Forming a relationship online or over the phone is not always straightforward, so how do you create an effective and fruitful virtual mentoring partnership?

We’re so grateful for our team of brilliantly committed and encouraging mentors. We’d thought we’d share a collection of resources and guidance for both our mentors and mentees to help with connecting remotely.

For mentors

• Mentoring is such a powerful tool, through the ups and the downs, allowing time for reflection, supporting with structure and to help put things in perspective. Drawing on your professional experience to date, you can support by providing a sense of grounding and long-term view.

• Of course, there’s pros and cons to mentoring virtually as opposed to face-to-face and it’s important to acknowledge that whilst it may be more flexible, it may be more challenging to develop a trusting relationship. That said, and as long as you’re able to overcome any technical issues… it could actually inspire more relaxed and creative conversations away from both of your workplace settings.

• For early career professionals who are often the newest members of the team, it can be harder to sustain meaningful relationships with colleagues whilst on furlough and/or working from home. This could lead to feeling lonely or out of touch with the rest of their organisation. The simple act of checking in by sending a text message or brief email to your mentee asking how they are doing can go a long way.

• It’s important to be mindful that the COVID-19 pandemic may trigger trauma for young people. The National Mentoring Partnership in the US provides a practical resource for mentors.

For mentees

• Your mentor might be going through a very challenging time in their personal and/or professional life, remember to ask how they are and whether they’re able to connect remotely. Good mentees are considerate, respectful and can work within their mentor’s schedule.

• It is still important to prepare for a virtual meet up with your mentor, in order to maximise your time together. You might find it helpful to identify some recent accomplishments to share, think about a challenge you’d like to work through together and remember to be specific with how your mentor could help.

• Like many of us, you might be feeling worried and stressed and it can feel difficult adjusting. It’s important to remember that this situation will pass and we will get through it together, we’ve written a helpful blog post on managing your mental health during the coronavirus crisis.

For both

• Successful mentoring takes two and it can also take time and generosity to develop. The relationship must be managed and nurtured, we think the key elements of successful mentoring remain the same when connecting remotely.

• Remember to have fun, it’s ok to have a laugh and talk about something you did at the weekend, enjoyed watching on the TV or baked for the first time. Sometimes it can be helpful to take breaks from more serious conversations. And remember not to judge yourself by pre-pandemic standards, we’re living in unprecedented times!

Also sending a massive thank you for all your efforts, we hope you both continue to learn from a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship. Diverse voices are still very much needed within the creative sector, and mentoring is such an important strand of our work to achieving our vision where Britain’s creative industries truly reflect our society.

In part one of our feature on mentoring, Hannah Telfer, a Managing Director at a leading publisher, reflects on what she both takes from and brings to the mentoring partnership…

Somehow, in the formal language of mentors and mentees, we struggle to convey the real value that comes from two people, at different stages of their careers but equally passionate, spending time together and listening to each other.

Chemistry is everything in a successful mentoring relationship and it’s critical to ask at the start if you’re the right match – and to be pragmatic about walking away if the answer is no.

But if you think you can help, do. I’ve been fortunate to be mentored at various stages of my career and every time it’s helped me to think more clearly, to consider a different way forward and to be bolder. And every mentee I’ve worked with has reminded me what it’s like to navigate those first years of your career. It’s made me more empathetic with my own team. And it’s given me invaluable insight into what matters to a generation that does, sometimes, think differently to my own.

Now, as the head of a large team with broad expertise, I can better see the benefits of our differences but also the common ground; the places where we all unite and from which we build.

Let’s face it a little emotional intelligence goes a long way but it can be hard to develop in the maelstrom of the workplace. Conversations between mentors and mentees often path the way for the tough conversations that need to be had at work. They offer the safe space to test out approaches and explore scenarios. These are the places to broaden horizons, check biases and build confidence. A chance to sharpen points and soften delivery, bringing clarity and impact where it’s needed most.

Like every good relationship, it’s worth spending time in the first conversation agreeing what both parties want to achieve. What’s the breakthrough your mentee really wants to make? And to be upfront about the time commitment each can give. Will you meet every month for breakfast? Every 6 weeks for an hour? Perhaps the most valuable question to answer at the outset is how long you’ll work together. Somehow, it’s easier to agree 6 meetings over 6 months, and then to extend for a couple more, than it is to keep your commitment open-ended. Often there is a natural conclusion to your conversations; a mentee comes to their decision that it’s time to move on, they secure their brave next step, or take control of a difficult work situation.

Now, as I celebrate with my current mentee the job offer that will take her on an exciting new path, I’m exhilarated. We’ll work together until she’s settled in her new company and then it will be time to move on. I wonder who I’ll meet next? And what we’ll learn from each other.

Hannah Telfer, Managing Director, Audiences & Audio, Penguin Random House UK

Twitter: @HTelfer1
LinkedIn

If you are interested in becoming a mentor to a Creative Access alumni please follow this link to fill out a partnership form and we will do our best to match you as soon as possible.

Our former intern, Caroline Carpenter, has succeeded in forging a career which combines both her love of writing and love for books. She tells us about her journey to date and gives some sound advice for those wanting to follow in her footsteps…

I have worked at The Bookseller – a trade magazine for the publishing industry – since getting a year-long internship there through Creative Access in 2013. I’m now in the role of Web Editor, which involves carrying out web production duties, including uploading news stories and features to The Bookseller’s website, sending out email newsletters and running the company’s social media channels. I also chair our YA Book Prize, an award for the best book for teenagers by an author from the UK or Ireland. I sometimes write content such as author interviews for our weekly print magazine and website too.

From a very young age, I wanted to be an author. When it came to applying for university, my parents were a little worried about the lack of a clear career path that comes with an English degree (my dad had also studied English at university). They briefly tried to persuade me to continue with Law, which I studied did an A Level in and enjoyed, but were not surprised when I stuck to my guns and they’ve supported my career throughout.

Before landing my internship, I studied English and Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. When I first graduated, I gained work experience in an administrative role. I then did a few placements at publishing houses and as a result, I had the opportunity to write a book (‘A Guide to the Hunger Games‘). After that, I worked in the advertising department of a newspaper company for a year.

I was attracted to this role because I have always loved reading and writing, which inspired me to want a career in book publishing. Working at The Bookseller offered me the chance to learn a lot about the trade and to write for a living. From the start, my workmates at The Bookseller made me feel a valued part of the team – in fact, many of them didn’t even realise that I was an intern!

The best thing about my job is that it allows me to be at the centre of the publishing industry and to keep up-to-date with the latest news. I get to attend lots of book launches and events, meet authors (interviewing one of my heroes Malorie Blackman was a particular highlight!) and get sent free books before they are released. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel abroad for work and to speak on stage at events such as the Hay Festival and the Southbank Centre’s YA Literature Weekender. Above all, my work on projects such as the YA Book Prize has encouraged more people to be excited about books, which is incredibly rewarding.

In your applications, try to meet the criteria laid out in the job description and reflect the language used in it. Spend time crafting covering letters and proofreading them. Research the company you are applying for thoroughly before an interview.

• Whether it’s applying for work experience placements, building up a writing portfolio, working at a bookshop on the weekend, or writing a blog about the books you love, make sure that you show your passion somehow.
• Consider whether you want to do further study. There are lots of Publishing MA courses available at universities across the country now. For journalism roles, some employers require you to have NCTJ qualification.
• Don’t just apply for editorial jobs! Everyone in publishing starts out wanting to be an editor so these roles are incredibly competitive. Publishing companies have a vast range of roles available from HR to publicity so think about what suits your strengths best and don’t limit your applications.
• Get on Twitter – a lot of publishing people are on here and roles are also advertised here (good accounts to follow are @JobsinBooks, @inspiredselection, @pubinterns and @_CreativeAccess, of course!).

In the future, I’d like to still be working in the book trade in a role where I can use my creativity to help books reach more readers. I don’t have a dream job title in mind – maybe I’ll create my own one!

You can follow Caroline on Twitter at @CarolineC1988

Want to know how an internship in music can take you to running your own business? We caught up with former Creative Access intern, Darren Blair to hear about his internship, what he is up to now and what some of his plans are for the future.

Darren was interested in getting into the music industry and in 2015, secured an internship with I’m Not From London in Nottingham. The company promote events, gigs, parties and festivals, run two record labels and are also a registered music publisher.

“It’s sometimes harder when you don’t live in London as well” he tells us, “to find opportunities in the industry, that’s why it was great to find this in the East Midlands.”

We asked Darren to tell us a little about his experience at the record label, “I really enjoyed it. It allowed me to progress and get the good experience on my CV. It was essentially my first foot through the door. Creative Access made the process a lot easier and it was great to have the support from an organisation who genuinely understands the complications and discrimination within the industry.” He continues:

Darren clearly made a great impression on the company too! His line manager from I’m Not From London said: “Darren was an asset to us as I believe he will be wherever he decides to go to next. Creative Access was a great help to our business providing an extra person to help us grow in what was our busiest year so far to also teaching us the skills of man management, HR and how to most effectively teach and utilise an employee’s talents. We couldn’t recommend Creative Access enough to companies wanting to expand both their business and increase skills.”

Since his internship, Darren has not only stayed firmly within music and events, he has also now started his own freelance business. Under the name, ‘Darren Blair – Music Business Management’ he now works for himself in all areas of event management. Darren launched the business last November and by March already had his first major contract.

One of the major things Darren advises to people interested in the music industry is the need to learn as much as possible about as many roles as possible. He says “with events – it isn’t all about qualifications. What you need is experience”.

Darren now works for up to ten companies from Festival stages to arenas such as Wembley and Cardiff and some jobs even involving living on tour buses for long periods of time.

Having come so far already in such a short space of time, we asked what the future holds for Darren, he told us “my main aim is to be a tour manager, whether it is UK, Europe or international. I want to be responsible for the crew”

The fast pace definitely suits him and Darren shows absolutely no signs of wanting it to slow down. Follow Darren on Instagram and Facebook keep up to date with his impressive work!

Will Robinson, Managing Director of I’m not from London tells us his recipe for a successful career in the music industry…

There are far too many egos in music already and if you’re in the industry side you may have to deal with a lot of artist’s expectations and demands. You need to be able to get on with people and keep yourself grounded. You can be assertive without being a bully, you can be confident without being arrogant and you can be relaxed without being slack. You never know who the person you are talking to is connected to or where they will be in the future.

The more experience you can gain in this industry the better. The good people will stay in the industry a long time, so knowing and having worked with people in the past means your network will be all the bigger for starting earlier. Like many other creative industries, people prefer to work with people they know.

Jump in feet first, you’ll learn by your mistakes and if those mistakes are spent with your own money, you’ll learn incredibly quickly and hopefully you won’t repeat the mistake! If you have no connections, get stuck in and show you’re not afraid of hard work and getting your hands dirty and doors will start opening for you.

The industry has so many jobs attached to it, lawyers, labels, artists, sound techs, publishers, DJ’s, producers, roadies, tour managers, promoters, publicists, accountants, make up artists, stylists, video directors, drivers etc. The more of these skills you can learn the better. Sometimes one income stream may slow down for some reason, so being able to turn your hand to something else which is still linked to your industry means you are not reliant on that one way of making money.

Listen to people and take in what they are saying, it might give you a fresh perspective on a situation. People naturally like to pass their wisdom on and it’s good to have a few “mentors”: people ahead of you in the game that you can call on for advice.

If you plan for the worst, you won’t be disappointed or taken by surprise when disaster strikes. Festival and concert/gig planning for example rely on so many different groups of people and sets of circumstances and there’s always something that may go wrong. Having a contingency plan and a back up will give you some peace of mind that you have a strategy should things go awry. The same goes for budgeting; it’s best to leave some over for costs that you didn’t plan for needing.

If you’re serious about a career in the music business, understand that it will be hard, competitive and for a while may be financially less than your ideal wage. You may have to volunteer your services for free until professionals value you enough to pay you. Think of it as a long game and concentrate on building your contacts, knowledge and reputation.

Despite what they say, business is personal. Sometimes it’s better to take a walk around the block than reply to someone with a furious ranty email which could take the situation to a place where a problem can’t be resolved. Try not to hold too much of a grudge for the simple reason that you may need to call on that person again. If you can try and stay above all the negativity in these situations you can come out the bigger person.

If you’re about to start work with someone, or partner on a new project, try and make it official. Time is precious and working on a project for an extended period of time without commitment from the other party can be stressful. It’s good to approach these conversations as partnership contracts or agreements, laying out what you all agree on and expect from each other. The earlier you can get things agreed on legally and financially in writing, the sooner you can get on with the fun creative stuff as a team.

Confucious said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

If you’re making headway in your career, remember to enjoy it.

If you’re not happy, you’re probably not as productive as you could be so work hard of course but remember to be able to switch off every now and again. Consider yourself lucky and stay positive.

A love of music and community lead Will to become a music promoter. He chose the name I’m not from London as a reaction to the then London-centric nature of the industry. INFL’s continuing mission is to educate, nurture and champion the talents of those involved in the business & art of music on either side of the microphone.

Kavita Puri works in BBC TV Current Affairs, and is the Editor of Our World the award-winning foreign affairs documentary series. She is also the presenter of Radio 4 programmes, her next series Partition Voices is out this summer. Here she outlines her top ten tips to getting started in journalism.

Journalism is an incredibly fulfilling career but there are many easier ways to earn a living. You have to feel passionately about what you are doing. Be prepared for unsociable hours. If you still want to be a journalist, read on…

1. Make opportunities. Don’t be afraid to ask people for coffee at a place you want to work. Be persistent but polite if you don’t get an initial response, it shows tenacity. Do your homework before a meeting. Know what it is you are asking – is it work experience, advice on the industry, or pitching ideas? It’s vital to have watched the output, and have something to say about it.
2. While you are waiting for an internship or job – blog, make short films, post your videos – show prospective employees what it is you can do, how you write, and what your views are.
3. Get your foot in the door. Ask for a day of work experience and make sure that day lasts a week, a month, a year….and becomes something more concrete.

5. Identify people who could be your mentor. People are always happy to give advice. Make sure to keep up with them.
6. Keep a note of all your contacts on stories, it can lead to future stories.
7. Look around you. Stories are everywhere. And read widely, not just the papers lying around the office.
8. Be pro-active and volunteer to work on stories and events, even if it means staying late or coming in on your days off.
9. Be up to date with technology, if you can shoot, edit and write you will be in demand!
10. Even if you don’t feel confident, act it. Remember everyone was an intern once. Soon someone will be asking to meet you for advice.

Good luck

You can follow Kavita on Twitter at @kavpuri and @BBCOurWorld

Congratulations! You’ve graduated. You’ve had that final blowout with your uni mates; your parents have hung up your graduation photo; and it’s time to enter the world of work.

Applying for a job has changed so much in 20 years. When I graduated you had to print off a letter, stick a stamp on an envelope and then wait a week for an application form you had to hand-write. Today, you sit in bed, finding email addresses, cutting and pasting your cover letter and attaching your CV, and emailing prospective employers. But do you ever hear back from these employers? I’d be surprised if you did – if you haven’t bothered to find out my name, and research us, why should I do anything more than hit delete within five seconds of opening your email?

So my advice is to start six months before you graduate and to look at five or ten companies you want to work for.

So you have to make it your business to get to know those organisations – their staff, their clients, their campaign successes, and their industry awards. Email a mid-ranking member of the team and follow-up with a call within 24 hours. Offer to buy them a coffee at lunchtime (of course they’ll be so flattered to have been asked that they’ll pay for the coffee). Replay your research on the company, congratulate them on their successes, find out when their graduate programme is opening or find out if they hire ad hoc grads, even for short-term placements.

Of course getting your first position doesn’t mean life gets any easier. But you’re young and ambitious; have bundles of energy; no money but loads of time on your hands. You are at the prime of your life – the decisions you make now can define the rest of your career. It’s time to work hard!

So earwig conversations, read the report your colleague asked you to photocopy – if it’s important to them, it’s important to you – ask to sit-in on meetings, and be proactive in seeking opportunities to make the most of this first job.

A few asides. It’s time to start learning – read the Financial Times every day, read The Economist weekly, and flick through a tabloid newspaper periodically. Change what you listen to on your iPhone – download podcasts and listen to these. You don’t need to spend £2.70 a day on the FT, but you can listen to their podcasts for free. Set aside an hour on Sundays to read the comment and analysis pages of the broadsheets and to watch a TED talk.

John Lehal is Managing Director of Insight Consulting Group. He tweets at @JohnLehal

Ola Animashawun, the Creative Director of Euphoric Ink, knows all too well the importance of networking. He has 25 years of experience of working in theatre, is an Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre and founder of the theatre’s Young Writers Programme. Ola is also a presenter, consultant, script editor, compere and producer. Here he gives some sounding advice on how and why networking will help you get ahead in your career.

Everyone has a network, and everyone you know is part of your network, and one way of helping you to succeed in the way you want to succeed, is to get your network to work for you.

“No man is an island”

You’ve probably heard the expression, “no man is an island” but have you ever really considered what this actually means? Basically, no one exists in perfect isolation.

All of this connects us to other people, puts us in touch with other people and gives us something ‘in common’ with a vast range of people from a broad spectrum of life’s experiences. So if you think about it, you know a lot of people.

Strictly speaking, the expression “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is not true. You have to know what you are talking about and you must be able to do what you can say you can do. However, if it’s career advancement you’re looking for, then you are also well-advised to know exactly who you know and get in touch with them. In other words network.

Think about it like this. If you want to buy a car, but you don’t know anything about cars, what does the wise person do? They ask around and they canvas opinion, starting with the people they know and trust, i.e. they go to their network for support.

And on it goes in terms of which dentist, which plumber, which university, which travel agency, which mobile device, which piece of software etc.. all through life.

So your career shouldn’t be treated any differently. So you have to go out there, make it clear (by appropriately and sensitively broadcasting) who you are, what you’re about, what you can do, and how well you can do it and then trust the process to help you to be in the right place at the right time. It does work.

One final and very important note. Networking is a mutual state of affairs. As you ask, be prepared for people to ask you in return, what do you know, who do you know, can you point them in the right direction etc? Then share, don’t hold back. Share your knowledge, and share your contacts. Creating a virtuous circle of mutual benefit as it were.

Now work on how you’re going to network by doing the following:

1. Start by answering two very important questions to provide self-awareness and self knowledge:

a)What makes you tick, turns you on and off?
b) What do you want to do and want to be in terms of your career?

Be as clear, direct, simple, detailed, specific and succinct in your answers as possible – don’t stress it, its not a GCSE, just follow your instincts and you’ll realise you already have all the answers.

2. Make a very good first impression – always – and then ensure you always make at least a good impression after that.

Think about and find out about the people around you – who they are, what they want and how you can be the solution to their problems.

Know your chosen field inside out – read the trade press, blogs, watch the vlogs, attend the trade events, clock the people, voices, trends, meet the people and make sure you remember them and they have a good reason to remember you.

3. Be pitch perfect – have an informed opinion and choose when, where and how best to voice it.

Be ever generous – use your knowledge to help others to get what they want – become known the go-to person.

4. Set yourself goals and targets – including the goal to review your targets and goals on a regular and specified basis.

If you want to get something then simply ask for it.

So there you have it. Understand that Networking is a key part of your work life, so like the foundation of all success, be strategic, diligent, and apply yourself to ensure you do it well. Do all of this everyday – little and often will suffice – but make sure you do do it, everyday.

Sathnam Sanghera, features writer for The Times and Chair of Creative Access, attempts to give some practical advice about sustaining a career in the creative industries.

Last month I wrote an article for The Times business section about careers advice. Taking issue with a new generation of business websites tediously obsessed with proffering job tips such as “follow your passion” and “give 110 per cent”, I came across a report by the Inspiring Futures Foundation which found that only 1 per cent of state school students between the ages of 14 and 18 were influenced by the advice of a careers adviser. And concluded that the middle aged should, if tempted to proffer unsolicited advice, just shut up. No one is listening anyway.

Which puts me in a rather awkward position in fulfilling a promise to write something proffering careers advice for Creative Access interns. I stand by it – ultimately young people should be allowed to do things their own way. There are no real rules. Which perhaps counts as advice of sorts: be prepared to be flexible when working in the creative industries. Jobs in film, TV, journalism or PR are not like jobs in law, accountancy of medicine. You need no particular qualifications, there are thousands of different ways in, and you might need to be willing to change your mind and direction once you do get in. It is simultaneously the best and worst thing about the media sector.

As it happens, you can make a decent amounts of cash eventually: there are real opportunities for people who understand the arts and creativity and yet have business acumen. But starting salaries are not in the same ball park as those for corporate graduate training schemes, and the thing that will drive your success is commitment to doing great work, and the daily demonstration of great work. It’s a paradox: the less you are motivated by money, the more likely you will be well paid.

I’ve lost count of the number of job candidates and interns who claim they are passionate about film, or TV, or fashion, or current affairs or books, but who turn out to have nothing to say about these things whatsoever on their social networking accounts and seem to mainly to be concerned with complaining about the quality of donuts at Greggs. When I was starting out, the only creative outlet available to me was my local newspaper, but nowadays, with Facebook, Twitter and blogs there are thousands of outlets. It’s great fun, but there is also no hiding.

Another common mistake in interviews is candidates not knowing enough about the company they are talking to. There is no excuse, if you go into a TV channel, for not knowing what they are broadcasting that week and the nature of their competition. You also need to have opinions about the kind of stuff they should be broadcasting in future. Equally, it is unacceptable to go into a book publisher and not know what their biggest hits have been and the books they missed. This is basic stuff.

I could go on. Don’t do a media studies degree – if you go into the media actually knowing something about something, whether it is history, or science, or architecture, you will have an advantage over most people. Work hard. Trust your instinct. Listen more than you talk. But I realise I am falling precisely into the trap I warned against in my column. So I will leave you instead with some unsolicited advice that some of my middle aged friends proffered on this topic on Facebook, and which you will doubtless ignore.

The creative industries are highly competitive and can seem extremely difficult to break into, especially if you don’t have the right connections to give you a helping hand. Creative Access are here to help open the door to the creative industries for those from Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse backgrounds.

Hearing the term ‘internship’ can sometimes be daunting. For some, the word will start alarm bells will be ringing, leading to negative thoughts about spending endless amounts of time by the photocopier, dreary filing duties and making countless cups of tea for the team; i.e. doing temporary, unpaid, low-level duties, for an organisation that you will not be associated with for more than a few weeks or months.

But why is being a Creative Access intern different? Here are eight reasons why:

1. You are paid!

While many internships are unpaid, all internships provided through Creative Access are paid a bursary of at least the equivalent of the London Living Wage. This way, you won’t have to worry about dipping into your savings to make it through the duration of your internship.

2. Induction

Upon accepting an offer of an internship, all interns are invited to a Creative Access induction hosted at ITV Studios. It’s an insightful day to prepare you for life as a Creative Access intern, featuring inspirational speakers, guidance on presentation skills and goal setting, and offering a chance for you to meet other interns embarking on a similar journey.

3. Training

While you still may be asked to make the occasional cup of tea, we ensure that you receive a sufficient quality of training throughout the duration of your internship. We make sure that all line managers provide an internship training schedule, which will be agreed with you as the intern. This schedule can be used as a reference of what you can expect to learn during your internship.

4. Masterclasses

Each month, we bring all of our current and former interns together by hosting a Masterclass. In recent months we’ve met Malorie Blackman, and are also set to meet Sir Lenny Henry. We have also been hosted by organisations including, Twitter, Google, Hachette, the House of Commons and ITV, to name a few. These sessions give you an invaluable insight into all sectors within the creative industries, giving you the opportunity to network and  gain advice and inspiration from industry experts.

5. Support

Once you have started your internship, your relationship with Creative Access does not end. We will check up on you throughout your internship and provide a support system for you, which will continue even when your internship is complete. Whether it be an issue you need help to overcome, general career advice or even if you simply need a chat, we are only a call or email away.

6. Mentoring

Once you start your internship, you will be assigned a mentor within your company. This will be a senior member of staff – crucially a different person from your line manager. The role of the mentor is to help you build confidence, credibility and competence during your internship and specifically to help you think about your next steps after your internship finishes.

7. Buddy system

Every intern is assigned a ‘buddy’ who was a former Creative Access intern. The aim is to make the initial process of settling in as an intern smoother and to offer you support based on the former intern’s own knowledge an experiences.

8. Tickets to theatre shows and events

Often, our supporters and media partners such as The National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse and the Almeida will contact us with free tickets to shows and/or events. We always inform our interns, past and present of these events and they are always greatly received and appreciated.
So what are you waiting for? If you are from a black, Asian or other non-white ethnic minority background, view our latest opportunities and start your journey as a Creative Access intern now by registering here.

So your dream is to enter the big wide world of marketing. You’ve sailed through education, applied for countless amount of roles and you’ve finally secured an interview. Firstly, congratulations! Secondly, are you prepared?

Marketing is one of the key components to an organisation’s success and there isn’t a rule book on how, when or where it’s done. As you probably already know, there are many components that make marketing a success and it is proven to be a very competitive industry to get into. Regardless of what the type of marketing role you have applied for is, the following tips combined are key to scoring well in a marketing interview.

Research

First thing’s first, you need to research. It may be the most obvious starting point, but we cannot express enough the importance of researching and the difference between a well-prepared and an ill-prepared candidate at an interview. The worst thing you can do is go into an interview without any knowledge about the ever-growing list of marketing strategies and even more so, without any knowledge of the organisation you will be potentially working for.

A great starting point is the organisation’s website. So ask yourself:
– What type of organisation are they?
– Who are their audience?
– What are their current marketing strategies?
– What are their goals and values?
– What are their achievements?
– How do they measure their success?

We all dread the ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ question, (as no one can predict the future), but you must be prepared to answer it. Know your direct marketing from your promotional marketing and your marketing analyst from your marketing director. Ask yourself why marketing is the career route you have chosen and where you want it to take you eventually so you are prepared for this question.

Ideas

Having ideas can be useful for any type of job interview but when it comes to a marketing role, having ideas is essential. When filling a marketing role, employers tend to be seeking a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to analyse their current marketing strategies and will appreciate a new perspective.

If you like an existing strategy, suggest an example of what can be done to maintain/enhance it. There is no right or wrong answer, everyone is entitled to their opinion and as a potential employee, bringing ideas to the table can help you stand out from other candidates. Be brave!

Social Media

Social media has become one of the key tools in an organisation’s marketing strategy. If you haven’t done so yet, sign up and become familiar with multiple social media platforms and focus on how they can be used for marketing purposes. The main social media platforms range from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest. Find out what social media platforms the organisation currently have profiles on (if any) and be sure to mention that you have seen them active on these platforms and how effective you find their practices.Make sure your own social media channels are relevant and up to date as your potential employer will definitely look at them.

Skills

Consider your current skills, tailor them to the job description and highlight them to the interviewer. Some of the essential skills in marketing that you could demonstrate examples of are:

• Communication. Having the ability to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders of all levels, from youth to pensioners and assistants to CEOs. Highlight your capability and confidence in using multiple channels of communication (face-to-face, social media, email, telephone, skype).
• Creativity. There isn’t a wrong idea when it comes to creativity. Don’t be afraid to express your ideas no matter how big, small, quick or time consuming they may be.
• Writing skills. Be confident in your grammar and punctuation. Understand the difference between your ‘their’s ‘they’re’s and ‘there’s’? Be aware of how different writing styles can appeal to different audiences.
• Team playing. Marketing is a team effort, filled with a combination of ideas and opinions and is hard to do alone. Demonstrate times you worked in a team, what role you played and what was achieved as a result of teamwork. This doesn’t have to be in a work situation but can still highlight your skills.
• Analysis. Knowing your audience and measuring the success of marketing relies a lot on analysis. Demonstrate ways to analyse a market and how you can interpret written, numerical, visual and verbal communications.

Portfolio

It’s one thing to verbally highlight your skills and marketing capability, but presenting your skills with evidence in a portfolio will give the employer a visual idea of what you are capable of and why you are suited for the role. Tailor your portfolio and make it relevant to the role you are applying for. If you are a blogger, print off your best written work. If you are a communicator, print off presentations you have collaborated. If you are a designer, show off your best photoshop work. Be proud of your accomplishments and don’t be shy to bring a portfolio along to your interview, even if it wasn’t asked of you.

We hope these tips have helped to boost your confidence and have helped to prepare you for your marketing interview. Don’t forget that we have some amazing paid internships in marketing as well as other creative sectors, so feel free to check them out here. Good Luck!

We’re sure you’ve heard many times before that job searching can often be a job within itself. And with hundreds of people competing for every role, especially in the creative industries, its imperative that your CV and cover letter accurately represent your skills.

So whether you’re a fresh-faced graduate or a seasoned professional looking to make a career-changing move, make sure you check out our tips on how to create an outstanding CV and cover letter.

Things to consider before you put fingers to keyboard…

• Cover the basics first and include all of your personal details – name, address, phone number and email. It’s all well and good showcasing your excellent experience but it’ll be for nothing if an employer doesn’t have your details to contact you!
• Make sure the length of your CV is relative to your work experience. There’s no point in having a four page CV when you’ve only just graduated. Chances are most of it will be unnecessary waffle so you’re better off cutting it down to one or two pages and focussing on any extra curricular skills or work experience that you’ve picked up during your studies.
• Be honest. You may just think that you’re being creative, but exaggerating the truth when it comes to your skills or experience will not help you. It also won’t take long for the employer to see through that if you’re lucky enough to get through to the interview stage. Save everyone’s time by focussing your energy on applying for roles that you’re qualified for and are confident that you can excel in.
• Make sure your cover letter reflects your personality, details relevant experience and shows why you are interested in the role. Employers receive hundreds of CVs everyday so a strong cover letter is important if you want to stand out. Make sure you tailor your cover letter to each role that you apply for. This will show that you’ve taken the time to research and haven’t just copy and pasted a generic response.
• If you’re going for a creative role, make sure your CV includes links to your work. If you’re going for a role in social media there should be links to your social media channels. If you’re going for a content creation or film role you should include links to your show reel and any credits you may have gained.

Put yourself in the employers shoes

You wouldn’t employ just anyone to look after a loved one or do some work in your house so make sure you have a full understanding of the type of person a company is looking for. This knowledge will take you far for when you when you have to sell yourself and convince them to invite you in for an interview.

Create more than one CV

If an employer looks at your CV and sees that you’re interested in pursing roles in film, book publishing and PR, it may give them the impression that you’re a flight risk and you’ll just jump ship the minute you find another role in a different sector.
By creating a number of CV’s and tailoring each one to specific sectors or subject areas, you’ll show your employer that you’re committed to your career goals.

Get a trusted squad to proof read your CV and cover letter before you press send

When you write something yourself and spend hours working on something, you become blind to your own work and may be unable to spot typos or phrases that don’t quite fit.
So before you send your application over, enlist a trusted group of people to proof read your CV and cover letter and actively encourage them to provide their honest feedback.

We hope these tips have given you the inspiration to write an amazing cover letter and CV. If you feel that you need some face-to-face guidance when it comes to your CV, we run regular CV clinics which can be found here on our Opportunities page.