Careers Handbook and CV

TASK ONE: Think of skills that you would be able to take to a job right now, and think of three examples to support them.

1. Very competent with IT software.

   Taught self Premiere Pro, Photoshop and After Effects in early teenage years.

2. Good leadership skills.

   Directed numerous small-scale stage productions in high school, led numerous teams in current media course at college.

3. Good communication skills.

  Works well as a team; can listen to other people's ideas and incorporate them as appropriate.


TASK TWO: Research and define the following terms, relating them back to yourself where necessary.

Part-time

A job that is attended for less hours than a full-time job, useful for students who have college and school as well.

Full-time

A more time-demanding job that takes up most hours of the week and leaves no time for education

GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standardized exams taken at the end of high school.

AS/A Level

Qualifications gained at sixth form, which is the step of education just after high school and just before university.

Level 1, Level 2, Level 3

Levels of the National Vocational Qualification. Level 1 is correspondent to one GCSE grade at D-G grade. Level 2 is equivalent to one GCSE grade at A*-C. Level 3 is equivalent to one to five A Levels at A*-C

Pass, Merit and Distinction (BTEC National)

The proprietary grades of the BTEC National courses. The equivalents are as follows:

DDD - AAA
DDM - AAC
DMM - ACC
MMM - CCC
MMP - CCE
MPP - CEE
PPP - EEE

Vocational

Courses labelled as 'vocational' are directly related to occupation or employment; it provides training for jobs in that area, much like my TV and Film Production.

Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree

These are the levels of degrees given at University. Bachelor is the first level and is given after 3 or so years of study. Master's degrees are the second level and are given after varying amounts depending on university.

Graduate (Undergraduate, Postgraduate)

These are the terms given to students studying at university. An Undergraduate is someone studying at University who has not yet received a degree of any kind, while a Postgraduate is someone returning to study after already receiving a degree.

I am currently looking for a part-time job that I can work alongside my college work. I have 9 GCSEs, (General Certificate of Secondary Education) all B save for Chemistry and Art, in which I got C and D respectively. I am currently studying an A Level in Psychology having completed the first year of AS Psychology, alongside BTEC Nationals in TV and Film Production and Game Design. I hope to get Distinction in these BTECs, which is equivalent to an A grade.


TASK THREE: List any 3 jobs mentioned in class that you would like to do. What does the job entail? Do you need specialist training?

1. Film Director

   Being a director entails leading a group of varying size in making a film, and doing jobs such as casting, storyboarding, and editing. There is no specialist training involved, but it does require a passion for filmmaking and commitment to projects.

2. Radio Presenter

  A Radio presenter is the voice and face of the radio station, and their style is what ultimately impacts the style of the station as whole. There are no specialist qualifications required, but employers look for hands-on experience with the broadcast equipment.

3. Film Editor

   Editing is working closely with the director in order to craft a finished film or scene. There is no specialist qualification required, but deep technical understanding and aptitude is required.


TASK FOUR: Research and define methods of recruitment in the creative media industries.


National Press

Certain national newspapers like the Guardian are required to have a section for job advertisements as a method of recruitment.

Trade Press

Whereas the national press will have a wide range of jobs available, trade press means that there are specialized magazines out there with job advertisements pertaining to a certain trade. An example of this is CAMPAIGN, a publication about advertising.

The Internet

Jobs can be advertised on websites for certain companies which feature email forms and other ways to apply directly online, or jobs can be advertised on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Trade Fairs

Similar to a convention, lots of companies in a certain industry or trade will come together and set up booths, and show their wares and look for recruits. A good example of a trade fair is SIGGRAPH, a fair about computer graphics and animation.

Word of Mouth

Simply put, word of mouth is referring someone to a job or the like by just telling them. It's why it's important to network, and get good contacts in the industry.

Personal Contacts and Networking

Which leads us nicely to this. The media industry would not be what it is if no-one knew each other. It's so important to build up a contact list of skilled individuals that you know that could help out with projects, or get you work with certain projects.

Internal Promotion

This is all about working one's way up the job ladder within a certain company or place of work, for instance starting as a runner and ending up a director.


TASK FIVE: CV and Cover Letter

TASK SIX: Research and define these terms

(E-)Portfolio

A portfolio (or e-portfolio) is a collection of one's work in its entirety (either paper/print based or digitally in the case of the e-portfolio). It should demonstrate one's aptitude in an industry and is useful for taking to interviews and showing employers.

Showreel

A showreel is similar to a portfolio, except it is a video - a montage of past productions and projects. They can be still images, too. As opposed to the portfolio it is only a selection of the 'best bits' of one's work, and not the whole thing.

Personal Website

An online body of information relating to one person - it can be a blog or a more traditional website - full of one's work, biography if applicable, tour dates (if this person is a stage performer) and contact information.


TASK SEVEN: Research the following presentation skills and explain what you think would be 'good practice' in each of them

INTERVIEWING

DOS

Dress impeccably

Be groomed and clean

Be punctual, or better yet early

Be nice to everyone you see in the place of your interview - they may be asked what they thought about you and these opinions will be taken into account

Be confident - give a good handshake and make eye contact, don't close up your body language

Make sure you pronounce your interviewer's surname correctly and always address him/her as 'Mr/Ms/Miss/Mrs' unless told otherwise

Use examples and anecdotes

DON'TS

Don't fidget

Don't make excuses

Don't talk lowly of other people

Don't lie

Don't treat the interview in a casual manner, take it seriously

Don't act desperate

PRESENTATIONS

DOS

Be confident

Know your lines

Plan and rehearse

Be enthusiastic

DON'TS

Don't talk too fast

Don't say too much

Don't start out with 'sorry'

Don't do jokes if you are not funny

SELF PRESENTATION

DOS

Be confident

Dress nice and smart but also appropriate for the job

Consider your answers carefully

Be nice to people

DONTS

Don't hesitate too much

Don't use words that you do not fully understand

Don't cut people off or not listen to them

REFERENCES

Make sure the people you get for your references are useful and appropriate for the job for which you are applying for.


TASK EIGHT: Research and define the terms

Training on the job / continued professional development

This is simply learning how to do new things within the environment of a job, so one is learning new skills whilst also having stable income

Self-training

This is where someone teaches themselves a skill that they use later on in life, either out of necessity or interest. Much like I did for Adobe software.

Trade unions

A trade union is a group of professionals within a certain trade or sector, that maintain and protect their rights in the workplace, such as pay and safe working conditions. They also help train members and find them jobs, as in the case of BECTU.

Sector skills councils

SSCs help people find jobs within a trade or sector, and help them know which skills they need for what jobs and how to get there. A good example is Creative Skillset.

Career services

These help students find temporary work such as internships, work experience and summer jobs that are related to their courses.


TASK NINE: Identify the opportunities that you have had in the courses that you are currently studying for developing your functional skills