Full name: Chayya Syal
Position / Job title: Freelance Writer, Blogger at Avid Scribbler and author of the e-book, Colour Me In
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
This question always makes me laugh because I had some rather embarrassing career aspirations. When I was around 4-5 I wanted to become a frog (don’t ask!) and from the age of 6 to 11 I wanted to become Prime Minister. Then somewhere in between, I wanted to become a writer.
2. Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
I’ve always had a love and deep appreciation for writing and the arts. I was clearing out my living space ages ago and I found a poem I’d written when I was 7. It was about pigeons in Trafalgar Square; I guess that makes me a Londoner through and through!
From a young age I was always told that “writing isn’t a career” and that I should focus my energies elsewhere. But on the other side, I was always encouraged by my dad and my teachers to not stop writing because I was so good at it. So the issue I had (and still have) is that with regards to the current job market in the UK, there is nothing that energises, motivates and inspires me in the way that writing does. I’m determined to make it work and prove to myself that I can do it regardless.
Writing has always been something I’ve naturally enjoyed and helps me cope with life in general – I’ve got through some very dark days purely because I sat down and just wrote out my feelings.
Two years ago, I began my own blog “Avid Scribbler” and would randomly write posts. Fast forward to today, I graduated from university, I’ve got a global readership, a new e-book, run writing workshops and contribute to a variety of social causes and publications (digital and print).
3. Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships?
With writing, I find it to be extremely difficult to break into. It’s notoriously challenging to get into a creative industry, so much so, that I’ve seen many young men and women just make their own blog and build up their own empire from it. We’ve seen how effective social media is.
The biggest issue I faced was whether I wanted to be a writer or a journalist – I felt that I had to choose one. At the same time, I faced a lot of pressure to get a “real job” like everyone else and keep my writing on the side as a hobby.
I found that simply emailing or calling editors’ offices was not enough. To this day, I don’t even get an automated reply which is extremely unprofessional. When you come up against such brick walls, time and time again, I’m not surprised that journalism has become exclusive to a certain group/type of individuals. And I’m not surprised that so many Gen Y-ers are taking that risk to become entrepreneurs and be in control of their job status.
I manage to secure writing positions at magazines and newspapers through my blog, LinkedIn, word of mouth, recommendations and networking. If you have a blog: write regularly and always interact with your readership because you never ever know who will stumble across it.
I currently am at this position through a mix of the following: self belief, luck, being stubborn enough to not give up, love for what I do, networking and hard work.
With regards to internships, a disgusting trend is emerging here in the UK where employers will hire graduates as interns, not pay them and finish interning without a job. Once they leave, they get a new batch of naïve interns and repeat the process.
I would always advise people to go through a trusted recruitment agency for any job position. They sift through the dodgy employers and will have the opportunity to really get to know you, your ambitions and have a good idea of what positions you would be suited to.
I recently completed an internship with a recruitment company. For the first 3 months I was so shy, quiet, angry and hated every second of it. But then I realised that I had to drop my ego and take whatever I could from this internship, be myself and apply it to my external job ambitions.
As a result, I learnt so much and truly gained a lot from it. I have more readers for my blog, met and worked with some extraordinary people, got a great reference and finished my internship on an extremely positive note. I’ve even stayed friends with my former work colleagues and employer.
Internships are good, but people expect too much from them. Getting an internship does not automatically guarantee you a “foot in the door” of a company. It’s all about experience, having transferrable skills and being adaptable. If you are offered an internship, check out the fine print, always print off a copy of your contract and highlight the legal jargon before accepting it. Once you’re in, open your ears, prepare yourself to learn and embrace it with an open mind. Tell yourself that you will learn something new every day. It might not be the industry you want to be in, but life has a very funny way of working itself out for you. Trust it and trust yourself.
4. Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
This varies as I work from home a lot (has its pros and cons) and often go into central London for various assignments.
A home assignment for an article usually consists of me waking up at around 8:30am, having breakfast (I cannot function without sleep or food), I spend an hour jotting down a To Do list, get cracking on research/data/statistics. Then I type up a first draft and leave it for a day or two (depending on deadline dates). I take a break from writing: I go for a walk or exercise or or give my grandma some company.
My brain, for some reason, is always more alert in the evenings. So I edit, tweak and type until I’m happy with the article and then email it over to an editor. I refuse to work beyond 11:30pm because I value sleep, time to be by myself and unwind.
For a review assignment, I spend the morning doing last minute research, preparing questions I have about the show, map out a foolproof route (need a Plan B with London transport) and always arrive 30 mins before the show begins. I freshen up, read over my notes and questions. The go in to watch the show. Throughout I make notes, quotes and jot down my initial feelings and responses. After the show, I network a little and ask how other audience members found the show. I then get a train home, shower, sleep and type up the review a day or two afterwards.
If I’m lucky, I get to attend film reviews and the VIP after party which is always great fun!
5. What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made?
Offering my work as a freelance writer for free and not being confident enough to negotiate pay. I used to always get quite scared whenever I had to discuss money for the work I was doing. To be very honest, I still do.
Another thing that I’m slowly amending is learning to embrace my successes and strengths: I feel that women are often told from a young age to downplay their intelligence, skills and capabilities.
It wasn’t until I did an internship with a recruitment company as a Research Intern that I realised how recruiters viewed candidates, their CVs, their skills set and how they pitched this.
6. What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women?
Be yourself and do not ever give up. At the start of my internship and when I began freelancing, I wasn’t myself. I was a very timid, quiet, shy person who would turn up, get the job done and leave feeling dejected and sad. And all too often – penniless.
I didn’t stand up for myself enough. I found that the second I relaxed, calmed myself down and said: “They’ve got two legs, a stomach and a brain” that I immediately was myself.
Employers and work colleagues pick up on that sort of thing. Being yourself is so powerful because only you can do it.
7. Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
To be very honest, I’m still looking for what work/life balance ratio actually looks like. I’ve found that it is possible provided that you set boundaries between work and life. For example: I refuse to work all day on a Saturday, do not check emails after 10pm and put my phone on airplane mode on a Sunday.
It’s so important that I get enough sleep, spend time with my family and loved ones, unwind and have time for myself. I don’t believe in the whole: “I stay awake at night to make my dreams happen” – if I did that I wouldn’t be on form, level headed and as productive as I am. Before I didn’t make time for myself because I was worried that I would be seen as “weak” and “unprofessional” – rubbish. What is unprofessional is falling asleep at work and being an emotional wreck. Your health and wellbeing comes first always. You cannot work at your best if you are not rested and stable.
8. Do you have any career role models? Who are they?
I particularly love JK Rowling, Oprah Winfrey and Vera Wang. Despite facing obstacles, failures, nasty comments that would have derailed them, they stuck to their guns and made their job aspirations become a reality.
I think it’s so important to have such strong minded and determined women because it directly shows other women that you can beat the system.
9. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise?
A wonderful work colleague and friend, from my internship, told me: “Chayya you have to put a value on yourself and the work you offer. You are a smart, intelligent and talented young lady: but you are too meek. I don’t understand this: you must fight for what you deserve. If a job salary isn’t high enough or what you want; do not be afraid to walk away. Just say to them: “Ok I like the role but the pay is insufficient for my economic equilibrium. I have an offer for a similar role from another company and they are willing to offer a higher salary.”
That way they see that you have balls, can handle yourself and know how much you are worth. Always put yourself first and imagine that you are living on your own whenever you see job salaries.
10. Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?
That’s the worst thing a parent can say to their child. They should be fined a £1000 for every time they use that old fashioned, antediluvian and useless phrase.
Funny enough, my dad never ever uses that phrase to my siblings and I. It’s something my extended family says and does, because they don’t understand how much things have changed.
I remember an aunt saying that to me as a 14 year old and it struck fear into my heart. I imagined Satan being my boss, every commuter on my bus or train judging me, sneering at my career ambitions and that the world of work was an evil, cold, soulless place to be in.
Obviously, as I grew up, got more work experience and actually grew up in sync with a rapidly advancing world I found that the world of work is what you make of it.
She might have had a terrible job experience, but that didn’t mean that mine was doomed or going to be terrible.
11. Should you work for the money, or do what you love?
I’d say that this tends to change in the duration of a person’s career. When we leave university (college or Higher Education) our first instinct is to get a job, any job, to generate income. After all we want to pay off that student debt and begin enjoying life.
But all too often, we rush into jobs without reading the fine print of our contracts and find ourselves in a job that we don’t enjoy because it doesn’t motivate us.
If you do find yourself in that situation, as I have, please don’t give up on what you love. I have managed to work full time jobs in offices and still kept up my blog, my journalism and writing. You just have to be very disciplined, driven and well organized with your time.
Here in the UK, the recession proved to us that the idea of “job security” and “a job for life” simply does not exist anymore. So for a lot of Gen Y-ers, it’s important that we get job satisfaction from the work that we do. This is the main difference between Gen Y and previous generations; our parents would have been grateful for any job because they’d be getting a positive cash flow. Times change and so do priorities.
12. How important is money to you when considering a job?
When considering a job, money is important: after all the cost of living is ever increasing whilst salaries aren’t. It would be very naïve to say that money doesn’t matter because it does.
You have to value yourself, your skills, your work and your worth in terms of an employee. You are giving an employer value, time, energy and your skills to further their business. In addition, you have to have a salary expectation that is line with your current economic equilibrium and lifestyle.
13. What is the single most important factor of a job?
You have to enjoy what you do. And if you don’t enjoy your current job, adjust your mindset and attitude towards it whilst looking for another job. Network around; speak to your family, friends and utilise LinkedIn fully.
14. If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.)
I’m one of these people who needs to be busy or doing something. The worst thing, for me, is to sit on my laurels and not work. I love working and creating things amongst a chaotic world – regardless of my future spouse’s income I would still work.
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