I would like to explore two main employment pathways after graduation:
– Freelance Graphic Designer and Illustrator
– Part-time/Full-time employment in a creative work place (Social Media Management, Production, Events).
I started working as a Freelance Graphic Designer last year, and I’m currently working on 2-3 projects per year, usually around London Fashion Week seasons. It is a great way for me to gain professional experience and top up my student finance maintenance loan, while I’m still at university. This arrangement, however, will not suit me after graduation.
My current income from freelancing in not enough to cover my basic financial needs (see Fig. 4). While increasing a number of projects I’m working on, as well as my rate, will help me grow my freelance income, I will need better financial security, especially right after graduating. To make sure my personal costs are covered and I’m able to provide good standards of living for myself, I decided to add additional income, which will come from a part-time job. I will explore this subject later in this post.
I explored freelance career in the Business Plan module (AD314). Below are a few charts and spreadsheets, that I would like to support this post with. The next 4 images were created specifically for the Business Studies project.
Fig. 1: Freelance employment SWOT analysis.
Fig. 2: Marketing Mix of freelance employment.
Fig. 3: Personal SWOT analysis aligned with freelance employment (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 4: Personal Survival Budget indicating how much income I need to break even.
Having a part-time job in a creative work place is vital for my financial security, further development of my skills and healthy social life. Currently, I’m looking at job titles, such as: Social Media Assistant/Manager, Events Office/Studio Assistant/Administrator, Events Assistant/Manager. I would like to utilise my communications knowledge and IT skills, as well as leadership and organisational skills.
Majority of employers offer this positions on full-time basis, which I would consider if the work environment is right, however, I found few job offers advertising a part-time position or a possibility of job-share, which is also a great option.
Below are summaries of a few relevant job offers I found on Glassdoor for job positions mentioned above.
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT/MANAGER
CURZON MEDIA
Social Media & Content Assistant reporting to Social Media Editor, assisting in the production of industry-leading social media and blog imagery and content from concept to execution, assisting in the management of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, helping produce social imagery.
Looking for:
– talented, dynamic, outstanding, witty and creative individual;
– experienced in fashion, entertainment, automotive, travel and financial sectors.
Duties include:
– identifying key influencers and partnerships for blog content, photo shooting and editing exclusive imagery and coordinating features with external parties as well as internal buying and planning teams;
– growing quality and quantity of client’s content, shooting and capturing content for social media and blogs;
– liaising with external contacts to coordinate shoots and interviews;
– suggesting ideas and developing concepts for editorial stories working with ‘on the ground’ content creators to enrich these accounts and grow followers;
– producing weekly feedback for each account;
– sourcing on-brand imagery for use across content channels, securing appropriate usage rights.
Ideal candidate will:
– have obsessive attention to detail, track record of operating in fast-paced environment, creative editorial skills;
– be proficient in Adobe Photoshop, experienced shooting DLSR cameras,
– have strong work ethics, willingness to learn, custom WordPress template experience, basic HTML understanding and moving image creation and editing, and Microsoft Office knowledge.
Estimated salary – 24K + benefits (28 days annual leave, flexible bank holidays, company bonus scheme, cake-bake every Wednesday, competitive office Ping-Pong).
FARFETCH
Social Media Editor reporting to Senior Social Media Manager, working within diverse Marketing team consisting of professionals, spanning artistic and scientific expertise.
Looking for:
– someone who knows what’s trending;
– a natural editor, collaborator and great communicator;
– someone proactive with passion, able to work across departments;
– someone with exceptional grammar and spell-checking abilities.
Duties include:
– responsibility for planning and editing daily content for Farfetch’s organic accounts including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in line with global marketing strategy;
– managing daily content planning process across Farfetch social platforms;
– managing cross-departmental activation on Farfetch social platforms;
– analysing weekly engagement and traffic across social platforms;
– always optimising and conceptualising content based on learnings and past analysis;
– collaborating closely with wider editorial & content teams;
– driving innovation on the core social channels.
Ideal candidate will:
– have a deep understanding of social media ecosystems and how to best serve content on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as well as emerging networks;
– be a storyteller by nature, always looking for the angle;
– have a track record of audience engagement;
– have social media experience at a brand or agency (plus, but not required);
– be a skilled writer and grammar nerd who is able to quickly grasp brand tone of voice;
– be a detail-orientated, proactive team member;
– be able to work in fast-paced environment, handling multiple projects in an organised but flexible manner & prioritising when necessary.
Estimated salary – 35K + benefits (collaborative and open office culture, big outdoor terrace).
CANON
Social Media Specialist working within Corporate Communications department, supporting overall communications strategy as well as the consumer, professional and B2B business.
Looking for:
– ambitious, confident, passionate and driven to learn and grow individual;
– with deep understanding of digital and social media platforms;
– someone able to collaborate;
– a creative problem-solver, great communicator and digital innovator.
Duties include:
– developing and delivering best in class social media activations;
– supporting marketing teams and content production with social media expertise in the planning and creation of campaigns;
– maintaining relationships with key social media platforms;
– managing the briefing of, and planning with, communications agencies;
– analysing and understanding social media performance to provide data-based insights;
– identifying, implementing and maintaining systems and tools that support Canon’s presence on social media platforms;
– working with country communications teams to support our local community managers and enhance the local social media presence.
Ideal candidate will:
– have clear experience of social media and digital communications platforms, ideally with a relevant marketing or business-related degree;
– demonstrate good knowledge of paid-for social media and will be confident with the advertising process across all social media channels;
– show strong evidence of planning and reporting based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);
– have excellent collaborative and interpersonal skills, capable of working effectively with diverse stakeholder across different product groups, PR and communication agencies.
Estimated salary – 45K + benefits (annual 10% bonus scheme, private medical insurance, long service awards, enhanced maternity pay, enhanced company sick pay, 25 days holiday per year, staff purchase scheme, subsidised dry cleaning, ride to work scheme, employee assistance programme, flexible working policy).
EVENTS ASSISTANT/MANAGER
BLS MEDIA
Events Assistant in an established and experienced specialist events and publishing company, assisting Events Team, working on events like the Global Investment Immigration Summit, London, Bangalore, Johannesburg, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York based from London office.
Looking for:
– someone able to think and perform under pressure;
– ambitious individual;
– someone willing to learn about events.
Duties include:
– assisting Events Team with schedule throughout the year;
– maintaining guest delegates list;
– engaging in market research;
– updating data bases;
– managing invitations;
– ensuring all administration regarding an event is correctly executed in the company system.
Ideal candidate will:
– be a quick thinker;
– be competent in Microsoft Word and Excel;
– be attentive to details;
– have strong organisation skills;
– be interested in events.
Estimated salary – 22K
BRIGHT TALK
Event Manager working within Managed Service Department on Summit Team (managing and logistics of events), the role mainly include working on virtual events, and sometimes physical ones.
Looking for:
– talented and passionate individual;
– someone not afraid of challenging responsibilities,
– someone able to provide deep insight into the platform and communities, and project management expertise, while working with Event Producers, Content Managers, Customer Success, Sales, speakers and sponsors,
– a clear communicator and good collaborator;
– someone organised and efficient, a quick learner.
Duties include:
– working with Event Producer to deliver at least 2 Summits per month to deadlines within an 8 week production cycle;
– taking end-to-end ownership of the summit process & delivery;
– oversight of bookings, pipeline and revenue associated with the Summit business;
– producing sales hype meetings/email enablement about upcoming Summits and opportunities;
– providing updates to the Sales and Customer Success teams about upcoming Summits’ inventory, stats and other relevant information;
– managing availability of Summit sponsorship inventory with Sales Team to provide transparency of available sponsorship slots;
– managing relevant event documents and databases for all Summit’s progress;
– answering enquiries related to the Summits’ inventory, time slot availability, Summit pipeline and sponsorship availability;
– recognising areas for improvement and strategising solutions;
– identifying target speaker personas with Event Producer and Content Managers for each Summit by reviewing topics within Summit, existing speakers etc.;
– collaborating with Event Producer to identify and recruit speakers and partners;
– elevating new speakers in line with BrightTALK’s speaker vetting process and maintaining the Speaker Bureau;
– training new presenters on the presenter platform, conduct live day support with each presenter as needed.
Ideal candidate will:
– have understanding of Saleforce, Qlik Sense, WordPress;
– use Airtable and other project management tools;
– be experienced in online and/or physical event management;
– be experienced in dealing with commercial partners;
– have a good commercial understanding.
Estimated salary – unknown + benefits (generous and comprehensive health and dental benefits, generous holiday polocy, top destination cities located offices, training allowance and regular innovation days, team building and paid volunteer days).
OFFICE/STUDIO ASSISTANT/ADMINISTRATOR
(preferably in Events)
ELECTRIC SQUARE
Studio Administrator reporting to the People and Culture Manager, supporting them with HR-related tasks.
Looking for:
– someone that thrives on interacting with other people and enjoys managing multiple varied and diverse projects.
Duties include:
– responsibility for office manager duties, including maintenance, mailing, shopping, supplies, equipment, bills and errands;
– acting as a social hub to make staff feel comfortable and connected in the studio;
– assisting with upcoming studio migration to our world-class new space, supporting internal office reorganisation;
– working in brand new open plan studio in Central Brighton;
– ensuing our studios are clean, tidy, and generally lovely places to be;
– booking Director’s travel/accommodation requirements;
– getting involved with charity fundraising events, helping organise and communicate to the studio;
– assisting Directors with input of monthly expenses using online banking systems;
– negotiating prices with office vendors and service providers;
– creating, organising and encouraging people to attend company social events;
– populating Excel report for studio expenses;
– managing and booking flights and accommodation for staff and interviewees;
– ensuring visitors can access the studios and enjoy their time here;
– supporting colleagues with administrative tasks, particularly the Core Service team;
– updating internal databases, maintaining records for employee benefits;
– preparing HR documents (employment contracts and amendments, reference request, etc.);
– administering the on boarding period, ensuring managers are prompt to carry out end of on boarding meeting, providing assistance with documentation;
– answering employees queries about HR-related issues.
Ideal candidate will:
– have a warm and caring nature with a positive attitude;
– have proven work experience as an HR Administrator;
– have excellent time management skills and ability to multi-task and prioritise work;
– have great attention to detail and problem-solving skills;
– have excellent written and verbal communication;
– be proficient in MS Office.
Estimated salary – 24K + benefits (23 days of annual leave, studio closure over Christmas break and bank holidays, team project bonuses, annual pay review, private medical insurance scheme, group income protection, health and well-being allowance, group life insurance, tech scheme, cycle to work scheme, free fresh home cooked Electric Square monthly Friday lunch, eye-care vouchers, train travel season ticket loan, free drinks and snacks, in-house social clubs, dog friendly offices, personal trainer sessions, team building nights out, summer festival, exhibitions and days out).
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR
Event Assistant – reporting to Head of Events, supporting them in delivery of approximately 15+ events per year from start to finish.
Looking for:
– someone with experience in the events industry, willing to build upon these foundations in a growing and dynamic team.
Duties include:
– researching into relevant media partners, particularly for new regions;
– researching relevant groups on social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, to promote events;
– venue searching for new events and compiling a shortlist to pass on to the Head of Events;
– arranging all event signage and documentation – leasing with the designers and sponsors for relevant materials so that all items are proofed, sent to print and delivered on time;
– finding suppliers in relevant regions to produce event signage and documentation where necessary;
– updating and maintaining the events website;
– updating delegate spreadsheets daily and sending out confirmation emails after reviewing registrations with Head of Events;
– putting together PowerPoint presentations for events and ensuring speaker presentations are received in good time;
– being responsible for ordering and maintaining correct levels of event stock;
– ad-hoc duties as required by the Head of Events.
Ideal candidate will:
– be confident;
– be able to work autonomously and as part of a team;
– remain calm under pressure;
– will be extremely organised – able to multitask, work on multiple projects at the same time;
– have excellent time management and be able prioritise while remaining deadline focused;
– have excellent communication skills – able to deal with people at all levels;
– have good written communication and confident telephone manner;
– be accurate with good eye for details;
– show innovative and take proactive approach to ensure quick and effective problems solving;
– have confidence to negotiate with and develop good business relationships with clients, sponsors and suppliers;
– have IT skills (Salesforce, Advanced Word, Excel and PowerPoint, good internet research skills, typing to at last 50wpm).
Estimated salary – 26K + benefits (unknown).
The companies chosen are not my first choice, however this exercise helped me highlight day-to-day duties and requirements for each vacancy.
I would also like to mention that I’m limited to companies that actually look for new employees now. Some of my dream employers are not looking to hire at the moment, which I will explore in separate post.
