Boot Camp

Hi, my name is Amy, I am a Juice Academy social media apprentice at Journey 9 and I want to tell you about my experience so far and give you a few tips about Boot Camp.

When I was invited to The Boot Camp, I panicked. Interviews are not my strong point: I always get too nervous to sell myself to the employer. But I knew The Juice Academy was what I wanted to do, and I knew it was an amazing opportunity, so with a little reassurance from my Mum, I set off. If there’s anything that will take your mind off how nervous you are for something, it’s being nervous that you won’t even make it there on time! The traffic was working against me, but I used that time to read all my notes on the employers and get a grasp of what they were looking for. As soon as I arrived, I was welcomed and I knew that my worries had been for nothing. Even the building was welcoming, and once I started chatting to people, I started to relax a lot more.

The Boot Camp selection process is nothing like a standard interview- there’s no daunting office, no bleak waiting room, no awkward silences. It’s one interview that actually allows you to get comfortable with the employers and have fun. Obviously, you still have to make yourself shine, but it comes more naturally, as each of the different tasks throughout the day allow your strengths to come through. One thing I loved about The Boot Camp (other than the cookies) was that everyone, despite technically being competition, wanted each other to succeed. I knew that when I left that building, employed or not, that my confidence would have grown.

If I was to go through Boot Camp again, there are things that I would do differently. So this is my advice to you on how to prepare to the best you can:

Become social media savvy:

It’s time for you to collect knowledge that will make you shine. Social media is all about being current and up to date, and reading articles is one way to make sure you’re really on your game. The Guardian even has a news section dedicated to Digital Media. Reading these articles will make you feel confident in your own knowledge of social media, give you things to talk to the employer about, and may even help you if you’re lucky enough to secure a spot as an apprentice. Here are a few of the sites:

Mashable

TheDrum

PSFK

Digitaltrends.com

Do something that makes you feel confident:

We all have something we do that makes us feel confident- for some of us it’s getting a manicure, buying a new outfit, or maybe even a pep talk in the mirror. I had no idea who else was at The Boot Camp and what their abilities are, so I knew I had to make sure that in that crowd of people I stood out- and I did that by wearing something bright and memorable. Some employers knew my name straight away, and I don’t know for sure, but it may have been because of my bright little dungarees.

Research ALL of the employers:

Don’t ignore the employers which don’t jump out to you, or dismiss anything as ‘not for you’ because by the end of the day, they may end up being your favourite.

Do your research in advance; visit the company websites, follow them on Twitter and learn the facts. The more research you do, the more impressive you are!

Relax:

I know that that’s easy to say in retrospect, but there really is no reason to work yourself up like I did. Do something that makes you feel calm the night before: have a bath or an early night. The day really is a fun experience!

Good luck and congratulations for getting this far, if you have any questions you can drop me a tweet @amyjanecannon.