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Like applying for any kind of job, except this job defines what you want to do/where you want to be after graduating

Cover letter after cover letter
Consideration to rejection

It definitely isn't easy - it's a stepping stone. The best way to get through the stressful process of applying for grad jobs, is to congratulate yourself! You're doing this on your own accord and as much as how painful and irritating the process can be, there will be an amazing result.

Believe me!

The future is ours.

Posted regarding breaking news exposed within the same week....

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Connect with me and view my profile. http://lnkd.in/jva92X

I enjoy writing for ONIN London still. Even though the TV side of journalism is my main focus at the moment, a bit of writing on the side never hurt anybody. :)

Full review here!

A large majority of the universities I'm surrounded by offer journalism degrees - even mine! Awesome if you want to be a journalist right? Numerous topics are covered in order for one to gain the basic knowledge and understanding of journalism which is great, but depending on where exactly you are and what you know, I'd say it would be risky to leave college going straight into university with no journalism experience or pre-knowledge. Why? Because it will only ever turn out in two different ways:

1) You will study the degree, enjoy it, learn a lot, gain a lot of practicality skills and probably have a lot of deadlines to deal with. But what about the work experience and knowledge that you can gain from outside of your degree? What 99.9% of future employers will look at more than above else? W O R K E X P E R I E N C E

Examples; writing for online magazines, working for a local newspaper/radio station, something of yours to show what you do; a blog/wordpress/youtube page

Some even believe that because they are studying a journalism degree and doing nothing else, that's what will impress future employers into giving them that dream job. Yeah right! Every degree is completely different from one another. One thing a budding journalist knows inside out and is always on the hunt for is work experience, and a build up of practicality skills. Because that is what the employer will really want to hear about.
"You achieved a 1st/2:1? Great. Now, tell me about your work experience."

Don't panic. Begin gaining experience now! It all starts in a magical place called Google. ;)

2) Yes, you are studying a journalism degree and you're enjoying it, but because you're quite headstrong on your career, you are determined to find journalism-related places for work experience and you eventually do. You realise that you've learnt so much more during work experience than you did studying journalism.

From wise words of a friend; Nancy tweeted: "Most people's careers have nothing to do with their degrees. We're all just blindly following the system. Sheep."

I study Sociology combined with Media & Communications (had to have something journo-related in there, I couldn't help it) - I'm so happy studying this as it has taught me SO much on how I view the world, and it's really added to my journalistic character and beliefs. I love it.

My advice? Study a degree that you genuinely like, and get good grades in! A degree is not and never has been the only way to exercise your talents and strengths. Too late? It's never too late. It's time to be productive and really go out there and make things happen.

Do what you love. Love what you do.

I lay here in bed at 00:38am and start to become a little frightened. I'm itching with excitement and anxiousness and optimism to begin my life - my career. But what about all of the "what if?"'s?

I guess when you're mad passionately in love with a dream and can't wait to accomplish it, there's no such thing as a what if scenario. You go and get it, even if it takes years of blood, sweat and tears. I'm ready for it.

A really beautiful quote that I read from a Bible study yesterday still remains in thought and heart:

"Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention."

Stay blessed

Towards the end of my summer, I had thought about writing a self-help, personalised kind of article about a few of the things I genuinely enjoy doing...going on holiday! It was most certainly the longest article I have written but I really enjoyed writing it nonetheless.

Rather than wondering what kind of feedback I would get from my readers as I would with my other articles, this article was just a way of letting a reader see me as Hannah, just a student that likes to make the most out of Summer. (The nostalgia of Summer is real).

Enjoy reading!

Article: My Awesome Country Visits of 2013

I enjoy regularly going to University scheme events, and on Saturday 12th October 2013, I experienced something a lot more different - different countries, accents, and bigger and better opportunities.

I thought The World Grad School Tour would be like any other post-uni graduate event, but speaking to institutions such as The University of Hawaii, about funding in MA Media & Communications completely eradicated the surreal feeling. Now, I'm not necessarily saying I'm definitely planning on studying a masters beside palm trees and beaches (getting work done would be impossible), but this whole day made me realise that our dreams and aspirations can literally point us in any direction. We need to stop thinking narrow and start thinking more wide.

My planning process grew even wider. I also spoke with The School of Media Studies - Based in New York City! The course curriculum sounded extraordinary and I always warm towards institutions that support you vocationally after finishing the course - so important! The University of Cardiff also offered fantastic practicality modules on their Journalism courses - there were so many to name I fell in love!

Depending on what you study, you can pursue a career in it; in numerous places. It's almost cliché when said but the world really is our oyster. My plans after graduating sound straight-forward, but the process will really challenge my strengths and how bad I really want to become a journalist. I'm excited for the road ahead - BUT. PLANNING. IS EVERYTHING.

You never want to look back and wish that you went in direction A rather than in direction B. I know it sounds silly but write a timeline or to-do list, of what steps you hope to take after graduating - as you work your way up towards where you hope to be.

My little written timeline is split into two and is titled: Graduate Job VS Further Education. I didn't necessarily write it in the way that I would be choosing one over the other, but rather writing below the two the benefits of going for either of the two. Another thing I love about the idea of studying a Masters is that you don't have to be a certain age when studying it! So I could go straight into a good journalism job after graduating (God willing), and then when the time is right, go ahead and perhaps study a masters in (TV) Journalism. Sounds like a good plan to me

If you're reading this and freaking out about your future - please don't! there's time :) also, please feel free to message me via my Facebook page, about any queries or questions - I'm apparently good at giving advice

A few pictures from the awesome day at The World Grad School tour:

Following on from the graduate fair that I went to earlier on in June, I kept contact with News International, another incredible place I could potentially land in after graduating. I was invited to their workshop on Friday 23rd August 2013, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Info on News International Graduate Scheme

I thought it would be like any other workshop, where we'd be given loads of advice and tips on how to reach each of our journalism goals. This was nothing like that! We were treated like journalists - we were based in a newsroom and had to report a LIVE 'incident', with bits of information coming through at least every 5 minutes! Not to mention being on the clock and having to construct 250 words of an article. There was a lot of pressure; but the buzz I felt was awesome. It's what I want to do! The time was up and I was content with what I had written. My article on the "Birmingham Explosion" is below

The workshop then ended and became a chance to network and speak with the other people who had also attended. All of them were students, from very good universities - it was great networking and even giving tips myself to students at Oxford on how to get yourself out there experience-wise!!

Awesome day.

It was lovely officially meeting a large number of the OnIn London team! As one of the publications I write for, it's so great to see how we are constantly growing to give lovely Londoners the best news, updates, reviews, advice, lifestyle tips, and more.

We all come from different backgrounds, and have so many ideas to bring to the table. No team is better than a team with diversity. I look forward to the future outings and lovely conversations that I had on this very enjoyable night in Soho!

OnIn London Page

Versatility is what it's all about - as I move upwards in the journalism ladder, many of the skills I hope to obtain can literally come from anywhere. The funny thing about this article that was published last week by Blirt Magazine, was that I had no clue I'd be writing it - it was based on an issue that had shockingly hit home. A friend was in need and I became a part of her voice through this article in opposition to the laws and regulations of another country...5000 miles away!

I did mad research on China and had some knowledge of it whilst studying Media for a-levels. It was a very urgent message that needed to be sent to everyone, and I'm glad that straight after my own article was published, other (respected) publications such as The Evening Standard, and The Hackney Gazette were spreading similar news to the importance of this case, and how urgent the law in this country must change.

My Article - "A Mother's Cry for Help...5000 miles away."

I finally plucked up the courage to make my very own Facebook page! It was a long time coming and a real confidence boost coming from my fellow peers. The reception I received was so lovely and warming and pushed me further to really get myself out there! My optimism is at an all-time high and the only way is up from here.

A few shots of my Facebook page:

It's also great to have this page so rather than sharing it only my personal Facebook page, there is something more direct where literally anyone can look at my work, thoughts and what I'm up to! One of the best decisions I've made in a long time

www.facebook.com/hannahajalajournalist

Started my new office job over a month ago (purely for financial reasons). I've also been really brushing up a lot on my very own Facebook page! I was so nervous to do it and wasn't entirely sure on the kind of response I'd get - 100 likes in less than 2 weeks was a massive surprise! It puts so much joy in my heart knowing that people support my dreams and aspirations.

I have a few posts coming up shortly after this so I'm going to put on this blog (cheeky little self reminder)

- snippets and links to my Facebook page

- my most recent article that was published via Blirt Magazine this week

- a lovely outing and meet & greet with the OnIn London team

- the News Associates workshop that I am literally on my way to today as I'm on the train typing all of this on my iPhone!

- upcoming thoughts and ideas as I push towards that broadcast journalist direction; an interview!

Stay posted - August is being such a joyous month! :-)

Festival(s):
Local Yoruba Festival click here for review

Wireless! click here for review

Album: Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail
click here for review

Theatre: The Amen Corner
click here for review
Sneak peek:

A very tiny preview of my Summer 2013!

Seriously. I love going to these events. They're so refreshing. Constantly gaining more contacts, speaking to more people and expressing your ambition to the people that can help!

It was good. Obviously, me being the eager budding journo, I only set eyes on the stands that were media related. And I stumbled across a News Associates stand where I spoke to a lovely lady about the main content of the 20 week course, what it offers, and how great the chances are of receiving a job after completing the course. This conversation reminded me a lot of when I went to the spring graduate fair at senate house in April this year. Both courses are NCTJ qualified. What course is more suitable for myself though? Time to dig a little deeper and do research on this.

It really does put a smile on my face knowing that I'm 95% decisive of what I want to go once I graduate and I'm already working towards that :-)

I also forgot to mention that I've been offered a place at the National Council For the Training of Journalists next year!

Keep 'em coming. God is too great.

And alsooo, below are a few pics I took at the London graduate fair, which took place in Angel, in the business design centre, on Thursday 20th June.

I liked this slide in particular. Why should we feel shy when talking about our skills to employers? We worked hard to gain these skills, it could have been a struggle to adapt to these skills, so why not be proud of them and show them off a little!

In order to get any job on this planet, you need to show the right attitude and characteristics to your future employer. Confidence is everything and as a journalist, people skills was a characteristic that only had to become natural to me - it was (and is) a necessity

Overall, an awesome day!

Second year of university is over. It's officially my Summer holiday, and I can fully enjoy and focus on going on holidays <3, napping, spending most of my time freely, but most importantly; STAYING PRODUCTIVE.
It's funny how many would only relate productivity with schoolwork and assignments.

No, no, and no. We need to constantly drive for our ambition and work at it; this free time should purely be spent on self achievements and doing things that make you happy. Never be lazy! I don't think I've ever been bored since about the age of 13. There is literally always something to do!

I've made a little wishlist of what I hope to achieve during Summer e.g. taking up pilates, which I began this morning and went well despite my constant pauses during stretches. Another achievement that I'm slightly nervous about but know that it will definitely do me good, is to begin my dissertation. 8, 000 words. Due roughly this time next year. Eek! I do have a rough idea of what I hope to research and write about, which is fine, and I have learnt from recent years to never get stressed as it'll only make things worse. My third and final year of university beginning in October will indeed be a challenge, but God is 100% my strength and I know I'll give it all I can!

All in all; bring on Summer! I've been waiting for this glorious 4 month holiday for a little while now and I am oh so excited for all of the tremendous memories and achievements it shall bring! :-) stay tuned x

The sequel that is famously known as Fast and Furious 6 is an incredible action movie which featured my actor brother David Ajala, and is probably the best one out!
ONIN knew it would be a great opportunity for me to promote it on a personal view, and I had the privilege of getting pre-viewing tickets before the release date! Epic!

Full article here

Sooo I've also been lucky enough to work for a fabulous online review organisation called ONIN London. It's a very easy and approachable way to read about the latest events, places to visit, and reviews from many Lovely Londoners like myself! :-)

Very great team that I get along with very well. I like the fact that I can construct my own ideas on the type of media I can publish through onin, and it just fits very well with the theme of the publication

My latest work published by onin was on Jay Z, check it out here

Full article here

On Monday 19th April, I was incredibly lucky to become a part of a graduate scheme taking place in the tremendous News International Organisation, based in Wapping (such a gorgeous part of London).

The stunning view

News International is owned by the genius that is Rupert Murdoch, and also runs one of my favourite publications being The Sunday Times. Entering the building and even having my name down on a list that I had to mention at reception was an honor. I really felt in awe and had chills knowing that one day, this will be my life. This will be my job. This will be me!

The scheme was held by lovely Rebecca North, who works in HR for The Sun at News International. She was very down to earth and I immediately became a fan to her genuine Essex girl accent!

The ice-breakers during the scheme really helped me and many other soon-to-be graduates to get to know each other a lot better, not to mention all of the exciting features of the scheme (which I'm sure would be okay to display here):

- the scheme lasts for 2 years, and starts with a 2 week induction kick-off
- each placement is specific to a single department, may include opportunities to work in different specialist areas
- gives graduates the opportunity to get involved in real projects straight away, giving the chance to start developing skills and making immediate contribution to the business

The really interesting thing being a part of this scheme was realising that I was the only aspiring journalist. The other 10-12 grads were more interested in the marketing side of these publications, so I thought; BIGGER CHANCE FOR ME! But then again, nothing in life is ever handed to you on a plate.

I had such a brilliant time and even to be a part of this was such an amazing feeling, it's really given me a much clearer direction of where I hope to be once I graduate, even though I'm only in my second year of university at the moment and won't be able to apply until next year, I'm definitely sticking this incredible placement on the bulletin board!

On Friday 5th April, I attended an amazing journalism conference at London school of economics based in Holborn

It was really great hearing from journalists and their knowledge of the industry, as discussing in depth about what their job mainly entails

The key speakers were excellent! I was especially intrigued into the role of a spokesperson and multimedia journalist from Bloomberg news - Marianne Bouchart, as she showed us how she inputs HTML and all the technological stuff!

I love attending these sort of events as it broadens my horizon more of the journalism field and of course helps me to gain contacts!

To check it out on the website >> Short article on Cara Delevingne

Check it out on the website too! Article on Rihanna & Princess Di

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