Competition: prize is a Panasonic camcorder

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The best thing on television at the moment, by far, is The Apprentice. We love it because it's about work - and I want more like it. I want to know what everyone else spends their days doing. I want to know what else is out there and actually I want to know how people got where they are.

To this end we have launched a competition to find the best short film which shows you in your role. You can take your video on your phone or on a digital or a video camera. The only restrictions really are that it be no longer than five minutes (any longer and it won't qualify), and that you have permission from whomever you work for or with.

Your video should clearly state your role, who you work for and your name and must show what you do day-to-day. It can be filmed with humour but it must be an honest account.

Click here to enter.

Spend, spend, spend!

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With all the talk of tightening the purse strings and the doom and gloom of the predicted economy, I wonder whether all of those collecting their first pay packet this month will have the luxury of blowing it all on frippery?

So much of our adult lives is spent being cautious - preparing for a downturn, keeping an eye out for disaster and actually in debt (the average adult now owes £33,000) - that it should be compulsory for a first pay to be indulged.

I spent £150 of my first pay on knickers. That was nearly 20 years ago, so it was a ridiculous amount of money.

I will never forget the enjoyment of watching my underwear being parcelled up with tissue (a particularly apt wrapping) - or the feeling of pure wantonous. It is a memory I have often recalled in my more salient moments of trying to balance my large outgoings with my smaller incomings. I am glad therefore that I took the chance when I could, to be indulgent.

Did you? What did you spend your first pay packet on?

Tempted? Always.

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Looking after the content on a jobs site is a constant battle of restraint. Every day I am tempted by job ads and every day I face a daydream of a different life, a different location, a different salary ...
This is a particularly onerous on days when the weather is at odds with the time of year ie; snow in spring.

There's a particularly tempting job being advertised at the moment in Italy. It's for a community editor. They don't specify the actual location but just the mention of Italy is enough to transport me on to a piazza, sipping a glass of Amorone in dappled sunshine.

And if a recent report on working abroad by the Centre for Future Studies, I wouldn't even have to take a pay cut. In fact I would be looking forward to a 43% rise.

It's not just in the rest of the world, though, where temptation lies. Closer to home, the idea of working in Brighton and emailing from the beach as you can with the free WiFi access now, is really appealing.

Just in land a little from Brighton there's a project editor job in Lewes. Which some will argue is better than Brighton to live. I could start on my costume now to join the locals in celebrating the downfall of the Gunpowder Plot - apparently what Lewes is most famous for. Carry a torch through the streets and let off some fireworks.

Today however the one which has caught my eye is based in Dublin: content manager for Getty images. I have always quite fancied living in Dublin (not that I have actually been there). It appeals to my literary persuasions. A small enough city which I could walk round, an exciting and developing economy, especially around new media, 167 different languages to choose from ...where's my CV?

The question is of course, would changing my location improve my quality of life? Or would everything just be the same? Has a change in your location changed you?

Questions you should have asked at interview

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How many times have you come out of an interview wishing you had asked more pertinent questions? It is surely one of the hardest parts of an interview - the any questions section at the end. It is so hard to remember that the interview is your chance to make sure the company and the job is what you are looking for just as much as it is about them choosing you.

Some of the questions I wish I have been able to ask (and ones I will try to ask in my next interview) are:

What was it about my covering letter and CV which prompted you to invite me in to interview?
I have never asked this question yet it is something I am always dying to know the answer to. In fact you should really ask this question right at the beginning of the interview. That way you have a much better understanding of what they are looking for and you can then tailor your answers.

What do I have to do to make sure my salary keeps rising and when can I expect my first pay rise?
Pay is always tricky to ask about. You don't want to come across too intersted in the money - after all it should be about the role not the reward - however it is a key issue and we shouldn't feel unable to clarify the pay structure nor the pattern for rises.

How much do you invest in training? And how are you going to develop me?
You should make sure that the company you are going to work for has a comprehensive and transparent training programme. In your interview ask directly about training.
If you are to give them your time, expertise and commitment, they have a duty to invest some cash in developing your career. I would like to ask for an actual schedule and list of personal development courses they have on offer.

What is my line of promotion?
Again tricky as you don't want to seem overly ambitious to the extent that they begin to consider why you applied for this particular role, however, it is important to know where you can go from this point and how long it could take.

These are the questions that immediately spring to my mind - what questions do you wish you'd asked in the interview for your current role?