From #topperformer
Chin up, head down: how to stay positive during your graduate job hunt
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | We are hitting that time of year in the academic calendar when our final year students start to hit the ‘Springtime Slump’ in their graduate job search. The Autumn term is when our students are keen and eager, and pro-active with their job searches, and taking time out to network at career fairs. This is then followed by completing lots of online applications, and then here comes the hard part, the long wait to hear back from employers.
For graduate careers advisors, we are all very much aware that the recruitment and selection process for most large and multi-national employers can take up to 4 months, and which can include up to 5 stages of selection, but for the student going through the process, the whole process can feel very personal.
Which leads us to the ‘Springtime Slump’ now is the time of dissertations, project and assignment submissions, studio work for our creatives, final year shows, the list goes on, and around all of these degree commitments, the graduate job search needs to continue.
This article provides some excellent advice to keep the graduate job search alive, and more importantly helps student stay in control of their job search, whilst making sure that their confidence stays in tact.
http://careers.theguardian.com/graduate-job-search-stay-motivated
BBC Academy | Digital Skills Day | Salford (Media City | 17.03.15
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | Fantasic event opportunity for freelance creatives, especially our North West creatives. This event is aimed at freelancers from across the creative industries, there will be workshops and masterclasses in:
- Digital storytelling and how it differs online, the power of the internet for storytellers, the latest apps; from images to branching narratives, in world and out of world, and how to drive audiences round your stories.
- Interacting with the audience, which tools to use and when? How to analyse their impact, understand audience response, adjust and make a bigger impact.
- What do you need to know about Coding if you don’t code?
- Under the skin of Digital Ways of Working; from cloud to codec and beyond – the digital end to end and what you can steal to help you and your teams work better.
- And what are the big technological innovations coming your way? How can you spot new trends and what can you create with the new tech?
This event is co-produced by BBC Academy and Creative Skillset, with a wide range of industry trainers and partners.
Click here to see if you are eligible for this free event. http://creativeskillset.org/news_events/events/3341_digital_skills_day#utm_sguid=146924,dc5a693f-afb1-0102-2b32-3bc30bac1c59
7 things about references you haven’t thought of
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | Would you know who to use as your referee’s? Whilst you are studying, I would recommend you organise two referees, one academic (from your course), and one work related (current or most recent employer). Make sure you have complete sets of contact details for each referee ie. name, job title, work address and work telephone and email addresses.
I also think it is good to keep your university academic referee up to date with your application progress – that way they will b…e on the lookout for reference requests, but more importantly they will know how important the job opportunity means to you.
Common error for UG students is providing secondary school or six form college referees – these are now out of date, so I would not recommend you use them.
If you have not yet gained any work experience, you can provide a character reference instead, but my advice would be to start gaining work or voluntary experience so you have a work related referee available for the future.
Career advice for my younger self: what I wish I knew when I was 20
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | There is some really useful advice for undergraduates and graduates in this article. It is never too late to make a start on gaining work experience and achievements which can then become your USPs in future applications/interviews. No matter what sector you are keen to build a long and successful career in, there is so much opportunity out there for under-grads and grads to get taster experiences whilst studying. The only problem you may face is finding the time to experience them all!!
http://careers.theguardian.com/careers-blog/careers-advice-younger-self
“I Wish I Knew That Before I Created My Portfolio!” 10 Tips for Landing Your First (or Next) Design Job
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | I support some fantastic art and design under-graduates, many of whom are working exceptionally hard, and putting in very long studio hours into their final year work, as well as updating and developing their e-portfolios to support their CV’s, blogs and websites. I never get tired of my 1-2-1s as they talk me through their portfolios. Here is some really useful advice for any creatives looking at updating or creating a portfolio from scratch over the holidays.
http://adcglobal.org/i-wish-i-knew-that-before-i-created-my-portfolio/
Building your brand: how to project a powerful personal image
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | Finding this article was so perfectly timed for me. I have had an exceptionally busy week of under-graduate 1-2-1 appointments focussing on CVs and their personal brands, where I have been helping them see the value and professional benefits of raising their online profile in the forms of LinkedIn, blogs, twitter and Facebook. & for the creatives Tumblr and Instagram to showcase their creativity. This article provides some really useful advice for those starting out building their personal brands, as well as those who are looking at updating their current social media personal brands.
http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2014/dec/18/building-your-brand-personal-image
New chapter for children’s books in hospitals Partnership has brought hundreds of books to poorly kids
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | One of the things I love about my job, is about being surrounded by such creative and inspirational students, colleagues and clients. Through the collaborative work I am involved in, and the individuals I engage with through my service delivery, I get to be inspired by amazing stories like this. My colleagues, Kaye Tew, Rachel Bruce and Lisa Bach create and deliver amazing extra-curricular activities for our Manchester Metropolitan University, Humanities, Languages and Social Science under-graduates, and here is just one example of their fantastic work. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/news/news-items/3124/ and for more information about the Manchester Children’s Book Festival http://www.mcbf.org.uk/ #mmumakeadiff
How to land that dream job and more student advice | Creative Sector
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends | There is so much useful and creative advice available in this article. Now is the time for under-graduates and graduates to start looking at their portfolio’s, CV’s and personal brand identity (especially when it comes to social media). The graduate scheme and internship recruitment cycle is moving into its busiest period, and many students are actively attending career fairs, and networking with practitioners on-campus. Start your planning now, and you will be ready to take on the world, when it comes to the next steps in your fabulous career. http://creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2014/november/land-that-dream-job?cmpid=crnews_699738
10 Job Skills You’ll Need in 2020
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: 2020 is 5 years away and here are the top 10 skills that we might start hearing more of over the next couple of years. A little bit of forward planning will do no harm at all. Plus the skill terms may sound new to us, but for many of us we are already developing these skills within our current roles/sectors. https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-job-skills-youll-need-in-2020
Why being selfish can make you a better person and designer
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: Really enjoyed reading this article, and some great advice. It makes a lot of sense not to forget ‘you’ in the design/business planning process, and just see how positive the outcomes can be to you, your client and collaborators. http://www.theloop.com.au/blog/2014/10/why-being-selfish-can-make-you-a-better-person-and-designer/
