Creative Access’ latest Masterclass coincided with Mental Health Awareness Week (9th – 16th May), and we were joined by a brilliant panel to discuss all things related to mental health, wellbeing and putting yourself first. The official theme this year was loneliness, and how it can produce feelings of depression, sadness, and isolation, especially after three long years of being in and out of lockdowns. With this masterclass, we aimed to raise awareness, encourage initiative, and invite discussions that might be uncomfortable to hear, but necessary to have. Yasmin Hemmings, our programme manager, sat in conversation with Kamilah McInnis, a senior journalist at BBC News podcasts, as well as Sam Bickley, TV consultant, exec producer and welfare executive, and began the conversation we hope many of you will continue in within your family, friends, and workplaces.  

Prioritizing your mental health isn’t always easy. Sometimes it may come as a shock that you might be struggling, but 1 in four adults experience issues with their mental health, making it a lot more common than you might think. When asked about their top tips on how to put your mental health first, Kamiliah, currently working on the podcast “If You Don’t Know” which focuses on informing young black adults of politics, culture and much more, spoke of the importance of knowing when to say no. Often, with those who have just begun their career in the creative industry, there can be a desire to try hard to prove their worth with their new company. This could involve staying after work hours, not taking adequate, full breaks, or simply saying yes, when really you should be saying no. It’s vital to understand that none of these things will be sustainable in the long run, and will certainly leave you burnt-out and unable to do your job to the best of your ability. Sam agreed, advising taking walks, as well as regular breaks away from computer screens to calm the mind and reset your focus.  

When discussing mental wellbeing, there can often be a one-size-fits-all approach on self-care. Lighting a candle won’t always fix everything, and our panel spoke about finding what works for you. Sam herself is an advocate for “self-care in the day, and self-care in the week,” sharing how important it is to find things you enjoy that can fit around the diary. Maybe the candle will work for an evening and keep you going till a fantastic new play you’ve booked to see that weekend, or a day trip you have in a fortnight – it’s important to set things up for yourself. In addition to this, Kamilah adds that it’s important to “take holiday every few months!”, a right we are all entitled to, but many forget. A few days away from work can do the world of good, helping you get back to your normal self. Communicating this need to your workplace can be daunting, but is better than the alternative. Your manager will really appreciate your honesty about your capacity. “No” doesn’t mean you aren’t capable, it can also mean yes, but I will get it done tomorrow, which is just as good.  

For those who are still job searching, we understand what a tiring process that can be. It might seem like you are getting nowhere, but you can’t give up. When speaking about the strength in kindness, Kamilah shared a sweet story of her days as a BBC multi-media trainee (a role secured by Creative Access!), and how when her contract came to an end, she felt anxious about her next career move, and whether she would find anything at all. As she wandered outside her offices, trying to clear her head, she looked down and saw some free flowers, a sign to persevere that in a roundabout way, lead to her next role. Although the lesson here is rooted in goodwill, it is also a testament to not giving up, and even more than that, to taking your breaks! Sam also added how useful it is to “think about your network,” doing things together and bouncing off each other’s ideas can really propel your applications. Especially for freelancers – get a friend’s opinion, or even a mentor, who can offer their advice and guidance. It can be easy to apply for everything, but really hone in on what you want from your work, what kind of industry you would like to go into, and that passion and determination will jump off the page in your applications.  

Networking is nerve-wracking for people already struggling with anxiety. For this, our panel spoke of the power of preparation. Kamilah, when really struggling, tells herself to just “go for an hour” to an event. Once the hour is up, you can leave, but you might just find yourself having so much fun you’d like to stay. You can try and prepare conversation starters and do some research on who will be there, and the work they have done is a great place to start. However, if you are really not well, don’t force yourself to go, instead perhaps draft a message explaining that you would’ve loved to attend, but were unable to, and try and connect with that person via LinkedIn orother appropriate social media. Sam said it is also completely fine “to let people know you’re feeling a little nervous,” because there is a lot of strength that comes with that honesty. Yasmin added how useful joining networking groups like “Young People in the Arts” was. Rest in the fact that you are amazing, and not meeting someone, or going to an event does not mean the end of your career – you just might need to get a little more imaginative about how you strategically place yourself in that important person’s line of view.  

When asked how to bring her best self to work, Kamilah had loads of top tips. “We are all works in progress,” she says smiling, before admitting that she still has down days, but with experience, time, and counselling (which she recommends), it becomes easier to deal with. The 4-7-8 breathing technique is great for calming yourself down during those sudden panic bursts, or just before a big meeting, as well as the book Feeling Good, by David D Burns, which discusses numerous coping techniques, including how to rewire those negative thoughts. More often than not, you can feel an episode brewing, Kamilah warms to pay attention to this, and let your team know. Yasmin encourages a routine with exercise, and Sam journaling, as “being a companion to yourself” can provide a sense of clarity that can be beneficial. “You control how your day looks” she continues, set boundaries with your workplace, for example mentioning that your workday must finish at a certain time, and you can’t exceed that. Other tips included writing lists, breaking down tasks into chunks and always keeping your managers in the know.  

There is so much more support now for those dealing with mental health struggles. Sam notes how the younger generation’s openness about something once seen as taboo is breaking down barriers for those in the industry ahead of them. As a welfare executive, Sam’s role is proof that after tragedies within television, such as those on Love Island, and Jeremy Kyle, companies now understand more than ever the importance of aftercare. As someone who has always cared about her contributors and advocated for their needs, this change is needed and welcomed by Sam. Many workplaces now have mental health policies, and if you are curious about whether yours does, Yasmin says you are well within your right to ask. If there is not one, and it’s something you would like to help create, make this known too! Kamilah is part of a wellbeing group that is actively trying to change work culture, and often has executives sit in on meetings so they know what more they can be doing to support their workforce. It’s not a job that can be done by an individual, but it does take that one person to begin the conversation. Mental health is no longer a taboo; Be upfront with those who need to know. 

People are willing to listen; don’t be worried about signposting useful information to your managers. Kamilah advises speaking to your colleagues and joining initiatives and groups. If you are a journalist, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is good at providing any information you might need. Sam adds to research dignity at work responses, which are quickly improving in comparison to five years ago. Above all, listen to your body, navigating mental health can be difficult, but you are not alone in this. Reach out and speak out if you need help.  

Please do watch a recording of this masterclass here.  

You can also read our resource on how we support our team’s mental wellbeing here.

For our April Creative Access masterclass, we were lucky enough to be joined by our friends at McLaren Racing to learn about the huge array of different careers within marketing, branding and design.

Creative Access and McLaren Racing have been partners since June 2021 when we joined the McLaren Racing Engage Alliance, which aims to diversify talent in motorsport. Last autumn we launched our first Career Development Bursary together to provide funding to help people overcome the financial obstacles to career progression.

We’re now excited to announce three, month-long paid internships at McLaren Racing this summer. Keep on eye on our website and social media in the coming weeks for more details to follow…

————————————————————————————————————————–

The masterclass, chaired by Creative Access chief executive, Josie Dobrin, featured McLaren Racing’s head of merchandise and licensing, Caroline Land; Callum Willcox, senior specialist: fan and brand strateg  and Simon Dibley, senior specialist: design.

We were curious to know how our panel got started in their careers at McLaren Racing. Kicking us off was Simon. His design team covers everything from car livery to 3D animation and everything in between. Originally from New Zealand, Simon had studied design at university and told a careers advisor he would love to design cars. However, he was told to pick something “realistic” and cast his dreams of designing F1 cars aside whilst looking for other jobs in the design field. Although he didn’t have much experience in the industry, he passed his CV around and began to work at an agency which ended up working on a project with McLaren Racing and the rest is history!

Caroline oversees the creation of everything from merchandise, such as T-shirts and hoodies, to NFTs. She had started off in fashion merchandising working for British retail brands, specifically in menswear. However, Caroline quickly grew bored and realised she wanted to keep working in products, but in a new area. After working on the London 2012 Olympics, she began working for Puma where she started to work in sports licensing such as with football teams and F1, giving her the experience she needed to join McLaren Racing.

Callum’s role focuses on partnership development, pulling together pitches to target new partners to sponsor and support the McLaren Racing team. Recent partners to join the team, include Google. After studying economics through which he got a feel for marketing, Callum ended up doing a masters in marketing. He got into McLaren Racing by writing his dissertation on social media activation within sponsorship, which he put on his CV. This caught the eye of a recruiter who wanted to interview him on behalf of McLaren Racing.

Although the perception of F1 is that it’s a ‘man’s world’, Caroline says things have changed over the past 5 years, and that McLaren Racing makes an effort to create an inclusive working environment. Caroline laughs that you do have to do your homework in order “to hold a conversation with the engineers and the mechanics.” However, our panel all emphasised that while having an interest in F1 is helpful, it’s not essential within the creative teams at McLaren Racing. In fact, having a fresh perspective can actually be a real benefit, with Simon adding that not being an avid fan may improve your ability to question the way things are done and improve them. Caroline summed it up:

However, Callum warns that once you’re in at McLaren Racing, it’s difficult to not become F1-obssessed!

So, what were our panel’s tips for aspiring marketeers, designers and branding specialists? Simon recommends immersing yourself in your chosen industry. For example, with design, read about industry trends, search out award-winning agencies or new agencies popping up, listen to podcasts featuring designers you admire – essentially learn as much as you can so you’re ready to tackle whatever jobs come your way. As he explained, he had no prior experience in the creative industries, just a passion and drive which helped him land his dream job. Caroline adds that it’s important to form your own opinion and states: “Don’t be shy!”.

Marketing as a department encompasses so many different roles, as depicted in the diversity of roles within our panel. However, whichever niche you find yourself in in the industry, it’s vital to keep up with trends. Callum recommends reading trade press like Marketing Week and Campaign. He also explains that working for a big organisation like McLaren offers lots of progression, so if you find yourself gravitating to a different part of the marketing world, there’s room to explore that. Caroline continues that there is constant communication between the different teams within the department for each project.

Similarly, marketing is all about knowing your audience and how you can reach out to them, whilst also reaching an audience who might not be aware of you yet. And in line with this, our panel all emphasised the importance of listening to McLaren’s fanbase. Callum explained, they host fan surveys asking about everything from merchandise to partnerships and that the marketing team go down to the track and ask fans questions directly such as ‘What can we do better?’ or ‘What do you like?’ He states: “Fans do make a difference!” Even when deciding which other brands to partner with, they keep the fans front of mind.

Our panel finished by reminding the audience that working in Formula 1 isn’t ‘stuffy’ or ‘mechanically-focused’ – it’s so much more than that as a brand and there is a lot of scope for creativity. Caroline came back to the idea that it’s important to have people come in and ‘shake things up’. She said, at entry level, there are so many opportunities to be a sponge and suck up knowledge and work out where your passion lies. Caroline stated: “Sports marketing isn’t 9-5 so you really need a passion for it, but it’s an amazing job.” Chiming in with this, Simon said the most challenging part of his role is also his favourite: the fast-natured pace of the sport itself. While Callum advised:

A massive thank you to both our panel and audience for joining us! You can watch the masterclass in full here. To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, our next masterclass on 11th May will be focusing on mental health and wellbeing in the creative industries. Sign up to join here.

As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we at Creative Access want to highlight the lived experiences of neurodivergent people within the workplace and the strengths and skills they bring to their roles.

We sat down with CA’s employer training trainee Simba, to chat about what adjustments work for her as someone with ADHD, and her top tips for neurodivergent people in the workplace.

As someone with ADHD, one thing that often gets brought up is time management. You can be perceived as lazy, or not prioritising correctly, or in general, your work ethic can be questioned if you’re not coming in on time, or they wonder how serious you are as an employee because you can’t meet certain time expectations. However, I think a strength that neurodiverse people can bring to roles off the back of that misconception is that we have the ability to hyper-focus. That’s a noticeable strength. It’s expected that you’re not necessarily hardworking, or that you can’t apply focus to a task, but you can.

As a person with ADHD, another strength we bring to the table is socialising. We have really good oral abilities; we enjoy socialising, we enjoy networking. Sometimes I feel like we’re like bridges to other people.

And another strength is our visual abilities – neurodiverse people in general share that strength. We tend to be able to see things in big pictures, or mind-map, or visually see things.

On top of that, enthusiasm and optimism. In the general workplace, if you’re used to not being the ‘best’, you have to offer optimism to keep you going. You have to keep that optimism and that drive which is really valuable in the workplace.

You also think outside the box. An opportunity might come where your skills might work well for a task in another department and you can then use that to get closer to your desired career goals.

Finally, I have so many interests and passions. I can put my hand in many different bags! You can take us out of our comfort zone and I think we can seize the challenge and have a level of enthusiasm and problem-solving skills. It might not be approached in the way that’s expected, but we’ll find a way.

More than average regular check-ins with my line manager.

Sometimes I can get lost in a task or the opposite, [and] lose focus on a task. I have a really good relationship with my line manager and it is super helpful. It means that no matter what, I can go to her about a series of things. She also sends me emails after a verbal discussion. I know dyslexic people also have difficulties with taking on verbal conversations and making sure you have all the details relevant to the task.

Avoid glaring lights and find a quiet place to work

It will help you stay focused. I’ve not personally had to do this, but it is ok to ask for a quiet space so that you can focus. In the workplace, you might be prone to anxiety or agitation if there’s a lot of lights and a lot of noise. Lots of neurodivergent people have an issue with sensory overload like glaring lights and overhearing other conversations, so a good adjustment is a quiet room with dim lights.

Fidget spinners and spinny rings!

Alongside this, I have other things, like a lavender bag because I stim off smells. People stim off different things, such as music. I just sniff the lavender bag and it calms me down. Same with my spinny rings, if I’m in a meeting and I need to move, I have my spinny ring. At work, if I’ve been stuck on a task too long, I’ll feel in my body that I need to move.

Make sure that you go on regular walks

Even going on walks around the office, exploring different floors.

Snacks!

Have snacks with you! People with ADHD also crave things that are high in dopamine: foods high in sugar and saturated fats, basically things that give you energy really fast. This is helpful but can ultimately lead to a crash, so you should try to go for nutritious but high complex carbohydrate foods to keep your sugar levels at a decent level.

Nutritious foods like oily fish, nuts, seeds, berries, leafy greens… I also take fish oil tablets which is meant to be really good for focusing. The ways I’ve tried to manage my ADHD is through supplements and snacks, Vitamin D as well.

Set alarms

I set alarms to remind me to eat – sometimes with ADHD and autism, you can forget when you’re hungry. The alarms also remind me when it’s time to focus on something else. They help keep you involved in your day, so you don’t get lost in a task and also can help how long it takes you to do a task.

Considering our strengths in visual mind-mapping skills, an adjustment an employer can make is giving someone 2 computer screens or a large computer screen so that everything is visible and it reduces the burden on your memory. For me in life, it’s out of sight out of mind so I like to have a visual idea of where everything is. Your own personal desk-space is also another reasonable adjustment so you can see your own belongings and what’s available for you.

An employer can also understand that someone with ADHD might need regular movement, and that not being viewed as weird. An adjustment could be giving someone ideas and spaces where they can have those times to release the burden of sensory overload.

I understand that in a business you can’t be late to everything, but having an employer who understands when you might be late reduces the anxiety and that that they might struggle with time management, and are probably very aware of that struggle can be really helpful.

Things like visual prompts and colourful stationary; a visual calendar; a notebook that you colour-code; checklists; notes; traffic light system in terms of things you prioritise in your day and your line manager breaking down tasks can all also be great adjustments. There’s also loads of softwares like Grammarly and text-to-speech softwares.

Another thing to bear in mind is, lots of people with ADHD thrive when they can do a couple of things at once. I’m able to take things more if I’m doing multiple things at once. It can feel a bit limiting to do that in the workplace, as it might look a bit unserious. But if I’m able to use my fidget spinner, for example, whilst in a conversation, I can offer up more ideas. So, a certain level of understanding that not everyone has to sit at a desk to be 100% focused.

Disclosure isn’t necessary. It really depends on the working environment you’re at. It worked well for me but some businesses might not have the structure to support you and your disclosure ends up being redundant. But if you feel like the symptoms of your neurodivergence are pervasive in that they affect you on a day-to-day basis, then disclosure is a safe space. Ultimately, it is better not to mask these things. Don’t have fear that your difficulties are bad personality traits.  

You have strengths and skills to bring forward and it’s ok to say, “this is where I’m strong and this is where I’m not”. We’re all motivated and inspired by different tasks and activities.

Go to someone you trust and raise creating a Wellness Action Plan with them. The way I could disclose my neurodivergence was through my Wellness Action Plan. You discuss what tell-tales sign you give off when you’re upset. I know that according to my ADHD how that would translate. This is relevant for everyone, not just neurodivergent people. 

It has benefitted me in regards to delegating tasks, my line manager knows what tasks are well-fitting for me and which ones I may struggle with so she can assist me in those areas. It makes me feel more comfortable to be myself, to move around, my mannerisms… Everyone should be free to be themselves no matter if you have neurodivergence or whether you’re culturally different, or any of those things. But it gives me a sense of freedom to come as my authentic self – I’m never questioned, or mocked. I feel appreciated for those things.

These things oscillate, even with ADHD symptoms, there’s some weeks where I feel completely neurotypical. For anyone, in regards to mental health or their personal circumstance, these are all things that are constantly oscillating. Someone neurotypical, on a bad mental health month, can show symptoms that might overlap with someone with autism, or ADHD… That’s why I love the idea of Wellness Action Plan – someone who’s struggling with their mental health can disclose and ask for reasonable adjustments. Having those adjustments in the workplace help everyone.

If you are being discriminated against, remember this is illegal. Under the equality act 2010, it’s a legal requirement to have reasonable adjustments made in the workplace. No one can do everything, so have faith in the ability that you have. It’s within your rights to ask for support and support in how you can develop.

Advocacy!

Advocate for your colleagues when they have difficulties. One thing I feel blessed with both my 2 past line managers is that I was shy and nervous to talk about difficulties and sometimes they would send an email on my behalf to explain I was struggling and feeling shy. But it goes both ways.  

Making everyone aware

In your own department, it can be fine as you know the way of working and you have your own style of working, but sometimes someone from the wider team might come in and not know. A colleague explaining to them your style of working and your adjustments can be really helpful.

Ask questions

If you see someone looks agitated, you could say “Hey I’ve noticed this – tell me if I’m wrong – but I wanted to ask you if this is the case?”. That’s how I’ve approached it with colleagues who’ve had bad mental health days before.

Ask if there’s any way you can adjust

If there’s a group project and you can tell someone’s struggling, ask how you can assist or do it differently. Ask if you can adjust your working styles to work better together. Giving the option of being able to have a verbal or written conversation, maybe we could talk on the phone or do a visual mind-map. Give them the option to approach tasks in different ways.

• Plan your journey the day before. Give yourself visual cues, what landmarks might you see on your way there?
• Pack your bag before
• Plan your outfit
• Sleep hygiene is really important: if you struggle with waking up, put your phone far away from your bed so you have to get up to get it in the morning might be helpful
• Body double: it’s not always possible, but if you find having someone present while you do a task helpful, you could find yourself a buddy or just ask someone if you can work together because you find it easier
• Soothing techniques: for me it’s the spinnies, but meditation can also help.
• Eat breakfast!

As Plan B comes into action and we move back to working from home, Creative Access revisits a blog from 2020 looking at how to host a remote internship.

The shift towards working from home as a result of lockdown caused organisations to rapidly rethink their ways of working. Whilst this has undoubtedly seen some benefits (like minimising commutes), one of the downsides has been a hugely reduced number of opportunities for new graduates and aspiring creatives. Young people from under-represented communities have been disproportionately affected by recent events and more than ever, organisations need to find ways of engage and providing access to experiences and opportunities.

Managing a remote internship is not only viable, but can be hugely effective. We’ve put together seven best practices for managing a remote internship, supported by The Climate Group who recruited two interns through Creative Access…

1. The recruitment process: Coronavirus has allowed for the rethinking of recruitment processes. The most notable shift in the hiring process is the interview stage, whereby currently all interviews are conducted online through video conferencing software. When it comes to running video interviews, experiment with different platforms. For more tips, check out our top tips for online interviews here.

Here’s what The Climate Group had to say about their recruitment process: “The recruitment process was straightforward. As HR, we issued some guidance on how to conduct interviews remotely (such as use of video calls instead of phone calls). Creative Access were really helpful in sifting the CVs before shortlisting interview candidates. We did have to review the Job Description of the one of the roles to take into consideration the working from home environment and a change in our events calendar.

2. Induction: Onboarding the successful candidate needs to be carefully planned, to ensure the new starter is well inducted with their line manager and team and that they start their internship with high morale and confidence. Here’s how The Climate Group onboarded their interns: “The Hiring Manager introduced (on video) the new interns to the whole organisation via our global staff meeting. As HR, we have arranged face to face inductions with the interns. We have also arranged for the interns a video call with each member of our management team as a way of introduction.”

3. Technology: Ensuring your intern is equipped with the right technology and software tools and that they have an effective space where they can work from at home is fundamental for remote work. They must have a reliable and secure infrastructure and have the relevant tools which allow for effective communication and collaboration with you and other members of your team:

• Your intern will need access to a lap top or a PC and possibly a work phone. You might need to consider other modifications to the workplace such as a connectivity booster if their wi-fi connection is weak.

• File hosting and editing documents collaboratively has been made possible through the use of online services such as Dropbox, Sharepoint and Google Drive.

• Communicating with your intern is easy through various video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet.

• Setting and managing tasks between you and your intern can be facilitated through task boards such as Monday, ClickUp, Trello or Slack.

• In addition to the above, for interns whose responsibilities include utilising creative or industry specific software, whether that is the Abode packages, or Biblio for those working in publishing, ensure your intern has access to those as well.

There are many online options to pick ‘n’ mix from, so experiment with which suits you and your team.

4. Communication, communication, communication! While emails are the primary method of communication between you and your intern, you should incorporate other communication options for simpler, less formal and time-sensitive terms. However in order to use multiple avenues of communication effectively and without doubling up on messages, it is important to establish the ‘rules of engagement’ between you and your intern. For more urgent messages, you may decide to text or WhatsApp, and for daily check-ins you might want to use Microsoft Teams. Whichever way you decide, make sure this is consistent and accessible to the intern.

5. Ensure you establish daily check-ins: Establish frequent check-ins with your intern, ideally on a daily basis. This could take place as a one-on-one call with them, or a joint call with the rest of the team. Whichever way you choose, regular check-ins provide a forum for your intern to ask questions, catch up with the rest of the team, provide support and boost motivation during these unprecedented times. Ensure that interns are a part of events and team meetings as often as possible to ensure they are kept in the loop and have an avenue to participate and share their ideas.

Here’s how The Climate Group have established a routine: “The line managers have several catch ups per week with their interns to support them. Interns also join any relevant team meetings to keep them up to date on what’s going at. We also send frequent check in messages on our Teams platform to say hello and ask if they need any assistance.”

6. Be a source of encouragement and support: We are currently living through a pandemic, and as of the past few weeks, a time of civil unrest, both of which have a significant impact on the wellbeing of interns from underrepresented backgrounds. Living through this while being isolated is very difficult, and support is important now more than ever. Ensure your intern has a place to express themselves when they feel stressed or anxious and make sure you proactively ask for feedback on how they’re doing. If they are struggling, make sure you listen carefully, show empathy and try to make adjustments where possible. 

7. Be social: Reinforcing a sense of belonging is imperative in maintaining confidence and morale. Continuing to interact socially, and not solely for the purposes of work, can allow interns to feel part of the team. One way to do this is to establish time to socialise in the first few minutes of a catch-up call. Ask your intern what they did in the evening after work, or if this is a Monday catch-up, ask them what they did over the weekend.

Alongside this, don’t hesitate to also arrange calls which may exclusively be social. As you would arrange work lunches or drinks in person, try to arrange something similar with your intern and the wider team through a video call if possible. Efforts such as these would be greatly valued by your intern and in turn, they will feel much more comfortable to speak with you openly when it’s time to talk about work.

Challenges are inevitable, but while you’re learning to manage an internship remotely, your interns are also learning to adapt to the changes and demands of a post-Covid world, where remote working and tech savviness will be more normal and required than it was before. The most important thing is to ensure your intern enters into an accessible and welcoming space. With patience and empathy, your intern will undoubtedly thrive and you’ll be sure to reap the rewards too.

I (Larah Yearwood) was hired by Creative Access in October 2020 and I have been dealing with Imposter Syndrome throughout my employment. Here, I share my experience and some tips to help others navigate through the same issue.

Imposter Syndrome is something a lot of people struggle with. It is the internal belief that you are not good enough to be where you are. That you do not deserve to be where you are and that maybe, other people will realise you are not as good as you say you are. A completely false belief that for many of us can impact on our work, life, and relationships.

My story
As a young black woman, I already face challenges in my life and career for where I want to go. Mixing Imposter Syndrome in with this makes life a little more complex. While Imposter Syndrome can vary with people, the general idea that you are not worthy of being where you are normally stays the same.

Before starting as the Marketing Assistant for Creative Access I was furloughed and then made redundant from my previous job, which was just devastating.

Anyone who has been made redundant will know the feeling, especially during the incredibly difficult year that 2020 was. I was lucky enough to actually be unemployed for only two weeks before finding work again at Creative Access.

Although I wasn’t aware at the time, it was then – on securing a new role – that my Imposter Syndrome started. 2020 was a rough year for us all and many people lost jobs. I felt that others who were still unemployed had more skills than I did; had worked for longer than I had; were older than me. And yet it was me that bounced back quickest. It didn’t feel right to me. It felt strange. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be hired so quickly. I carried these feelings with me into my job at Creative Access.

The struggle
To be clear, I am fully qualified to do my job. I have a degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism, as well as lots of work experience. There isn’t a single reason why I can’t do this job. Yet Imposter Syndrome has held me back from achieving my full potential in this role so far. It stopped me from putting ideas forward that I know could and would work. It stopped me from questioning other suggestions. It also stopped me from recognising my own success and achievements in this role.

Instead, I questioned them. I questioned if my ideas were worth listening to and convinced myself that they weren’t. I questioned if I truly deserved the praise I was getting and if the work I’d produced was worthy of any commendation. Some may say I’m naturally hard on myself (and maybe I am) but every time I was praised, I truly felt like I didn’t deserve it. Instead, the praise and acknowledgments that were meant to boost my confidence ended up shattering it.

The realisation
The self-doubt can be crippling. It wasn’t until I opened up to a colleague about how I was feeling that I was first informed about Imposter Syndrome. I then decided to some research and found that it’s very common. According to a report by Medical News Today, up to 82% of employees are impacted by Imposter Syndrome. 6 in 10 women experience it. Although the figures are eye-opening, I admit I was a little relieved to see that I wasn’t on my own and what I was feeling was recognised.

I then decided to attend a training session that Creative Access ran about Imposter Syndrome. During this session, I was able to pinpoint when it first kicked in and what caused it. It allowed me to connect with others who also have similar experiences and realise once again that I’m not alone.

I know this is a journey and I’m gradually learning to let go of these feelings. My hope is that over time they’ll fade completely.

Top tips for anyone struggling with Imposter Syndrome

• If you feel able to, open up about it; Imposter Syndrome is shockingly common, and people will be more understanding than you think
• The more I read about it, the more I related to it and the more I was able to understand that I wasn’t alone.
• Don’t hide away. I thought hiding it and keeping it to myself was the best thing to do. It isn’t.
• Keep track of your success. Having a record will help you to recognise that your achievements are due to your talent and abilities and not just lucky flukes
• Embrace the praise because you deserve it
• Remember no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes
• Most importantly, remember your worth. We are not superhuman, but we do have the ability to be great at what we do. You deserve to be where you are.

I still have moments where I question myself and the praise I get, but I’m now able to quickly reassure myself that I do deserve the praise. That I do deserve to where I am today and that I am worthy of this job and what I do. I hope that by reading this, you are able to feel worthy too.

The pandemic has had a disruptive effect on people’s jobs and career prospects. It has forced many people into seeking new opportunities, and has turned home into both a living and a working space for many others.

Whilst there is yet no strong indication of when (or if!) ‘normal office life’ will resume, the positive news is that many organisations are still hiring. This means that new employees are starting new internships and jobs at organisations without ever having physically met any of their colleagues, or without having ever visited their organisation’s office.

As an employer, it is important to think about your remote induction processes before you offer any roles to ensure things run smoothly when your new hire starts. We’ve put together this guide on how to onboard new employees in a fully remote work environment, while ensuring that they are set up for success and feel like part of the team.

Step 1 – Contract and offer paperwork

As soon as your offer has been verbally accepted, aim to send out your offer in writing, ideally with a contract of employment/training agreement. E-signing is a quick and easy way to wrap up documentation, and many of our employer partners use DocuSign.

You will want to ensure you have agreed on a secure way to obtain proof of eligibility to work, payroll information, and tax details, as well as details of any employment references you may need.

Step 2 – Equipment and setup

Make sure your new starter has all the right equipment they need to work remotely. You’ll need to conduct a Work From Home audit covering wi-fi, laptop/PC, footrest, office chair and desk, mobile/phone line, printer (if needed), headphones, mouse and mouse mat, cables, and chargers.

Don’t forget to check with the new starter what their working environment looks like, for example, where will they be working (bedroom, office, living room?) What kind of setup do they have at home? Do they have the appropriate space to set up their workstation and do they need any adjustments to help them work effectively? Any health and safety questions that would ordinarily be carried out if an individual were working onsite should also be asked when they work at home.

Ensure that the new starter has all the necessary information they need to log into the company intranet. Do they have the correct access rights, logins, and passwords? Do they know who to speak to in IT support if they have any problems? The smoother the first day starts the better it is for everyone.

Step 3 – Induction

The key to a successful start rests on the induction; use video conferencing to communicate with the new starter.

Establish work hours, methods of catch-ups, and meeting platforms. Encourage your staff to take regular breaks and not to exceed contracted hours so that the lines between work and home are not too blurred.

Set out the day’s agenda. What should they expect? When should they take lunch? Is there a regular time for team updates?

Draw up an induction timetable for their first week and, if needed, book time with any or all of the following:

Senior Management Team – To give an overview of the company, its vision, achievements, and goals.

Finance – To check payroll processes, expense claims, and any other financial benefit queries.

IT – To go through data security, permitted software lists, shared passwords, security practices, antivirus and malware updates, where emails and files can be stored.

Step 4 – Introducing the team

Introduce your new colleague to as many people as possible in the first week. Sometimes it’s easier to do this informally or in short one-on-ones. At other times it is very helpful to see everyone together. If you have any videos or photos of the office showing how it would usually be, share those.

Add them to any WhatsApp or Facebook groups that your company may have, to help them feel integrated and invite them to any social get-togethers.

Ensure the line manager is available to make contact on the morning your new person starts and every day for at least the first fortnight.

Step 5 – Explain team duties

Manage expectations by letting your new starter know how work will be assessed and when reviews will take place. How often will you update them with their progress or let them update you? Schedule these times in your diaries. Aim for daily updates, with an overall recap at the end of each week.

Prepare a skills checklist and arrange for any necessary training. Do you have team updates in addition to any other arrangements, and if they are asked to attend, what do they need to prepare for those? How should they deal with any queries they may have? Do you share a task calendar or have a shared project management tool? Do you use instant messaging for urgent queries? Taking the time to go through these things with your new starter will help them to feel more at ease in their first few days.

Step 6 – Communicate and ask for feedback

And finally, make sure you communicate and collaborate regularly. Ask for feedback on how the remote onboarding process is working and if there are any suggestions or recommendations for improvement. Being asked for feedback will not only help the new starter feel valued and believe their opinion counts! It will also help you the next time you onboard a new starter.

For this week’s Thursday Thoughts session, we were joined for an honest and thought-provoking conversation with Robert Peston and Kishan Koria.

Robert Peston is ITV News’ political editor and presenter of the politics show Peston. A journalist, presenter and writer, he has published four books and won over thirty awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year from the Royal Television Society. As part of his work making the creative industries more accessible, Robert has worked with Creative Access for years and has also founded the charity Speakers for Schools, helping young people access opportunities through inspiring school talks and work experience.

Kishan is a producer on Peston. He first began there as a Production intern through Creative Access after graduating from the Centre for Journalism with an MA in Multimedia Journalism. Four years later, Kishan is now a Producer on the show. In his new role, he revealed that he now has more input on “what the news is, who the best guests would be and what are the issues people want to hear discussed. It’s a great job.”

Kicking off the discussion, Kishan had lots of great advice for those starting out in the industry. He explained that “the first job is the hardest job to get, I was lucky in the sense that Creative Access fulfilled that for me … If you’re struggling to get your first job don’t worry, once you’ve got there, all you have to do is be good, be keen and get stuck in, then actually you find the industry is a lot easier to navigate than you think it is.”

If there’s something that you really love and you enjoy doing, then you don’t have to make an effort to be enthusiastic about it

When Josie asked, “Do you think it matters if that first job isn’t your dream role? Can you find your journey once you’re in?” Kishan answered, “You meet people all over the industry as soon as you’re in. No matter what show you’re doing, you’ll make contacts. They become your friends and you can get an idea on what their job is like and before you know it you could be working with them.” He also emphasised that “the thing that’s been most useful for me is that I really love what we cover … If there’s something that you really love and you enjoy doing, then you don’t have to make an effort to be enthusiastic about it because it’s just what you want

to do.”

Robert kicked off by talking about his love of journalism: “The obvious thing about being a journalist is that you do have to love it. I’ve always loved trying to understand the world, I’ve always loved meeting amazing, interesting people, which is part of what you get when you’re a journalist. Historically, I’ve loved trying to get scoops.”

He reflected on the best and worst parts of his role, including bumping his head during an interview with Michael Fallon MP and being frustrated by politicians who refuse to answer this questions.

When reflecting on reporting on the current pandemic, Robert also shared: “The last few months have been exhausting, but I’m bloody lucky to do what I do … Trying to make sense of it is fascinating.”

He spoke about the challenges of starting a career during a pandemic, with Robert reassuring the audience that “when everyone else is scared, that’s the moment to build. It’s a lesson for all of us as individuals; stand your ground and you’ll get noticed.”

When Kishan asked how he started out in the industry, Robert explained that he “did the odd bits and pieces for our school newspaper and uni magazine but there genuinely wasn’t a big plan to be a journalist … though after some work experience I realised I didn’t want to do anything else.” He also pointed towards the opportunity in creating your own content: “The great thing about doing news or creative stuff in the media is that … there’s an enormous amount you can do on your own with technology to improve your skills. It was one of the things that didn’t exist at all when I started out, the ability to self-publish blogs, videos, audio or podcasts … I’m not trying to minimise the challenges but there are amazing opportunities for young people.”

“Fairness is desperately important, and we’re a long away from having a society that is fair.”

When the conversation then turned to his work with Creative Access, Robert answered, “As a matter of principle, I’ve devoted a bi

g chunk of my life to a particular form of encouraging opportunity … Anything I can do to help any talented person get on, on the basis of merit. Background shouldn’t be a factor, where you come from shouldn’t be a factor. Fairness is desperately important, and we’re a long away from having a society that is fair.”

When Kishan said he was grateful to Creative Access for joining his show, Peston told him that, “you’re an absolute foundation of the show, just to be absolutely clear, we’re not taking people who are less talented. Kish is one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with. All we’re doing is making sure we’re seeing the world properly and seeing talent where it really is.”

“I’m optimistic about the future of television and the media. The need for it is greater than ever.”
Finally, when looking to what’s next for the media industry, Robert revealed that, “I’m optimistic about the future of television and the media. The need for it is greater than ever.” He emphasised the importance of media representing different experiences on how people to see the world: “Its not always easy to talk about broadening your vision, which shows the importance of organisations like Creative Access. The great thing about what you do is that you bring people into the studio and workspaces where I am, people with a completely different set of experiences, who are there in a very positive way to challenge me.”

With huge thanks to Robert and Kishan for their time and wise words.

You can view the whole conversation on our YouTube channel here.

We spoke to Hannah Bond, who works with our friends at Bookouture – a global digital publisher of all kinds of commercial fiction that is part of Hachette UK. She shares with us her top tips for getting into the publishing industry

1. Do your research

If you’re applying for a job at a publishing house, learn as much about them as you possibly can before you write your cover letter. You’ll find plenty on their website, but also look at the Twitter feeds (most people in publishing are on Twitter…) of key people from the organisation to see what books they are excited about and what authors they’ve been signing. You should know all the big hitters for the company you’re applying to work at.

2. Be specific

Armed with all that excellent research, use it in your application and, if you reach the interview stage, in person. After you’ve read as much as you can about the company, explain to them why you want to work for them – whether that’s because you like the kind of books they publish, or think your transferable skills would be a good fit. Don’t just say you’ve always loved books – talk about things that the company has published that you love, and why. Never, ever use the same cover letter for more than one job application: if your cover letters could work for more than one job, you’re not being specific enough when you write them.

3. Be yourself

Lots of the people applying for publishing jobs have the same sorts of skills and experience, so you need to think about what you can use to make your application stand out from the pack. You might be fresh out of college and feel like you don’t have any interesting experience to bring to the table, but even if you haven’t got very far in your career yet, you’ll still have passions and opinions – let those shine through. Think about transferable skills you might have, even if those are from a Saturday job at a supermarket or running a society at university. Highlight the things that are going to make you attractive to this role, rather than focussing on the usual buzzwords like ‘team player’ without evidence.

4. Be passionate – and let it show!

Hopefully, you’re applying for a job in publishing because you’re really keen to work in the industry. Make sure the people assessing your application know that! Don’t be afraid to be excited and enthusiastic: publishing is a fairly informal industry, and it’s definitely appropriate to let your personality shine through. The hiring manager will be looking for someone genuinely keen to work at their company.

5. Be open-minded

There are lots of fascinating areas of publishing and more great jobs available than people realise. Even if, ultimately, you’re sure you want to work in Publicity, for example, don’t let that stop you from considering entry-level roles in, say, Contracts, Sales, or Production. Those areas of the business are less visible, so fewer people know about them and apply for them, but they are excellent ways to get into the publishing industry and will give you lots of transferable skills and knowledge of how the company works that will put you in an advantageous position when that next job comes up. You might even find you love the area you start in and don’t want to leave! In the same vein, even if your goal is to work for a big trade publisher, look at smaller publishers, academic publishers, and agencies when you’re starting out too.

You could also consider working in a different industry and then moving sideways. If you want to work in Marketing, for example, you could always look to get an entry-level marketing role in another industry, then apply for Marketing jobs in publishing when you have more experience.

6. Make the most of every opportunity

People in publishing are, generally, really friendly and happy to answer questions and chat to people who want to get into the industry. If there’s someone you really admire on Twitter, drop them a message and ask if you can email them or have a chat on the phone about their role. If a publishing house is running a talk or an event, go along if you can and talk to the people running it about the place they work. If you manage to get an internship or work experience, talk to everyone around you and soak up as much knowledge as possible.

7. Don’t get disheartened

Getting into publishing can be tough: it’s a competitive industry and it’s not unusual for there to be hundreds of applications for every position. It might take you a while to get that first job, but don’t give up if it’s what you really want to do. If you’re not getting through to interview stage, it’s a sign your cover letters and CV need work. If you’re getting through to interview stage regularly but not getting the job in the end, make sure you ask your interviewers for specific feedback – they will be happy to give it. As you refine your applications, you might get to the stage when you hear that you’re a really strong applicant, but someone else pipped you to the post: that means it’s just a matter of time, and at some point, everything will click and you’ll be the right person for a position.

It is evident that young people from under-represented communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic; more likely to be furloughed, have work canceled or postponed; more likely to be affected by the COVID virus itself, and more likely to be impacted by the longstanding structural inequality within the creative industries. Now more than ever there is a need for diverse voices to be heard and amplified. As a sector that aims to represent society, the creative industries have a responsibility to address this issue.

If you’re serious about becoming a diverse workplace is this explicitly stated in your core values? Diversity is not an add-on, it is at the heart of your brand culture.

Look at your data; can you attract, recruit, develop and retain underrepresented workers? Watch out for micro inequities in existing teams. Are there patterns to who is included and whoʼs being left behind? Where there are weaknesses, figure out why and what you can do to solve this.

Conduct regular anonymous surveys, determine where your short comings are, and respond to feedback. Gaining insight on how to improve your workplace from employees is a crucial step towards diversity.

Discuss the challenges and solutions, hold your company accountable to your targets and ensure momentum is maintained over time.

Be transparent about what change you want to achieve, over what period of time, and how you will be accountable. Book in regular review meetings.

Change your hiring process so you are actively recruiting from under-represented communities. Avoid hiring by word of mouth. Advertise opportunities across a range of platforms to enable a broader range of candidates to find your role and apply.

Review your website, job descriptions, imagery and language used to make sure youʼre as welcoming to all. Mix up who you follow on social media and which places you post to.

Invest in your team; support their retention and progression. Encourage staff forums and offer support structures and opportunities for sponsorship and mentoring. Ensure reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, aren’t substantially disadvantaged when applying for roles and doing their jobs.

Help people to understand the benefits of a diverse workforce, identify and overcome their unconscious biases and become allies. Become a role model and take personal responsibility for leading change. Invite external speakers and set up industry related networking opportunities to hear new perspectives which challenge your thinking.

Workers from all backgrounds should feel comfortable in their workplace. Recognise and celebrate special days in the calendar to make every team member feel seen and included.

Any organisations wishing to collaborate with Creative Access on delivering the above can contact the team here.

We caught up with our former intern-turned Economics reporter at The Telegraph, Lizzy Burden, to learn about her journey into newspaper journalism and hear her top tips for getting started in the industry.

Filipina-English by birth, Lizzy has lived all over the world, having worked as a fashion model for eight years before becoming a journalist, including walking the fashion weeks of New York, London, Milan and Paris. She’s now economics reporter at The Telegraph, with a focus on international trade. She covers protectionism in the Covid-19 crisis, developments in the post-Brexit ‘Global Britain’ project and trade wars between the world’s biggest economies.

Head to our YouTube channel to listen to Lizzy’s top tips or read them below…

Hello, I’m Lizzy Burden, Economics reporter at The Telegraph. I started my career as a Creative Access intern at The Times, so I wanted to share with you a few things that I’ve learned along the way.

When I did The Times internship on the home and foreign news desks, I had no experience in journalism except on my student paper, so it was during those six weeks that I learned to write a news story. I started off turning copy from wires like Reuters into Times-style stories, and then graduated onto writing my own stories that editors would ask me to write, maybe following up on something another paper had written to find a new angle, or turning a press release into a story. Then I was sent out to cover stories like the Salisbury poisoning and Notting Hill carnival, and finally I started pitching my own news to editors. I loved feeling like I was at the helm of what was happening in the world and being around all the savagely witty characters of the newsroom, and I decided that I didn’t want to leave.

I applied for funding from the journalism diversity fund to complete a fast-track NCTJ which is where I learned short-hand media law and more about writing journalistically. Not spending a whole year on a masters meant I could get back to the newsroom faster, which I found much more beneficial than sitting in a classroom, and during the course I was constantly keeping an eye on the next step. As soon as I finished, I did another two internships at Reuters and Bloomberg, then worked as a producer at the BBC on the daily politics programme, and at the same time I would do night shifts as a reporter with The Times. I was knackered. Then I joined The Times as a grad trainee, where I rotated through the Glasgow office on the Scottish edition of the paper, the business desk and the sub editing team.

I then moved to The Telegraph, where I am an economics reporter specialising in trade, which I love, because my beat sits at the intersection of business, foreign and politics. When I arrived, the biggest issues of the day were Brexit and the US-China trade war, and now I’m covering the biggest economic crisis in centuries, so I really do feel hugely privileged to do what I do.

Applying my experiences to you, here are my six tips on starting your career as a newspaper journalist:

1. Read widely. Even the papers you don’t agree with, even the sections you find boring, and even the news in brief.
2. Be open minded – because you don’t know what could suit you until you try it. I didn’t realise how much I’d love financial journalism at first, but what I discovered at Bloomberg was that I really like how it has a quantifiable impact.
3. Constantly push to level up. If you’re doing work experience, try to turn it into an internship. And if you’re doing an internship, try to turn it into shifts or a grad scheme. Never sit twiddling your thumbs. Come armed with ideas for stories, ask how to improve them if they get rejected, volunteer to help other reporters, ask them where they get stories, look at the news to see if you can follow up on anything. Just always find ways to add value so that you’re remembered. Then at the end, ask what other opportunities are available and ask specifically what you need to do to get onto that next step. Then when you leave, keep in touch.
4. Break news. Getting scoops seems like luck, but you need to make your own luck to be in the right place at the right time for a tip off. For instance, ring a source quoted by a rival paper and go for a coffee. Find out what’s going on with them and check in regularly. You might wonder where to start if you don’t have a beat yet. When I was on the business desk at The Times as part of the grad scheme, I wasn’t assigned a specific patch to cover, so I made myself one. The retail editor had just left, so I targeted retail stories until they found a replacement for her. And when the new retail editor arrived, the market reporter job was empty, so I volunteered to do that. And if all the beats are taken, look at a rival newspaper and pick a beat your paper doesn’t have covered yet. Make yourself indispensable.
5. Breaking news is about being first, which means being organised. For example, make twitter lists and subscribe to other people’s lists so you can keep abreast of the current debates in different areas. Put your calls in early as soon as you set a story, so people have time to get back to you well before your deadline. If you’re waiting to cover a speech, write a template with as much other detail as you can beforehand, and keep a diary. And finally, perhaps the hardest lesson of all…
6. Be okay with conflict. Newsrooms are full of strong characters who will respect you more if you stand up for yourself when you need to. Pick your battles, but never let anyone walk all over you, because people will push you as far as you’ll let them. Work hard, but learn to say no.

You can follow Lizzie on Twitter at @LizzzBurden

Have a publishing interview coming up but have no clue what to expect? We caught up with our former Harlequin UK intern – turned Head of Zeus Commissioning Editor, and now the Editorial Director for Orion Books, Rhea Kurien, to ask her about her top tips for acing those interview questions…

1. Tell me a little about yourself and your experience to date.

They ask this 9 times out of 10, so do think carefully about how you present yourself. Try and be succinct and tailor your answer to the job you’re applying for. It’s a question that trips a lot of people up, so it’s worth practising this one out loud so you don’t blank when asked.

2. Why do you want to work for us?

Be specific – show them that you know their list, have read their biggest books and are keeping abreast of what exciting things they are doing. Don’t just read their website (websites are usually out of date), really study their social media feeds and search for articles about them on The Bookseller. What are they doing that you feel really passionately about?

3. What have you read recently and really loved?

If you’re fresh out of university, I know it can be difficult to think of any books beyond what you read on your course. However, to work in publishing (especially editorial, marketing and PR), it is crucial that you have read books that have been published in the last year or so. Go into bookshops and see what books are charting, compare that to the kind of books that are featured in supermarkets, look at the Kindle bestsellers on Amazon as often as you can, and then read read read.

Here is a chance to showcase that you have read books on their list, do try and read a couple of their big books of the last couple of months.

4. What is a recent marketing campaign that really stood out to you, and why?

This will depend entirely on which area of publishing you’re looking to go into e.g. commercial, literary or academic. A couple of stand out campaigns for commercial fiction in the last year or so are Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie and Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare. Lots of pre-publication buzz, a really standout and high concept package, great endorsements from other authors and trade publications, lots of visibility both digitally and on the ground e.g. tube advertisements for Queenie at Brixton station. A similar non-fiction example is Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women. With literary fiction, two examples are Margaret Atwood’s Testaments and Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light (did you see when they placed the Wolf Hall Tudor rose emblem on a billboard in Leicester Square?).

You don’t have to use an example from the publisher you’re applying to – they want to know you know the wider market.

4. Why should I consider hiring you?/What makes you the right candidate for this role?

Here, you want to do the same thing you should have done for your cover letter: refer to the job description. Pick out key phrases from this, boring but important things like good at meeting deadlines, managing conflicting priorities, good people skills, and yes, ultimately, that you love and are excited by the idea of seeing a book from concept to finished product.

5. What have been your major achievements to date?

This doesn’t always come up, but if it does, don’t be afraid. It doesn’t have to be work-related, you can talk about something you did at university or something you achieved outside of work or study. Having other interests is a good thing, and having an example that shows you are capable of taking initiative is even better.

6. Any questions?

Always prepare at least three questions for this. You want the interview to be a conversation. Something I always like to ask is which books the interviewers are really excited about publishing this year.

Competency-based questions

With entry-level positions, there is really only so much they can quiz you about the industry. For the most part, if you’ve got to the interview stage, they already think you’re qualified. They just want to know if your work style will fit in with their team. That’s where competency-based questions come in, things like ‘give me an example of when you had to juggle conflicting priorities’ or ‘tell me about a time that you had to handle a difficult client’. This guide will help you construct your answers in this format: the situation, the obstacle you had to overcome, your strategy, and the (successful) outcome.

Your examples can be from situations you faced at university, any part-time jobs, or even previous internships. It doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you highlight that you know how to handle difficult situations. Publishing is all about working to really tight deadlines, working with lots of different people, and multi-tasking so show them you can do these things.

Final tips for interviews

Be your amazing and authentic self, make good eye contact, smile and be enthusiastic about being there, drink water when your mouth gets dry, don’t panic if you need a minute to think about your answer before you reply, and thank them for their time.

Khaleda Rahman has come so far since her internship with Creative Access in 2013. She has worked across the world in offices in London, New York and Sydney, but one thing she has noticed consistently is the diversity problem in journalism. Khaleda shares some of her own experiences with us…

Walking into an unfamiliar newsroom for the first time is daunting for any new journalist, I’m sure—but it’s even more so when you realise you’re one of very few people of colour there.

As a freshly qualified journalist, I secured an internship with a local London newspaper through Creative Access. I’m incredibly thankful that I was able to learn the ropes at a small weekly newspaper so when I made the leap to the nationals and found myself walking into newsroom after newsroom where I was in the minority in the years that followed, I was a much more confident journalist.

Over the past six or so years, I’ve worked at the Birmingham Mail and the Scottish Daily Mail while on the MailOnline graduate scheme and then went to work in MailOnline’s offices in London, New York and Sydney. After a stint as a foreign news reporter back in London, I decided to go freelance and move to Los Angeles. I’m now based back in the U.K. as a reporter for Newsweek.

I’ve been lucky enough to live and work in some of the greatest cities in the world and work on some of the biggest news stories in recent years—the 2016 presidential election, ISIS and “Megxit” to name just a few.

But one thing I’ve noticed everywhere I’ve worked is the lack of diversity. It’s not just an issue in UK newsrooms, but also in the US and Australia.

Don’t just take my word for it—there are plenty of statistics that speak for themselves. According to the National Council for the Training of Journalists, 94 percent of journalists in the UK are white and it is 87 percent in the US. Research in the US also found that employees in newsrooms are more likely to be white and male than anywhere else in the country. In Australia, newsrooms are overwhelmingly white and a recent study found that more than a third of hard news stories reflect negatively on minority communities.

That lack of ethnic diversity is most glaring when stories related to race have made headlines, whether it’s about politics or terrorism. It’s clear there’s a problem when mainstream news outlets misidentify prominent people of color or someone like the BBC’s Naga Munchetty is unfairly penalised for voicing her experience of racism when speaking about racist comments made by Donald Trump. And of course, there’s the specific kind of coverage of the Duchess of Sussex that some have claimed is fuelled by racism, while others insist has nothing to do with her skin colour.

In my years in journalism, I’ve had an editor suggest I would have an easier time securing job interviews if I Anglicised my name on my CV. I’ve had another confuse me for the only other brown woman in the office. I’ve seen the surprise on the faces of colleagues when I’ve told them I’m Muslim. And sometimes, I’ve had to strongly push back on headlines that I feel are unnecessarily inflammatory or biased.

But when it comes to these kinds of things, it can be challenging to have your voice heard. Speak too loud and you’ll be accused of “playing the race card.” Say nothing and it keeps happening. Sometimes you might feel it’s better to pick your battles as you always have a job to be getting on.

The onus shouldn’t be on the few people of color in newsrooms to educate their colleagues, especially if they’re in more junior positions.

Of course, more people of color should be recruited into newsrooms but tokenism in the workplace won’t make a big enough difference. They should also be recruited into more senior roles and changes should be made at the top.

Newsrooms should reflect the communities and demographics they represent, and it’s disheartening to say that almost a decade after I started on my path to become a journalist, there’s still a long way to go.

Journalists from diverse backgrounds can add so much value to newsrooms today and ensure reporting is more accurate and comprehensive. While it can be a tough road at times, the job is also an incredibly rewarding one. Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to pursue some of the stories I feel most passionate about, including revealing the identity of a jihadi bride from Scotland, speaking to a Saudi teenager who fled the kingdom and barricaded herself in a hotel in Bangkok Airport and interview a man who survived the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

There are plenty of stories like these that need to be told and we are the ones who should tell them.

You can follow Khaleda on Twitter at @Khaleda