Employer Exchanges
Throughout this module, I have learnt how valuable networking yourself is for helping to get a job in the industry in the future. Since then, I have started to reach out to different companies and individuals in the industry to both see about employment or internship opportunities and also asking about how they got into the role that they were currently working in and any advice they had to be able to also achieve that role. I have always struggled with having the confidence to message employers and companies about work opportunities, however this semester I have worked on putting myself out there and contacted some employers.
I am currently waiting for a response from the companies that I have sent placement applications to as the deadlines for these applications are still to come.
I contacted Bratitude Magazine, a United Kingdom-based magazine that focuses on Film, Music and Culture as well as focusing on Women’s talents in the media industry. I came across Bratitude Magazine on social media a few months ago, and I enjoyed their content and how they focused on showcasing women’s talents. I contacted Bratitude directly through their website to see if there were any opportunities to take part in an internship or have a work experience opportunity.
The full message I sent to Bratitude Magazine read:
‘Dear Bratitude Magazine, I am a second-year Media and Communications student and I have a passion for journalism. I came across your magazine on Instagram a couple of months ago and I have been reading since. I was wondering if you had any opportunities available for an internship or work experience. Kind regards, Stephanie Liney’
As well as contacting companies, I also contacted some journalists directly. One that I contacted was Rosanna Tennant who is a motorsport journalist who works in Formula 1 and has been an inspiration to me for many years as a woman working in Formula 1.
The message I sent to Rosanna read:
‘Dear Rosanna. I am currently a second-year Media and Communications student and I have a passion for Formula 1 and for journalism. I have been inspired by you and your work in Formula 1 since I started watching the sport 6 years ago. I was wondering if you had any advice for someone who is starting out in this industry. Kind regards, Stephanie Liney’
I also sent Rosanna a similar message through Instagram Direct Messaging as I know that she regularly interacts with her fans on social media platforms.
This semester I set up a LinkedIn profile to aid me in being able to contact employers. Through using LinkedIn I have been able to find a lot more opportunities for working in the journalism industry. I have also been contacted through this platform by some recruiters.
I also looked through my network map that I created and decided to message a couple of people listed on there to see if they could help me find new contacts in the industry or if they had any opportunities that I could participate in.
The first person I messaged was my Dad as he had previously set up a meeting for me to talk with the head of social media at the company he works at, however, this got cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. I now have a remote meeting set up to talk about work experience opportunities in January.
The other person who I spoke to from my network map is my friend Annie who works as an independent photographer. I asked her if there was an opportunity that I could right some descriptive pieces for the photographs that she took. However, with the Coronavirus pandemic, she didn’t have an opportunity for that at the minute, but she said that there could be an opportunity in the future when business starts to pick up again.
