From #topperformer
Creative Jobs Outgrow UK Average
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: Here is another reason why the creative industries are such a fantastic sector to consider tapping into when it comes to your career.
Key findings include:
• 1 in every 10 jobs held by graduates in the UK was in the creative industries
• Over the last 3 years, employment within the creative industries has grown at 5 times the rate of the wider UK economy
• Employment within the sector has increased by more than 10% since 2011
• Creative Industries now account for 1 in 18 (5.6%) of all jobs in the UK
• Between 2011 and 2013, within the creative industries, there were increases in jobs of greater than 20% in the East of England (27.1%), the East Midlands (25.0%), the West Midlands (20.6%) and the Yorkshire and Humber (20.1%).
Careers Advice for the Creative Sector
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: For all the creatives out there, here is some fantastic advice on how to get a head in the creative industry. This will be a good resource for any one starting out in the industry, or for individuals keen to develop their career.
LinkedIn Profile Checklist
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: Lots of you will have realised by now how much of a LinkedIn fan I am and it is something I do promote through my 1-2-1 student appointments. Here is some great advice for students new to LinkedIn and pointers on how to create a professional profile.
The 5 People You Need in Your Professional Life
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: Whether you are in the process of organising your future career following on from graduation, organising a placement, internship, or extra-curricular work experience or thinking about the next steps in your career having a supportive network of individuals that can support, motivate and provide useful advice and guidance is key. I would describe myself as a mentor, but then I can also identify with the role of a connector as well, and would say that this merges into my mentoring work. I also like to think that I am able to motivate individuals and get them to see what they are more than capable to achieve, and highlight there achievements, skills and strengths that they may take for granted. https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-5-people-you-need-in-your-professional-life
3 Career Mistakes You Should Make (But Only Once)
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: I think this advice applies to experienced and individuals at the early stages of a career. Really like the advice on ‘overpromising and underdelivering’, and it is something I can relate to as I am six months into building a brand new service delivery. For me organising fact finding meetings with internal stakeholders was key, and what worked for me was building a service delivery calendar to identify the peak periods and time frames for projects, and making sure that research time was built into projects as well,not just the delivery. https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-career-mistakes-you-should-make-but-only-once
Lose the L-plates: how to pass your probation period at work
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: The one thing that panic’s the student’s I work with is the probationary section of a contract, and their immediate fear of the employment being terminated. The first thing I always try to explain and encourage is for the individual to put the probationary period to the back of their mind. For any one starting a new job, their main objective is to do a good job, learn from their colleagues, and take all aspects of training seriously, and always have a notepad close to hand to avoid information overload. It is important to be aware that probation is an integral part of any new job, but equally important to enjoy being part of a new team, work environment and growing within the role. There will be lots of ways a line manager/team will be measuring your work performance and this article will provide you with some very useful tips. http://careers.theguardian.com/lose-l-plates-how-pass-probation-period-new-job
Personality boost: make your CV shine by giving soft skills the hard sell
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: One of the things I love about delivering 1-2-1 sessions with my under-graduate students, is helping them them identify just how many soft skills they actually have and can confidently demonstrate in the forms of university, part-time work, volunteering and extra curricular activities. By the end of our session they have a skills section added to their CV which will clearly show the transferable skills they have for future internships/graduate careers. http://careers.theguardian.com/careers-blog/add-personality-make-cv-shine-give-soft-skills-hard-sell
6 Types of Emails You Should Be Writing
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: A large proportion of our work days are spent responding to or, corresponding by email. This article has little something for everyone, and helps us all to understand how important email etiquette is and how useful it can be in our jobs when working collaboratively, with colleagues and clients. It also shows how important it can be to keep team morale on a high, and all it may take is sending an email which will bring a smile to the recipients face. (But, let’s not forget, face-to-face thank you’s, team discussions, apologies are really important to.) https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-types-of-emails-you-should-be-writing
The One Question All Successful People Can Answer Immediately
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: Ooohhh, I like this, so what super hero powers would you bring to your current or next job? I love the way your answer ties into a common interview question ‘what are your strengths?’. Great way of thinking creatively, but with a focus on skills. Just goes to show interview prepping can be fun. https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-one-question-all-successful-people-can-answer-immediately
Why Employers Don’t Care About Your Cover Letter (and How to Change That)
Kirstin on Fullback and Friends: It is so important to get the balance right when writing cover letters, and here is some useful advice to help. When I am providing -guidance or 1-2-1 application support, I try and get the applicant to see a CV and cover letter as two separate parts of the applications process. A CV is all about you, highlighting your achievements skills and academic/work history – it is is your marketing tool to promote your personal brand. The cover letter is an opportunity to prove to an employer that you have invested time in researching them, to find out what they do well, what type of work culture they offer, who are their clients, what are their company values (& do they match yours?), do they have a CSR (corporate social responsibility). Researching a company can go a long, long way when it comes to writing a cover letter. Even think about creating a SWOT analysis, it may come in very useful at an interview. https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-employers-dont-care-about-your-cover-letter-and-how-to-change-that
