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THE CREATIVECAREER SEARCH

How to get the hard-to-get jobs

The creative career search: what is it? 3Steps in the creative career searchSocial media networking 7Methods of approach 11Information interviewing 16Questions to ask at an information interviewCreative job hunting 18Speculative applications 19

CONTENTS

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THE CREATIVE CAREER SEARCH:WHAT IS IT?

The Creative CareerSearch involves adoptinga proactive approach toresearching careersand/or making jobapplications. Rather thanbeing passive (readinginformation and browsingonline) and reactive(waiting for a vacancy tobe posted before makingan application), you takethe initiative in findingout what is involved in acareer or about potentialjob opportunities.

There are a number of differentelements to the creative careersearch. It can involve:• Finding out about careers by

talking to people;• Developing a network of contacts

who can help give you adviceand/or information;

• Using this information to makecareer decisions or to findemployers to target;

• Approaching prospectiveemployers to market yourself andto apply for jobs that may not beadvertised.

These may be used separately ortogether. The creative career searchis particularly important where thereis a lot of competition for the jobs forwhich you are applying, such asthose in the media or environment,but everybody can use someaspects of the creative career searchand these may powerfully boost theeffectiveness of your job-hunting.

This booklet will work through thedifferent stages outlined above andmay be used to focus on any or all ofthese elements.

Steps in the creativecareer search• Self-assessment (knowing your

skills, interests and values)• Researching careers• Creating networks; identifying

and approaching contacts;Information interviewing

• Using what you have learned tomake yourself more attractive toemployers, eg by gainingappropriate skills or experience

• Further networking and research• Marketing yourself – online, in

print or in person• Approaching employers.

FINDING OUT ABOUT CAREERS

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If you have absolutely no idea what career youwant to enter, then it istoo early to start usingcreative career searchingtechniques: these come ata later stage of the careerprocess. Read our bookleton Choosing a Careeravailable on thepublication section of ourwebsite.

Once you have thought about whatyou want from a career, and pickedout some career areas that seem tofit with this, you should then find outas much as you can about thesecareers: the web resources usingthe career research section of ourwebsite.

Doing your research is essential: nopotential contact or employer will beinterested in you unless you canshow them that you have at leastgone to the trouble of finding out the basics. You need to be wellprepared before you move on to thenetworking stage.

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NETWORKING – WHAT IS IT?

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At its simplest,networking is just talkingto people! Most peopleenjoy talking about theirwork and are usuallyhappy to help others whoare interested in thatwork. You can develop anetwork through existingcontacts or create yourown, using the ideas inthis booklet.

Networking can be used to gain afirst-hand insight into jobs andcareers that will help you to ensurethat you have made the right choice.It can also be used for actual jobhunting, and the contacts that youmake through networking to informyourself about careers may behelpful later when you are actuallyseeking a job.

Suppose that you want to find outabout careers in banking. Do youhave any friends or family who workin, or know people who work in, thatfield? What about your own bank –perhaps the student adviser in thecampus branch would be willing toanswer a few questions?

Remember that your first contactdoes not need to be a personactually doing the job that you wantto do. They might be able to put youin touch with the right person. Yourinterest may be in working at abank’s head office rather than in alocal branch, for example, butperhaps your contact knows peopleworking in that role. This is whatnetworking is all about!

“Networking is aboutrelationship building. Let’s say for example you go to anetworking event, and youmeet someone there who isideal for you, your dreamemployer – get chatting tothem, make an impression on them, make a positiveimpression. There is no harmin saying to them at that time“I would really be interested inworking for your company,would it be possible to comeand see you and get someadvice?”

Andy Lopatabusiness networking strategist

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NETWORKING – MAKINGCONTACTS

These are just some of the peopleand resources you could use to findcontacts:• Your friends• Your family• Your friends’ relatives or your

relatives’ friends ...• Your academic adviser, other

lecturers, or former teachers• Community contacts – for

example, people you might meetthrough their work in healthcare,finance or law; staff on localnewspapers; members of thecongregation at your place ofworship; Chambers ofCommerce, Rotary or Lions

Clubs; local councillors and MPs;local campaigning groups; artsand heritage organisations;sports clubs; twinningassociations; voluntary bodies

• Local employers• Careers fairs and careers events• Professional bodies, institutes

and associations• Members of clubs and societies• People mentioned in

newspapers, magazines,journals, blogs and websites

• People you find on social media(see page 8)

• Anyone you meet!

“My dad was talking tosomeone that he works withabout my situation and that I wanted to get into PR butwasn’t having much luck withit. And this guy said “oh mywife works in PR and I’ll gether to get in contact” so I senther my CV and then I gotword back from a couple of PR companies.”

www.prospects.ac.uk/how_to_find_a_job.htm

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CONTINUED OVERLEAF

This is one of the best andmost effective ways to findpeople working in thesectors that interest you,make connections, gatherinformation and develop anetwork.

Use the search facility on these sitesto find:• Employers that interest you• People and companies in a

specific career field• Job sites• Kent alumni groups• University careers services• Other specialised careers

resources

LinkedInwww.linkedin.comLinkedIn is a business-orientedsocial networking site with over 300million members worldwide. Itprovides opportunities to networkonline with professionals from allkinds of different employmentsectors: there are also groups fordifferent regions and institutionssuch as universities (including onefor Kent alumni). Google tends to listLinkedIn profiles towards the top ofsearch results, making a LinkedInpage a valuable asset in your jobsearch.

There are many things that you canuse LinkedIn for, including:• Exploring job roles – what job

titles are there in a particularcareer sector and whatorganisations people in thissector work for

• Researching career paths to seehow people get into career areasand job roles and how theircareers develop

• Identifying organisations totarget (for example, by sector orlocation)

• Researching organisations – egwho works for them, what type ofjobs they offer, where they haveoffices

• Identifying contacts to target for“informational meetings” or workexperience

• Investigating opportunitiesoverseas

Your LinkedIn page allows you toestablish a professional onlineidentity and to promote yourselfeffectively. It works a bit like an on-line CV, allowing you to mention yourcareer goals, education,experience, posts of responsibilityand skills. In fact, you can uploadinformation from your CV directlyinto LinkedIn.

Once you have a comprehensiveLinkedIn profile, the next step is toadd connections in order to buildyour online professional network.LinkedIn recommends a minimumof 50 connections to maximise yourchances of getting in touch with theright people and companies in yourchosen career area.

Your connections could be fromwork experience, part-time workand volunteering as well as extra-curricular activities. You could alsoconsider asking academics andother University staff, such ascareers and employability advisers,to connect as they are likely to haveconnections to graduate recruiters.

It is important on LinkedIn to buildrelationships with your connections– not just to ask them if they haveany jobs. In addition, you can gather“endorsements” from yourconnections: recommendationsfrom tutors, previous employers andco-workers that validate the skillsyou can offer. Recruiters will look forevidence of your skills so theseendorsements andrecommendations can be key.Endorse and recommend yourcontacts too: this is only fair!

LinkedIn also has around 2 milliongroups, which provide a place formembers in the same industry orwith similar interests to get in touch,join (or start!) discussions, sharenews and insights and post jobs.Joining groups of interest is a greatway to develop your industryknowledge as well as your contactsand network and to keep up withdevelopments. Discussion threadsallow you to comment and readcomments of people established inyour industry. Use groups to shareany relevant articles and insights.Once people start to see youcommenting they may add you as aconnection if they are impressed byyour knowledge.

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING

SOCIAL MEDIANETWORKING (CONT)

Networking events are also oftenadvertised on LinkedIn groups andthese give a chance to meet inperson with the people that you areconnecting with online.

How students can contactpeople via LinkedInFirst of all, consider whetherLinkedIn is the best way to contact aperson. If they have a Twitter profile,this may be a better way to make aninitial contact (see below).• Join relevant groups and contact

people that way• It is best to approach more junior

people first, not managingdirectors and senior executives

• Check their contact settings for“expertise requests”

• The usual networking rules apply:see page 12

• Ask for advice initially; this couldlead to an “informationalinterview” and perhaps then towork experience and even a job

• Keep your message brief (similarto the example email request onpage 12). LinkedIn has a wordlimit for messages to anyone whois not a direct contact

http://students.linkedin.com/uk

TwitterWhile LinkedIn is a great resourcefor finding out about people andtheir career paths, Twitter is oftenrecommended as a better way toactually contact them.

Twitter allows you 140 characters to“tweet” setting out your thoughts,comments and opinions. You canuse Twitter to follow people orcompanies in order to hear whatthey are saying, keep up to datewith their news and join inconversations. Twitter users to followcould include:• Companies/employers you are

interested in working for eg@barclaysgrads or @ERAC_Jobs

• Industryexperts/bloggers/commentatorseg @markavery or@damianaspinall (conservation)

• Professional networks andpublications eg @newscientist

• Jobs and careers sites eg@Prospects

• Recruitment agencies thatspecialise in the roles you’retargeting eg @CharityPeople

• Academic staff and Schools eg@UniKentArts

• Professional service departmentsat Kent, eg @unikentemploy

Start by creating a Twitter profilespecifically for career networking.Don’t mix your personal andprofessional Twitter activities –employers do not want to read yourtweets about nights out, essaydeadlines or what you had fordinner. However, tweets about thesort of extra-curricular interests andactivities that you might include onyour CV will help to show somethingof your personality.


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Before setting up this profile, searchTwitter for people in the field thatinterests you. Do your research andfind who the key players are in theindustry you want to get into. Look attheir profiles, note the points thatthey highlight and use thisinformation to create a profile foryourself that is focused on thatcareer area. Use your profiledescription to set out the key factsabout yourself, your experience andyour career ambitions. Includekeywords that you have picked upfrom other profiles: this will helpyours to appear in search results.You can also include a link to yourLinkedIn page.

Once your profile is set up, followthe people and companies that youhave already found in your field ofinterest. Keep an eye on what theyare saying about their business andcurrent issues in their industry andcontribute to discussions when youcan.

You can also start your owndiscussions. Tweeting about theindustry you want to work in willshow that you have an activeinterest in this area, and are keen todevelop your knowledge. Usehashtags (for example, #internshipor #brandmanager) to help relateyour tweets to the jobs and careerareas that you are targeting.

You can also mention other users inyour tweets by including their Twitterusername (@username). This willpromote further interaction andencourage others to ‘retweet’(share) your tweet.

“I have employed JuniorCopywriters … whom I’vefound through Twitter. Ithelps to have a good profile asI’ll look through their tweets tosee how they’re written andespecially look out for blogs.”

Recruiter at marketing communicationsagency

FacebookYes, you almost certainly keep upwith your friends and family onFacebook – but had you realisedyou can use it for career searchingtoo?

Ways in which you can do thisinclude:• Job hunting pages such as

University of Kent StudentEmployability and Milkround.comfor featured jobs, events andadditional career advice

• Most big graduate recruiters haveFacebook pages (egGoogleStudents orMarsGradsUK). “Like” them anduse them to keep up to date withjob opportunities, ask questionsand get the latest news – this willprove useful in applications andinterviews

• “Like” pages for professionalbodies, such as PRWeek or RIBA.Seeing who else has liked them,and who is commenting on theirposts, will help you expand yourknowledge of that industry.

• Find smaller employers bysearching on a place name (e.g.Canterbury). If this brings up alarge number of results, you cannarrow them down by variouscategories, including ‘Employer’.This search may also bring uplocal media organisations,recruitment agencies and theirjob-related sites: finding peoplewho ‘like’ these sites may alsogive you some usefulconnections.

Your own websiteIf you are interested in the creativesector, your website can act as a“shop window” for your work andyour talents. You can include yourCV and a portfolio of your work andjust give employers a link to this site.This can be particularly effective ifyou are going for multimedia, webdesign or computer games jobswhere they can act as ademonstration of your technicalskills.

An about.me page https://about.me/can act as an online business card,where you can gather links to all ofthe other places you feature online,and showcase these to an employer.

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Blogging is another way to getyourself noticed – short professionalblog posts on areas related to yourchosen career will help todemonstrate your motivation, yourbusiness awareness and yourwriting skills.

“I didn’t apply for this job, Isimply got a phone call tellingme that one of the company’sdirectors and the generalmanager wanted to meet mefor lunch as they’d taken aninterest in my blog afterreading my review of one oftheir products I’d previouslyreceived as a Christmas gift …I then attended the veryinformal and friendly meetingand was given the opportunityto ask any questions I hadabout the company and brandand was also asked a littlemore about myself and if I hadany ideas … After lunch theysimply asked when I couldstart.”

Digital Marketing Assistant, cosmetics companywww.raspberrykiss.com

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SOCIAL MEDIANETWORKING (CONT)

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Don’t let your onlinepresence ruin your careersearch!The personal material on any sitethat you use for career-relatednetworking and job searchingshould be professional inappearance and content. You maywant to consider setting up separateFacebook and Twitter accounts forthis purpose: this will avoid peoplewho you want to network with you on a professional level seeinginappropriate messages from yourfriends and prevent your job searchfrom getting in the way of yoursocial life!

If your full name is distinctive, youmay want to use a shortenedversion or nickname on yourpersonal pages to prevent it beingpicked up by search engines:

“When reviewing potentialcandidates I always Googlethem and this can often be thedeal breaker. Twitter profilesfull of swearing and angst-ridden rants about boyfriendsare fairly commonplace, as aredrunken Facebook pictures.These are instant repellents. It is imperative to maintain agood online presence if youaspire to work in PR.”

www.mediaargh.com

Even so, you should use high-levelprivacy settings and Googleyourself regularly (or use alerts tonotify you of any changes): friendsand family might have added newphotos or information even if youhaven’t.

Use a good photograph: apparently,people are ten times more likely toconnect to you if they can see yourpicture. This should be head-and-shoulders and show you smartlydressed and well groomed.

Keep safe: don’t give away anypersonal details such as address or phone number on your websitesor online CVs – just your emailaddress. This should bestraightforward and professional:avoid anything “funny” as employersmay not share your sense ofhumour.

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If you are approachingsomebody who you canconfidently expect to bewilling to help, thenmaking contact will befairly easy.

However, keep in mind that theperson you are approaching isdoing you a favour, and may bebusy, so keep your requests polite,reasonable and brief. Even if youare approaching a Kent alumnus ora family contact, it is normally betterto be slightly formal in yourapproach.

Don’t ask your contact to do toomuch for you and don’t send a CVwith your first message – this makesyour approach look like a jobapplication when, at this stage, youare simply requesting information.

Your first contact may be by email,phone or letter. If you are makingthis contact through a third party itis a good idea to mention theirname, as in the example below:

The email above is an example ofone that you could send to theeditor of a local newspaper:

METHODS OF APPROACH

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Request for advice

Dear Mr Hack,

I have just completed the second year of my degree in English atthe University of Kent. I am very interested in a career in journalismafter I graduate and my aunt, Ann Brown, who works in youraccounts department, suggested that I should contact you to findout about the work of journalists on a local newspaper and toobtain your advice.

I currently write for InQuire, the University newspaper, and havealso done a little sub-editing, which has given me an insight into thenature of the work. I would now like to gain a further insight into thiswork at a professional level.

It would be really helpful to talk to you about your work and I hopethat you will be able to spare me half-an-hour so that I can ask youa few questions about this career.

I will telephone your office next week to ask for an appointment at atime to suit you.

Yours sincerely

Alison Dent

If the person you are approaching has no such connection with you, thenmaking contact with them may be more difficult, whether you’re makingspeculative applications for jobs or just want to contact somebody foradvice.

Many people will respect the enthusiasm and initiative that it takes for you tocontact them in this way, but don’t be too pushy. If you are approachingsomebody out of the blue they may see no reason to help you, or they maygenuinely be too busy to do so. If somebody does not respond to your firstcontact, you may try following up with a second email or a phone call butpursuing them any further will not be appreciated.


METHODS OF APPROACH(CONT)

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Request for advice

Dear Mr Hack,

I have just completed the second year of my degree in English atthe University of Kent. I am very interested in a career in journalismafter I graduate and particularly admire Local Newspaper’sthorough and balanced coverage of community issues such as theproposed closure of Local Hospital.

I hope that you do not mind my contacting you in this way, but Iwonder if you would be willing to help me find out more about thework of journalists on a local newspaper and to give me someadvice on getting in to this career.

I currently write for InQuire, the University newspaper, and havealso done a little sub-editing, which has given me an insight into thenature of the work. I would now like to gain a further insight into thiswork at a professional level.

It would be really helpful to talk to you about your work and I hopethat you will be able to spare me half-an-hour so that I can ask youa few questions about this career.

I will telephone your office next week to ask for an appointment at atime to suit you.

Yours sincerely

Alison Dent

EmailMany people’s emails are freelyavailable through their companywebsite. If you can’t find the emailfor the exact person that you want to contact, you may be able to work it out through looking at theaddresses of other people in thesame company. Otherwise, tryphoning and ask the switchboard for the email.

Once you have the address youneed, your approach will be similarto the one above. In this case, AlisonDent might approach Mr Hack in thefollowing way:

This shows that Alison has done her research and is not just sending outidentical emails to every employer that she can think of.


CONTINUED OVERLEAF

TelephoningTelephone contact is great if you getthrough to the right person, but thisis not always easy. The person youwant to speak to may besurrounded by “gatekeepers” –secretaries and receptionists whoprotect their bosses from unwantedintrusions.

For this reason, it is usually best tomake the first approach to apotential contact via email or socialmedia and to follow this up with aphone call if necessary.

Before calling, plan what you aregoing to say. Don’t write a script, asthis will make you sound unnatural,but note down the points you wantto cover and some key phrases.Doing this will help you to soundclear and confident rather thannervous and hesitant. Keep your callbrief: the person you want to speakto may be very busy.

You should also plan what you aregoing to say to the gatekeepers. Bepleasant and polite: they will bemore willing to help you if you geton their right side and could evenbe able to help you themselves.

A few tips for getting past thegatekeepers:• Introduce yourself by saying

something like “This is SarahJones calling to speak to DavidSmith”. This is more effectivethan “Is David Smith available?”– it suggests he is expecting yourcall.

• “He’s in a meeting/not in theoffice right now”: ask when hewill be back, or if there is anyoneelse in his department who youcould speak to.

• “May I ask what you’re callingabout?” – if you have alreadymade contact you can say “it’sregarding the email that I senthim last week”. The gatekeepermay press you for moreinformation: don’t be too evasiveor they may assume that you aretrying to sell them something. Areply such as “I have a couple ofquestions for him about …” maywork better.

• At some companies, the reliefstaff are not as efficient atgatekeeping, so try to call duringlunch and coffee breaks.

• Try calling very early or very late –outside normal working hours –when the gatekeepers may noteven be there!

• Prepare a message to leave onvoicemails or answeringmachines – keep it brief andsound calm and professional.

Once you do get to speak to theperson that you are targeting,introduce yourself briefly and outlinewhat you are looking for.

A phone call is always aninterruption, so give your listener afew moments to adjust from whatthey were doing or thinking about towhat you are saying. Your first two orthree words may be missed so saysomething like, ‘’Good morning MrSmith. My name is Sarah Jonesand I’m calling you about…’’.

Because your call is an interruptionit’s good manners, and a sensibleway to get the full attention of yourlistener, to ask, ‘’Have I called at aconvenient moment or would yourather I called back?’’

Be prepared for your contact to askquestions, or even to react in anegative manner. Think quickly andtry and gain something from evenan unhelpful person. For example:• “This is nothing to do with me –I’m not the right person for youto talk to”

Ask who is the right person andnote down their contact details

• “We don’t have any jobsavailable right now”


METHODS OF APPROACH(CONT)

If you are trying to make contact foradvice and/or information, explainthat you aren’t looking for a job atthe moment and just want to speakto this person briefly. If you areactively job-seeking, ask if they mayhave anything in the future. Whenwould be a good time for you to callagain?

• “You don’t have theexperience/qualifications that we need”

Try and find out more – what arethey looking for? Are theirrequirements standard for thisbusiness? Are there anypostgraduate qualifications thatwould be valuable?

At the end of the day, though, some gatekeepers will be tooexperienced, or too protective, foryou to have any chance of gettingpast them. Remember, too, that theyare probably acting on instructionsfrom their boss, who has given themfor a reason: they are a busy personwho does not want to be disturbedor to do favours for people they donot know. Often, you will just have toaccept that this approach is notgoing to work, and it is best to reachthis acceptance before you becomeregarded as a nuisance.

Face-to-face contactsDoorsteppingThis method involves walking in tothe place where you want to workand trying to meet people who canhelp you. Don’t undertake thiscasually: it requires planning,confidence and flexibility. Dresssmartly. Use the company websiteor social media to find names ofpeople you hope to talk to: askingfor the “head of the marketingdepartment” will not get you very far. You may just leave a CV at thereception desk, you may ask for ameeting or you may try and get intoconversation with reception staff orpeople in the waiting area. You maybe able to target several employersin the same day as similaremployers are often clustered in the

same location: technologycompanies in business parks, filmcompanies in Soho and financialinstitutions in Canary Wharf or theCity of London. You may be luckyand get to meet the right peopleimmediately, but may need to followup your visit with emails or phonecalls.

“Having been inspired topursue a career in finance, Ibegan to search for a generalassistant job. I walked into afinancial adviser’s office andhanded in a CV. The headadviser was impressed by mysheer confidence and I had ameeting with him which led toa job offer.”

Kent Business School student


Making contacts outside theworkplaceAnywhere you go – sitting on a train,at a concert or sporting event, in thepub – you could bump intosomebody who can help you in yourcareer search. Here are a few ideasfor maximising the chances of thishappening, although truly creativecareer searchers will be able tocome up with their own:• Where do people in your chosen

company or work area go forafter-work drinks?Some large graduate recruiters are keen to emphasise the socialaspect of working for them andthe graduate profiles on their webpages may drop the names offavourite watering holes – trygoing along on a Friday evening.

• Find out about trade fairs in yourchosen area atwww.exhibitions.co.uk

• Hotels which provide conferencefacilities.

Being extra creativeThis involves finding another way ofmaking contacts or job applicationsthat no-one else has thought of. Thiscould be by meeting an employer’sneed, demonstrating your skills orattracting their attention in anunusual way. Let’s look at threeexamples:• A graduate wanted a trainee

journalist post on a local paper.She did a careful analysis of thecontent of the paper andcompared it with an analysis ofsimilar papers in neighbouringtowns. Next, she conducted asurvey of readers’ opinions aboutthe paper by standing in the towncentre and interviewing passers-by. She drew up a list of possiblechanges to the paper and wrotea sample article to illustratethese, which she then sent to theeditor who invited her in for achat. They had a longconversation and the nextvacancy that arose was offered toher without competition.

• A media graduate planned hisjob-hunting campaign around avideo CV, billboard poster andwebsite. His campaign went viraland the video got over 5000viewings on YouTube with around50 companies contacting him asa result.

• Two Leicester Universitygraduates attracted the attentionof finance employers by standingin Canary Wharf and PaternosterSquare with placards reading“Economics graduates – who willemploy us?” and handing outcopies of their CVs to Cityprofessionals on their way to andfrom work. Their placards led toseveral interviews and offers ofjobs and internships.

Please note that we are notsuggesting that you copy any ofthese approaches: they have beendone now and you will need to thinkof your own “extra creative” andoriginal approach!


INFORMATION INTERVIEWING

The meetings that you are trying to set up withyour networking contactscan be thought of as‘information interviews’.An information interviewis a structuredconversation, in this casefocusing on the work thatyour contact does, howthey got there and whatadvice they might giveyou. This will enable youto:

• Gather information about variouscareers by speaking toprofessionals in those careerfields.

• Learn what opportunities exist ina given field or organisation.

• Develop contacts with key peoplewho either do the hiring or whoknow those who do.

• Enhance your confidence andimprove your interview skills byspeaking to professionals in a non-threatening situation.

• Visit people in a variety of worksettings to gain insight intodifferent work environments.

• Use this information to makecareer decisions and take yourcareer planning and/or jobsearch further.

Remember, you are not asking theperson for a job, you are gatheringinformation on which to basedecisions. Make this clear when you first approach your contacts (see page 12).

The ideal information interview is aface-to-face meeting but you canalso talk by phone or by Skype ifyou can’t manage to visit in person.

• Prepare for the meeting byreading as much as you canabout the job role, the companyand the person you are meetingbefore the interview, so that youcome across as a clued-up andinterested person over whom it isworth taking time and trouble.

• Write down the questions youwant to ask and take notes duringthe meeting.

• Be prepared to take the lead, ifnecessary. Remember, you areinterviewing your contact andhave questions that you want tohave answered.


• Respect the person’s time. Don’tstay too long or ask too manyquestions.

• Recognise that everyone hashis/her own attitudes, biases andfeelings which must beevaluated. By talking to severalpeople, you will gain a variety ofopinions.

• Ask if there is anyone else thatyour contact can recommend youto see at the end of the interview:this will extend your network.

• Send a thank-you letter or emailimmediately following theinterview. You can also use this ifappropriate, to tactfully remindthe person of anything theypromised to do.

Questions to ask at aninformation interview• What do you do in your role?• How did you get into this area of

work?• How do you spend a typical

day/week?• What kinds of problems do you

deal with?• What kinds of decisions do you

make?• What are your major

responsibilities?• What do you find most/least

satisfying about your job?• What is the competition for jobs

like?

• Where are vacancies advertised?• What are the typical entry level

jobs?• What would you look for in a new

applicant?• How is a graduate’s career likely

to develop?• What is the ‘work culture’ here?

eg is it very informal or formal?how much autonomy do peoplehave in their work? is a great dealof socialising with colleaguesand/or clients expected? arecommunity projects andvolunteering encouraged andsupported?

• What are the main changesand/or challenges that yourorganisation is facing?

• What information resources would you recommend me toread or follow to keep up to datewith this sector?

• Can you suggest anyone else to whom I might talk?

• Are there opportunities forworkshadowing or voluntary work experience?

These are just ideas to help you getstarted: you will almost certainlyhave other questions to ask that aremore relevant to your particularsituation.

Don’t just work through a list ofquestions but listen actively to thereplies and build on these to helpthe conversation along.


CREATIVE JOB HUNTING

Once you have usednetworking to gatherinformation and makecareer decisions, you canuse the same techniquesto market yourself toemployers and find a job.This has a number ofadvantages over“conventional” jobhunting, the main onebeing that it helps you toaccess jobs which are notadvertised. This is, in fact,most jobs! One source putthe figure of unadvertisedjobs at 80%.

Why do employers notadvertise?• Advertising costs money: £400

for a standard advertisement onMilkround.com

• Employers may get moreapplications than they need:adverts for media jobs mayattract hundreds of applicants

• Employers may have alreadyreceived CVs from applicantswho have written in speculatively,so they just interview these

Other advantages of creative jobhunting are that it:• Impresses employers by your

initiative/motivation• Bypasses application forms – this

could be useful if your academicqualifications are weak

• Provides advice on other routesinto the job

• Makes you feel that you are incontrol of your situation ratherthan feeling powerless

• Can be combined with traditionaltechniques

• Helps to develop anddemonstrate a range of skills that increase your employabilityincluding, persuasiveness,negotiating, initiative, planning,organising and investigative skills

There are, of course, a couple of disadvantages:• It takes at least as much time

as normal job hunting• Some methods may require more

confidence and assertiveness

While creative job hunting maydemand more time and effort thantraditional job hunting, it is essentialin certain career sectors, inparticular the media. It could alsobe more fun!


SPECULATIVE APPLICATIONS

One key part of creativejob hunting is makingspeculative applications:sending your CV to anemployer even when theyare not advertising asuitable vacancy.

You will be more likely to get apositive response to this approach if you:• Make sure that your CV and

covering letter are top-quality.• Do your research. Make sure

that the organisations you arecontacting do actually offeropportunities for the type of workwhich interests you. If the websitesays clearly that speculativeapplications will not be accepted,then don’t send one! Try to findout the name of the relevantcontact from the companywebsite or by phoning theswitchboard.

• Tailor your covering letter – don’tjust send the same letter todifferent organisations.Say why you are applying to thisparticular organisation and tellthem what you can offer.

• Follow up your CV with a phonecall after a week or so if youhaven’t heard anything.

Do speculativeapplications work?Yes!

• I sent out CVs to local printingfirms, card manufacturers andthe like, and got at least two jobsthis way. Just be prepared tosend out lots of speculativeapplications and make yourcovering letter good. (Graphicdesigner)

• We receive a substantial amountof speculative CVs and …according to potential suitabilitysome of the applications will bekept on file for 3 months (Channel 4)

• I recruited two people into newlycreated accounts jobs. Both hadpreviously written in “on spec”and their details had been heldon file. When I decided to recruit,my first action was to have a lookat the file. I interviewed twoapplicants who had relevantexperience and gave the job tothe one who seemed moreexperienced. A few months laterwhen another person wasneeded, I just contacted the otherone and offered her the jobwithout even interviewing heragain. Both turned out goodworkers and it saved us thecost/time/hassle of adverts,interviews, etc. (Finance director,manufacturing industry).

VISIT USONLINE

The Careers and Employability ServiceUniversity of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7ND T: +44 (0)1227 823299 E: [email protected] www.kent.ac.uk/ces

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

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