The good news is: as of this morning, I am officially a 'Hertbeat FM Apprentice'. This means that I have to compete against five others in my local area for a job I would love (trainee presenter on the breakfast show), and the fact that it should be 36,000 times easier than it was the last time I went for a job I wanted (TBJITW, obviously) is not making me feel any better. Frankly, it doesn't matter a jot if you're up against thousands and thousands of international candidates from around the world or five people from Welwyn Garden City, Hitchin and Stevenage: it's all about what you have to offer, and how good you are. And that hasn't changed, even if the odds are better this time.
But it's great news anyway. My favourite thing about Best Job (apart from starting this blog) were the radio slots, so it could be an amazing opportunity. And it means that another door is opening, even if it means it might shut again before the week is out. Which leaves me feeling like Alice In Wonderland, but in a good, pre-potion kind of way.
The bad news is: I now have to refer to a job title that spellcheck yet again hates. It keeps trying to change it into Heartbeat, because cunning puns are apparently not built into its functionality server. It's short for Hertfordshire, I keep trying to tell the wiggly red lines: but they're not having any of it, so I'm going to have to push the geek in me to the bottom of my stomach and try to ignore them (although it's like trying to have a good day when you've been given a B on an essay, frankly).
Over the next few weeks, I have to do 'tasks' that are allocated by the Hertbeat FM team (I met them when I went into the studio for Best Job, and they're awesome. Awesome. They also - I might add - apparently read this blog), and every week one of us will be fired.
Which leads me to an irony to top all ironies. Queensland Tourism told me - after the shenanigans were all over - that one of the main reasons I didn't make the final of Best Job was my 'promotional activity'. I was great on media relations but low on creative stunts, apparently, and they had hoped for more. The first task for the Hertbeat FM job is to promote Hertbeat FM locally, in a creative, stunt-y kind of way. Excellent.
The thing is: after an initial freak-out, I suddenly realised that Queensland and Hertbeat were asking two very different things from me: and it was this one I was comfortable with. Queensland wanted me to promote me: myself as Caretaker of Hamilton Island. Hertbeat FM wants me to promote Hertbeat FM. And - while I'd rather shoot myself in the face than tell the public why I, personally, rock - I'm quite happy to tell them why something else does.
So - knowing that my competition may well try and nick my ideas - I'm laying them out here first. I shall be The Queen of Herts. I'm thinking: cakes with the logo, handed out to commuters in the morning; stickers, given to local shopkeepers; videoing the local people about Hertbeat; dressing up as The Queen of Herts. You name it: I'll be out there, giving it my best shot.
Not because I've learnt my lesson, you see, but because this time I actually believe in what I'm trying to sell.
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