Busy bee

I have had a crazy week!

Although I started back at Oxfam on the 6th Jan it was Monday this week when everything really kicked up a gear. January is a key recruiting month for runners as it is the period of New Year Resolutions. I've even signed up to run in the Bupa London 10,000 in a bid to keep up a fitness regime. I have a feeling I'll stick to it as Oxfam did a survey and 42% of respondents usually give up on a new year fitness regime within a month but that falls to 28% if they have signed up to run for us. So if you want to get fit sign up to fundraise with Oxfam and your more likely to look good in your bikini in summer! Armed with this extra information I've been busy contacting Personal Trainers, Running Clubs, Sports Associations etc and I'm going to do some more next week. It's rewarding to see that our sign-ups have increased this week and most seem to have come from Scotland so looks like I'm doing something right.

What's most exciting though is that I'm going to takeover Oxfam's communication with our Edinburgh Marathon Festival runners. If you've signed up expect to speak to me a few times over the coming months. I'll be sending emails, making phone calls and answering runners enquiries. I also get to write my own communications and formulate a timetable. I'm really looking forward to speaking to the runners I've met and getting to know those I haven't. Moreover, I've learnt how to use our console (the online database that is provided by GSi that holds our runners info) and now fully understand what happens when our runners sign up.

Good time management is going to be essential this month. As much as I would love to fulfil every recruitment idea I have it's just not possible. As one of my colleagues said when I started in fundraising you have to spend your time on activities which will bring the most return (in this case sign ups), especially when doing something new. I'll have to schedule time to complete my new role as the key contact for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival runners and decide what will be the most effective form of communication.

And... a blog post of mine has been published on the Oxfam website! You can see it here.

My Mum & Dad came to visit this week. They liked my flat and much prefer the area to where I used to live in Liverpool. We had a lovely long 3 hour lunch and as Cate was with us spent most of the time talking about politics. I loved it! It's always good to have a debate especially when people have very different views on things. Plus, as Cate is a journalist she knows loads about Obama and has many interesting facts about Westminster. We also talked a lot about what I'm going to do after this internship finishes.

I've been thinking about my future and about when it'll be best to start applying for jobs. I think it's a constant dilema as an intern, particularly if your doing a 6-9 month one like I am. I've seen a couple of jobs that look amazing and will use the skills I've gained already but as much as people tell me I should take opportunities when I find them surely a potential employer won't be impressed by an intern whose prepared to leave a project before it's complete. I want to see my placement through to the end, I've invested too much time and learnt too much to walk away so I'll just have to keep fantasising about going on holiday. Then again it can take a while to find a new job, especially in a market that's being flooded by laid-off public sector workers, so I think I'm going to start searching and applying a few months before my placement finishes. What are other interns planning to do?

I haven't posted an opinion piece since my Giving Green Paper one so I'm going to work on one this week. Having said that I'm using this blog to document what an internship at Oxfam is like and what I've been up to - so I'm not going to worry too much if I haven't thought of anything to say. I've also changed the layout of the blog and added some pages for you to have a gander at.