Hey everyone!
Earlier today I attended two online sessions which I thought I would briefly write about in a blog post. The first was called 'Navigating the Creative Job Market', specifically focusing on how to look for jobs whilst in a global pandemic, and the second session was a 'Masterclass with The Guardian' where a panel of 4 professionals explained how each of them got into their current careers and advice they would give on a variety of questions!
Event Title: Creative Futures 2021: Navigating the Creative Job Market (2PM-3PM)
In this first session hosted by Rish and Megan, they discussed the evidence about the creative sector, how the job market has changed, tips on 'getting yourself out there', available resources and where to get support. They explained that prior to the pandemic, 'creative industries were one of the most vital contributors to the UK economy' at almost £112 billion, but the pandemic caused a variety of businesses and companies to shut down temporarily (or close for good!). The advice that was given, was to think about different types of jobs to apply for and think about different ways of working; such as short term contract work or part time work, compared to studio work which isn't currently happening due to the current restrictions.
We also found out about 'LMI' which stands for Labour Market Information and some important facts about it are theat digital and remote working is increasing, at least 75% of creative jobs are now moving outside of London - including areas such as Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham among others. They also suggested that talent pools are good thing to try and sign up for, as that means companies can directly target you with new vacancies when a new role becomes available. Rish added that there are a lot of small to medium enterprises which take up 60-70% of the job market and often unknwown the students and graduates, and roles that include the words 'UI/UX' could actually not be as complicated as the job title suggests; with the letters meaning 'User Inferface' or 'User Experience', which often involved website design, colours, shapes and sometimes marketing or advertising. Megan explained that Barclays bank have now created a 'design hub'. We were also told a statistic that from the UK Creative Arts Graduates from the class of 2018, when they found work in September of 2019, their salaries were between £24,217 and £24,487' but Rish added that if based in London, you'd probably want a higher paid salary as London is a more expensive area to live in, but it could also help you save more money if you think about moving to a cheaper area with the ability to save more money. Here's a screenshot of the main graduate employers at the moment:
Rish's advice was to be proactive, confident and ensure that you work on your elevator pitch. We were shown a video of candidates from The Apprentice and some of the famous catchphrases that they are commonly known for. He added that it's all about selling yourself, but to remember that The Apprentice is an entertainment show, and a lot of the things that they come up with is crazy. He suggested using LinkedIn, social media and not having a photograph on your CV. Websites that they suggested NTU students and graduates to use included Grads4Nttm, the Graduate Internship Scheme which was a 6 week paid placement through the Future You Programme, along with other websites such as FutureHub, JobShop and the new Employability podcast called 'Empcast'.
Event Title: Creative Access Masterclass: The Guardian (5PM-6PM)
In the second session, 4 professionals all working for The Guardian came to talk about their journeys in to the industry whilst also giving some advice and answering questions from the virtual audience (including one from me!). Chaired by Jacqueline Otagburuagu, she asked each of the panel a variety of questions including;
(1) - Why do you do what you do?, (2) - What does it take to keep a business like The Guardian going? and (3) - Why do we need an opinion column? which all of them gave quite detailed answers to, but I won't ruin their introductions for them as you can hear what they say if you join a future session that they are a part of. Their names are Adam Foley, Joseph Harker and Imogen Fox!
The panel were asked about 'Tips for people starting somewhere and wanting to jump somewhere else' which Imogen replied to by saying 'be open to suggestions, applying skills you learn in one sector to another one', with Jacqueline admitting that 'everyone in this space has the power to make change happen'.
Joseph added that 'having a diverse workplace is better' and explained that you often have people that are able to share different opinions on the same topic. Jacqueline admitted that she wasn't hired due to her previous multimedia experience in a previous company, she was hired because of her interesting work experience...adding 'experience looks different for different people'. Adam added that 'we have to have a representative branding department, it's not nice to have, it's a tick box'. Jacqueline also explained that some of the things in her role that make her excited and motivated, people in other industries might not find exciting. Some of the companies that were mentioned throughout the session included:
Zenith Media , EMI, Heineken, Capital One, The Guardian / The Guardian Labs, Out Of Home, Jungle Creations, Lad Bible, Sky, Olay and AFP among others.
The final part of the session saw Joseph answering quickfire questions about journalism, with his first question asking 'How to get yourself in a magazine/newspaper'. he explained that there were 4 main things to think about, and they were (1) - The Headline, and able to explain it in 15 words, (2) - Expand and make a piece out of it, working the angle you want to speak from, (3) - Say 'why you?', and include what expertise and skills you've go, and (4) - Write the full piece, avoids the question of '...but can this person write'. To finish up the session, Joseph explains that 'it helps if you have a specialism, but it helps if you have more specialisms. Make sure people are aware you can write about a variety of different things'
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post about some of the sessions I have attended recently, and I believe I have 2 more opportunities lined up *at the moment*, but could have more if any interesting emails come through to my inbox! I hope you're all staying safe, sane and sanitised..and we might be coming out of the other side of the pandemic, with some restrictions being lifted on Monday 29th 2021, but let's all still be sensible!