employers and industries and have always been offered the jobs I hoped for. I believe that is due to a few key factors:

Seek is your friend. Forget the rest, quality employers utilise Seek (AU & NZ). You can also use it to compare companies, industries & gain a better understanding of what sort of salary to expect. Bookmark. Use. Love.

Think outside the square. Don't always go for the same type of job. Ask yourself why you left your last job and don't apply for a job with the same issues. Believe in your capacity to change roles or industries. Confidence is key.

Temp. Temping is fantastic as it exposes you to so many industries, office environments, team dynamics, roles. I've worked in a project management consultancy, a government based energy company, law firms, a retail head office and an advertising agency. Temping can be a valuable tool in helping you make a decision on the direction you would like your career to take.

Know the industry you would like to work in but have no experience/degree? Work experience. Make a list of companies you'd like to work for and write some letters. You will get turned down. There are a lot of companies that see work experience as a burden, don't be discouraged. Also, be sensible about where you apply. If you want to work in magazines, forget Cosmo and try lesser known titles. Utilise your time wisely, pay attention, gain contacts, skills, ask advice and if you make a really stellar impression, you could be working for these people some day.

In the interview:

Be confident. This should go without saying, really. You are there to sell yourself. Remember that your interviewer does not know a thing about you, you could be the shyest person usually, but your interviewer does not know this. Go in there and knock their socks off! You're there to show them that you are the best person for the job and that you will be an asset to the company.

Dress to Impress. Always be impeccable - that means shirt pressed, shoes shined, hair neat, makeup natural. My safe outfit is black trousers/skirt and a white fitted shirt with closed toe black heels, this way you project a corporate and professional image without wearing anything that could offend the interviewers personal style preferences. Black + white are classic. Remember you are aiming for a stellar first impression: your ARE being judged & looks DO count.

Prepare. There are some questions you will be asked in 99% of interviews, don't act surprised-

1. What are your professional goals/what are you looking for in a role?
Before the interview take time to write down a list of the things you want in a job (variety, team environment, corporate). The sort of people you want to work with/for, industry, company (corporate/small business), environment (fast paced?), sort of job (varied/autonomous/team focus). Incorporate all these things into your answer.

2. What are your strengths/What are you weaknesses?
I cannot stress this one enough. "Umm" is not the correct answer. Preparing an answer for the 'weaknesses' question is so important. It catches so many people out and it really shouldn't. No one wants to admit their faults so try "None that would affect my ability to perform this role" (if you can pull that off without sounding like too arrogant) or an overcome weakness "I found I had difficulty managing staff that were older then myself but I've taken steps to improve my ability by ....".

The strengths question is equally as important. This is your real chance to sell yourself. Give examples. Nail it.

3. Why should we give you this role?
They want to know why they should pick you over the next candidate, sell them on your positives, reel off your skills with examples. Now is also the time to speak about any of your skills in relation to their company. Be specific "I feel that with my background in customer service and office support I'd be better able to build relationships with your clients than if I were coming from a purely administrative background".

Research the company. Look at their website, find out what sort of company they are. See if there is a profile of the person who will be interviewing you. Tailor your interview efforts to fit the company. Often times you're interviewer will ask you what you know about their company or why it is you would like to work for them, specifically (& "I just found this job vacancy in the paper" is not an intelligent answer).

Remember that the person interviewing you was once in your chair. They don't want you to fail. This comes back to confidence. Treat it as any other conversation: only this one is all about you. If all else fails, learn from your mistakes and get some perspective. It's just a job and as I write this there are 166,172 (in Australia) available on Seek, you'll be right for one of them!

Temping can be a fantastic was to earn some decent cash while maintaining a flexible lifestyle. There are many different types of temp work you can choose to undertake, such as hospitality or factory work, but arguably the most common type of temp work is office support. Put it down to demand, offices are in every town and administration isn't the most desired of career paths so people move on and up - cue the temp to jump in for a few days/weeks/months until a permanant can be found. If you have basic computer skills and don't mind doing some menial tasks that you're almost definately over-qualified for - than you're half way there. Add some enthusiasm, flexibility and reliability and you're all set.

There are many benefits of temping, the most noteable is the flexibility and control over your work/life balance. You choose you're assignments, you decide upon you're availability. Of course, the more you make yourself available the greater your potential to gain assignments and earn! Another benefit of temping is that you will be paid per hour and most agencies are happy to pay to the nearest quarter of an hour meaning that you're always getting paid for your time - meaning no unpaid overtime - it's also weekly pay, more often than not, so no waiting around for a month to reap the benefits of your hard work! Temping also equals massive variety! Meaning you're exposed to a number of different positions (in the past few months i've been a marketing assistant, data entry operator, personal assistant and admin assistant) and tons of different industries which can can be helpful if you haven't quite decided upon a career path - it opens you're eyes to possibilities you had never before considered. The jobs are almost always rather menial and super simple - for which the employer will usually apologise reffutedly (& you will graciously tell them you're more than happy and thankyou very much) - this gives you a nice stress free work environment and plenty of time to plan future adventures!

To ensure you enjoy you're experience as a temp, it's important to understand why the jobs exist. I've found that most temporary jobs exist for one of two reasons: a staff member has resigned and management took longer than expected to find a quality replacement or a company experiences a busier-than-usual period, workload gets overwhelming and a temp is called in to cue the backlog of paperwork. Don't set your expectations too high. The price to pay for flexibility & variety is meniality. The jobs themselves are often not entirely interesting or challenging but it's important to remember why you're there and where the jobs taking you. It might be that your backpacking in London & your current assignment is paying for your trip to Paris, or perhaps you are a student that was looking for holiday work doing something other than folding clothes and flipping burgers. However, you may find yourself temping for a wonderful company that opens up a world of opportunity for you, quite often temporary staff that perform well are asked to stay on or become permanant, if that's what you want it's quite achievable, if not, you're only temporarily committed & there is an easy out - you're consultant is waiting in the rings to do the dirty work & break up with Manager A from Company B and shuffle in a replacement.

So finally, from a seasoned office support temp, I offer a few parting words of advice:

- Sign up with as many agencies as possible. If one can't get you a contract, another will. Loyalty is not important in the world of temporary recruitment (that doesn't not mean, however, that building strong relationships with you're consultants is to be neglected) agencies understand that their temps are on the books of numerous agencies. A good way to discover which agency has the most work is to jump onto a recruitment website (like SEEK.COM) and see who has the most positions vacant advertisments in the temporary / contract work section. I personally reccommend Hudson.

- Keep in touch. The key is to find the balance between regular friendly communication and irritatingly often communication. Forge a positive relationship with your consultant by ensuring they are aware of your availability and letting them know how your assignment is going (if they haven't already checked in with you). Remember, recruitment consultants are super busy, you are not their only temp to be placed, so keep communication short & sweet - a quick "Just wanted to let you know that all is well at Company X, thanks so much, hope you're having a great day. Kind regards, ME" will do fine.

- Remain Available. If you're not on an assignment it's a good idea to send an email or make a quick phone call at the end of the day just to "touch base" and remind them you're available for any assignments they might have come in last minute and that you don't mind being called first thing in the morning. Often times companies will call an agency at 8am when someone calls in sick.. & if you can be available for the 8am wake up call and get yourself into the office ASAP, consultants will love you.

- Return voicemail ASAP. There are usually a ton of temps registerd at any agency at any given time, if you don't answer your phone or return your messages, you will miss out. I once returned a call 5 minutes after I had missed it and the assignment had already been filled. Refer to previous point, remain available, keep you're phone on LOUD!

- Be gracious & remember to say THANK-YOU. Always remember to thank you're employer AND the consultant that placed you. You are more likely to be kept on the top of the to-call list if you are pleasant to deal with. As with any job, building a positive repoir with employers while temping is important, aside from it being common curtesy, if the employer requires a temp again, they are likely to request you a second time if you are curteous and hard working.

- Be well presented. Most office support jobs require corporate attire. Blacks pants/skirt & a clean pressed shirt is fine. Minimal & fresh makeup. If you are unsure of the dress code & you're consultant is unable to tell you, it's always better to show up dress up rather than down. I've seen so many fellow temps that look like they dressed themselves in the dark. It's not difficult to look sharp & it can do a lot for your reputation - people are judgemental and first impressions are important.

So have fun & if you have any tips for potential tempers or tales of your own days as a temp, be sure to let us know.