#HireMeLeh: Here's Your Chance To Be On Bus Stop Billboards! (And Be Hired)
There are a couple of things I excel at in life – Netflix and comatose, competitive eating, and of course there’s procrastinating topping the list.
With my final exams coming up in NUS a couple of months back, I found myself looking to do useless things as my study notes were sprawled in front of me. I swear, if you listened closely, you could almost hear the papers whisper ‘ look at me, liz.’
I did what any other student would do- I turned to my laptop and started browsing the web. My dream company had always been Google. I pulled up the page for job opportunities on Google, and searched for any position that might suit me under Communications. I was severely disappointed to find out that the extremely limited vacancies in my dream company were all managerial positions.
‘5- 10 years experience’
Well, there’s no way I’d ever be considered for that.
Before I knew it, my exams were over and my Facebook feed was flooded with graduation photos. My friends were celebrating the end of their academic journey, and they all seemed very happy that this phase in their life was over. All I could think was ‘ Do they realize what’s coming up next?’
Unemployment, that’s what.
Hopping on the bandwagon, I decided to shoot a graduation photo series as well, but I wanted to add an element of truth to it.
A good friend of mine, Alex, had just returned from UK, and over coffee one day, I brought up the idea for my graduation shoot. He was just as excited as I was, and not the least bit fazed at the idea of having to shoot me in potentially embarrassing situations – cue the photo of me squatting next to a dustbin.
He took the photos and I edited them. The next day, the photos were up on my Facebook page and website. Response was good – a couple of friends liked it. Then they started sharing it. Before I knew it, things blew up. My phone particularly (No, I don’t own a Samsung 7) – with notifications on Facebook, Instagram, and my website.
Mothership.sg picked up on my graduation photoshoot, newspaper journalists were asking for interviews, Malaysian papers were featuring me. It was all very surreal. I spent the week very kindly turning down the job offers – a couple of weeks had gone by since the end of my academic journey, and I had already decided to take on the life of a freelancer. I was doing pretty well – a couple of shoots, a handful of events, and a number of business collaborations.
One of the more amazing collaborations that came out of this is my work with Bid4ad.
‘Bid4Ad is an online marketplace for space providers, advertisers and agencies to buy and sell print, outdoor and online media advertising spaces in real time.’
They’re the one stop shop for all your traditional and online media advertising – the middleman between advertisers and space providers. They make advertising on different platforms hassle-free and highly convenient. They were looking to sponsor bus stop billboards for someone, and look, here I am!
I jumped at the opportunity to work with Bid4ad, because c’mon, who wouldn’t want their photos to be on bus stops in Singapore?
But I can’t be the only one who benefits from this, can I?
To the fresh graduates reading this, I hope to inspire you to never give up.
But talk is cheap.
So here’s what’s happening: Bid4Ad and I want to help you out. We’re running a contest to help boost your chances of employment. Of course, we’re doing this my way – creatively and potentially embarrassing.
You’ve seen me on bus stop ads all around the CBD – here’s your chance to take my place on these bus stops.
It’s simple. All you have to do is show us in one photo how badly you’d like to be hired/ your dream job. Of course, the more creative you are, the better your photo will be. Take my #HireMeLeh photo series for example.
1. Post your photo on your Facebook page and Instagram (Make sure it’s not a private account!)
2. Remember to tag Bid4Ad on the photos, with the hashtags #Hiremeleh and #Getyourads.
Tag me too – I’d love to see your entries!
3. And the last step is to fill up this online form.
The photo with the most likes will get their photos plastered all over the CBD area with 5 billboards – just like me! ( It's all paid for!)
Find out more information here: http://go.bid4ad.com/boost-your-chances-of-employment-with-bid4ad
Contest runs till 25th November, so hurry!
Follow @Bid4Ad and me (@elizabethboon) to find out who the winner is! Results will be announced on 28th November.
All the best!