Today I found out via twitter that one of the guys who recently did an internship at Napoleon Creative has got his first creative job as a Digital Producer. He came to us fresh from graduating, but he had a maturity that meant he quickly fitted into the work we do at NC.
Through one of my contact I heard of an entry level media job that was going, which wasn’t being advertised in newspapers or on the likes of ProductionBase. I told him about the job, and he wanted to apply. I went through his CV with him, following our Clearly Creative process. He got an interview and a few days later, got that call to say he got the job! I’m really pleased for him, he deserves to do well. He works hard, he listens (an essential skill which not all freelancers have) and is a pleasure to work with.
Getting your first creative job
There are three lessons to be learned. First, he found out about the job from me, because I’d heard about it from my network. You have to be in the loop of people with work available, which is why being active and doing internships/work experience when you don’t have work is so important. You’ll learn about more jobs that are being recuited by word of mouth, not through advertising.
Second, I’m sure that his improved CV had a little bit to do with him getting the interview. On the first Cv he showed me, he’d made some basic mistakes and hadn’t explained his skills fully. But through some of my suggestion and a bit of a rework, it communicated his skills far better. And if your CV does that, you’re far more likely to get through the door and into the interview room.
Third, I gave him a great reference before the interview. He got this reference because he did an internship and proved himself to be a reliable, creative worker and an asset to NC. If you don’t have references in the industry, go do some internships/work experience to get some down on your CV.
Clearly Creative Tip
If you’re in a working environment you’ll hear about more work opportunities. Internships can get you good references. Have a great CV that communicates your skills.
