Advertising internship markets me better February 16, 2012
Posted by Andrew Falconer in : Marketing, Advertising & PR, career profiles, employability and skills, networking , add a comment
Royal Holloway Geography student Jack Smale blogs about his internship in education advertising.
My summer internship with a digital advertising company gave me a real insight into the world of advertising specialising in the education sector, and I gained a clear understanding of the competitive and target-driven nature of the sales side of the business. I learned a great deal about the importance of building business relationships, and was given the opportunity to go out and meet a number of clients. Perhaps most importantly though, I experienced what working a nine-to-five job was actually like, and how I would have to adjust my lifestyle after graduation to fit in with the corporate world.
During the three months I spent in the company’s Southwark offices, I worked on a number of projects, which included carrying out preliminary research into accountancy recruitment for a new ACCA-branded website (now launched at accacareers.com); researching, writing and designing articles for the student magazines All-Clear (send to A-level students on results day) and Navigator; producing online adverts on behalf of clients such as Strathallan Independent School; and helping with content development for the StuGlo.com website. Each day provided me with a new challenge, and I think I suitably impressed my line manager as I was invited back to work there the following Christmas.
I was introduced to a number of senior figures within the company, including group heads, directors and the CEO, all of whom were very approachable and encouraged me to ask them questions to help aid my personal development. Even though I’d only just completed my first year at University and was relatively inexperienced, the staff were used to accommodating interns and made me feel as though I had an important role to play within the business.
Although I don’t necessarily see myself going into a career in advertising, I gained a number of transferrable skills from the experience, which have since helped me to secure a part-time job alongside my studies. In addition, I made some good friends, some great contacts, and even managed to get a recommendation for my LinkedIn profile!”
See current internship opportunities on Job Online
Our careers: Charity Sector November 30, 2011
Posted by Andrew Falconer in : Our Careers, career profiles , add a comment
This continues our series of posts about the careers of our colleagues before joining The Careers Group. Amanda Duggan is the Employer & Volunteering Liaison Officer at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
The charity sector always felt ‘right’ for me – probably due to a combination of wanting to feel that I could ‘make a difference’ (as clichéd as that sounds!) and the less noble reason that there seemed to be such a range of possible career paths (community fundraising, campaigning, brand, volunteer management, high value fundraising, legacies, direct marketing, strategy, supporter care, celebrity liaison, event management, the list goes on……) that I thought I would find plenty to keep me interested!
I think some people enter the charity sector with a clear idea of the path they want to take (and often a fair amount of previous experience). As a recent graduate with the usual, but not particularly noteworthy, smattering of extra curricular activities (plus a quick de-tour into the world of archive management – which was interesting, but not for me!), and no clear idea of the particular path I wanted to take, I decided that a graduate training scheme was the best prospect. The downside to this was the lack of graduate training schemes in the sector – although after a bit of research I found that a few did exist. I applied for the Fundraising, Marketing and Communications graduate scheme at Cancer Research UK – a fantastic opportunity to gain experience of working in a number of departments across one of the UK’s largest charities.
I wasn’t disappointed! After a pretty intense application process (involving the usual stages of online application forms, numeracy tests, assessment days and interviews) I started at Cancer Research UK in September 2007. I rotated through placements in Legacies, Patient Information, Planning & Research and Supporter Relationship Management – giving me a useful insight into some of the key functions of a charity that fundraises millions of pounds each year. I feel that one of the distinctive things about working for a charity is really feeling a part of the cause – I didn’t think twice about volunteering the extra hours to work at fundraising events (from glamorous balls and Christmas concerts to community races in the rain).
Most graduate trainees stay on after the training scheme and move into a permanent role, but I left to join 
Volunteering England as the Higher Education Senior Officer – a decision based on my interest in volunteering, student development and education. Moving from a charity which employs thousands of staff to a smaller charity with about sixty employees was quite a culture shock, but an interest and passion for the cause was the key motivator for me. Working in a (comparatively) smaller charity did bring home the issue of money more acutely. The number of good causes which exist means that competition for funding is intense. Good fundraisers are always needed, with excellent career opportunities for them in the charity sector.
This emphasises the point that charities themselves vary hugely – and if you are interested in working for the charity sector I would say it is worth thinking about what type of charity you want to work for – what cause? What size? International, national or local? A charity which is supported by a membership base or one that relies on donations from the public? There’s lots to think about – but also a huge number of charities to choose from – about 170,000 in England and Wales according to Charity Facts (www.charityfacts.org).
The experience I gained at Cancer Research UK and Volunteering England has equipped me with some of the necessary key skills and led (step by step) to my current role in employer liaison and volunteering at SOAS. I love working in an educational environment, facilitating the development of students’ own career aims and goals; without my background in communications, partnership working and volunteering I doubt very much that I would be doing this now. Working in the charity sector has also had an impact on me in the long term from a non-work perspective; I now volunteer for the Prince’s Trust, as well as serving as a school governor for a local primary school. I think being exposed to the 
charity culture and environment instils a sense that you should always try and think outside the immediate confines of what you are doing – and see what you can do to help someone – or something – else.
Follow our “Careers in Charities” on Facebook.
How to stand out – alternative thinking July 30, 2010
Posted by TCG Info in : Uncategorized , add a comment
Image by Maladova (Flickr)
I recently went to an employer presentation where once again the same ‘top tips’ for standing out were given – good spelling on forms, no textspeak in emails, research about the job and company, punctuality, professional attitude, work experience, networking… No doubt there must still be plenty of people making the same mistakes year-in, year-out, but let’s assume you know all that. So what else might you try? Here are some more novel approaches:
A job with a view
Keep an eye out for jobs at the university careers service next year – some of our student helpers have found working at the careers service desk to be the perfect way to meet a range of employers, network and absorb careers advice while getting paid for it!
Alternatively, if you are a member of a society with a career-related interest, consider arranging your own careers talk. If you can set-up an effective event for an organisation, you will impress your contact and get your name known (you can always ask at your careers service for tips and help).
Prove yourself
Like dating, you might find people become more interested when you are taken…
While studying German at Edinburgh University, Helen Pidd worked for her student newspaper, ran a festival freesheet called Fest, and pitched “absurd and brazen ideas” to The Guardian’s pull-out features section, G2. She wanted to be a journalist because she “could not think of anything that could be more interesting”, but, when The Guardian eventually offered her a job, she did not accept immediately.“I told the editor I wanted to start my own magazine empire,” she remembers. “I didn’t know at the time that I was playing hard to get, but apparently that made him want to hire me even more.
Hold the front page, I want to be on it – Times Online, 16th May 2010
Commercially aware, communicator, driven, self-starter – how better to show this than by starting your own business? You don’t have to turn a profit in year 1 to succeed. You might simply produce a well put-together product, or a marketing campaign with impact – prove what you can do and make them want you.
Target your marketing
This copywriter proved his understanding of both digital marketing and audience pscyhology by setting up a Google ad that only came up for top creative directors… when they googled their own names. Four out of the five got in touch requesting an interview. The cost? $6.
Know your audience (and send food)
Image by DeuseXFlorida (Flickr)
In this podcast, Howard Roberts, a globe-trotting Saatchi & Saatchi director describes how one enthusiastic networker got his attention. She proposed a coffee at Terminal 5 – a novel suggestion that won her a meeting. She got extra points when she dmet him with his favourite coffee in hand – she had checked this in advance with his PA. It was the personal touches that made her approach such a success.
Similarly, one student found out his target’s favourite pizza toppings, and sent him a takeaway… with his CV taped to the lid! He earned an interview and a job offer. (Cole & Whistance 2003 Creative CV Guide, p.9)
Careful though – you can see both of these examples are in creative industries and even then they are personal approaches rather than wacky stunts. Watch your audience – pizza deliveries might mark you out as a joker in a more traditional firm…
Stunts
Still keen to take a chance? Got an original idea?
And this graduate got 250 enquiries from walking around London wearing a ‘job wanted’ sandwich board.
So…
What do these stories have in common? I can see energy, creativity, business insight, and above all personal connections. More fun than sitting at home sending out hundreds of emails too.
Heard of any more alternative approaches to the job-hunt?
Creative CVs for creative jobs – inspiring examples June 17, 2010
Posted by Helen Curry in : CVs , 6comments
If you are applying for jobs and internships in very creative areas, like graphic design, fashion, illustration or film, why should your CV be cookie cutter dull? While you should still include all the standard elements – personal details, qualifications, skills, experience – you can also make an impression and show off your passion and originality by getting creative with the design.
Fancy giving it a try? I really recommend the book ‘Creative CV Guide’ by Jan Cole which we just got in at the library – it is full of essential advice about when to get creative, what you can and can’t change for different kinds of job, as well as plenty of gorgeous examples, which inspired me to find some more online examples (below).
First of all, think about:
- Typography
- Layout and spacing
- Images and placement
- Concept
- What skills can you show off here?
- Where will it fold?
- What is it printed on?
- What will happen if HR tries to copy it or print it (black and white) to show to colleagues?
- Will it email? – Consider file size, file format… can it be opened easily on a standard PC running Microsoft Office?
- If it must be posted, how much will each package cost?
- Is it quick and easy to read? Websites and blogs can be great, but a standard CV is quickest to look at first… Should you include a standard text-only version too for HR?
Remember – getting a second opinion on your CV is all the more important – is the design distracting? Does your design ‘fit’ with the company you are applying to? Following it up with an email or call to get feedback might be a good move too.
And now, the gorgeous examples:
Clear, easy to print, yet still highly distinctive
Such an original concept
Love the colour
Here you can see the standard CV information is still clear and easy to read
Great character
Sweet yet practical and professional
Such attention to detail
Showcases illustration skills
Post your design online, and it might even go viral like these 
What do you think? Are these bold approaches risky?
Send us your questions for Marketing, Advertising and PR recruiters! March 10, 2009
Posted by TCG Info in : Marketing, advertising and PR , add a comment
We’re making a series of podcasts with top Marketing, Advertising and PR companies and professionals, and are looking for career related questions to ask them. This is a chance for you to get tips, insider information and advice about job hunting, the work, the future of the industry, or anything else related to careers.
Email us your top three career related questions by Friday 27th March 2009 and we’ll pick out the best ones to ask them.
We’ll let you know when the podcasts are live so that you can download and listen to them, and hopefully get some useful answers!
Email us at [careerspodcasts@gmail.com] by Friday 27th March 2009.
Marketing 
Advertising 
PR
Questions about graduate careers? Ask us on Facebook! November 25, 2008
Posted by TCG Info in : Marketing, Medicine and Healthcare, advertising and PR , 1 comment so far
The Careers Group has started some sector-specific pages on Facebook which are checked daily by Information Officers and Careers Advisers. Ask your questions here, and we will get back to you right away with advice and useful links to help you research your career. We will also post any relevant events we find, and closing dates of popular schemes.
Careers in the health sector
e.g. graduate entry to medicine, physiotherapist, dietician, radiographer, clinical psychologist, nurse, NHS careers, administration, research, drama therapist, midwife, pharmacist, dentist, health visitor, optometrist, sports psychologist, chiropractor, mental health nurse….
Marketing, Advertising and PR
e.g. copywriter, creative, press officer, advertising account executive, PR officer, marketing executive…
Promise we won’t send out lots of updates or spam you! We want to create a forum where we can personally respond to quick questions, and where students can help each other with suggestions and their experiences and get debate going.
Good PR October 24, 2008
Posted by TCG Info in : Uncategorized , add a commentIt seems that, despite gloomy predictions as to the economic state of the nation, graduate recruitment levels have taken an upward turn at most of the UK’s largest PR agencies. Meet the Graduates, a recent article in PR Week , 17th October 2008 looks at the current trend in graduate recruitment within the industry and interviews 3 new starters and 3 graduates who are one year into their traineeships, to find out about their experiences so far. Click here for a list of all the journals that we subscribe to here in the library
Hot off the press and onto our shelves is the new edition of Hollis-UK Public Relations Annual 2009. It’s packed with information about PR consultancies and news contacts in companies and official organisations.
If you are still at the stage of exploring careers in this area there are still a few places left on the Careers in Marketing, Advertising & PR course. It’s a 2 day course designed as an introduction to all these areas and gives you a chance to meet the professionals in the sectors.
Still not sure if the advertising industry is for you? It seems that if you are a “diagonal thinker” you are equipped to succeed in all the main roles in advertising. According to the IPA 10% of the population can think diagonally – that’s both logically and creatively. If you want to find out if you are one of the 10% then you can take the free Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment Test online and find out if you might be suited to the advertising and communications business. Anyone scoring more than 90% can print out an IPA certificate proving their scores and attach it to their CV.
