Digital Generation
As part of Newcastle University’s alumni programme targeted at their digital/creative students, we were asked to speak briefly at an event at the Tyneside cinema about what we do as a company, the path that we’ve taken to get there and how others can follow in our footsteps.
It was an interesting evening and we met some good contacts – some of whom were especially interesting as we are currently looking to recruit an intern or two to join our team.
Experience Matters
One of the things that really stood out for us when listening to what the other speakers had to say was that there seemed to be a lot of focus on writing solid CVs in order to get a job. Unfortunately this is something that we wouldn’t really agree with doing – at least not in the digital creative sector, as experience really pays off and the time spent working on a CV would probably be better spent going out and doing some work so as to have a solid portfolio of work to go and see prospective employers with.
Need experience? Try working freelance
Because both the creative and digital sectors are so focussed on what potential job applicants have done in the past to showcase their talent, a comprehensive CV only goes so far. A candidate who has some freelance work under their belt to call their own will almost always be a preferred candidate.
The core message that we were seeking to bring across was that its not difficult to put yourself out there and start working in the digital creative industry if you’re willing to network and meet people.
One of our partners, Andy, is a graduate from Newcastle and one of the things that he said really brought to light the importance of real-world experience: He told everyone that he’s learnt more working with James over the last year, who is entirely self-taught, than he did in his three years at Newcastle. While this might not go down so well with a university, the truth of the matter is that experience really does count and the creative/digital industries are ones that you learn through doing, not necessarily solely by studying.
Photo courtesy of Zander photography