Careers Booklet

Task 1

Make A list of the skills you would need to be able to take a job at the moment, and think of three examples to support each one. Focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses.

1. Dedication
- Always get all of my work done to standard within deadlines.
- I have very good attendance for all of my subjects.
- I created a full 3 minute documentary all in my own time.

2. Independence
- I work very well on my own as I don't have to rely/worry about others.
- I prefer to be able to do everything on my own and make my own decisions.
- I managed to make a near professional documentary on my own.

3. Creativity
- I am a very imaginative person and come up with my own ideas.
- I am a very art based person and have a lot of creative skills.
- I created my own digital portfolio with all of my best work for university.

4. IT Skills
- I know a wide range of computer software such as Blender and Premier Pro.
- I have a very strong understanding of computers.
- I can very quickly pick up and learn new pieces of hardware/software.

5. Organisation
- I am very unorganized and leave everything to the last minute.
- I am not very good at planning. I normally just put something off until its too late.
- I have terrible time management and am always rushing things.

Task 2

Research. define and explain the following terms by relating them to yourself where necessary.

Part Time - A part time job is where you are working less than 16 hours a week. This means that typically you will have time to do other things on the side.

Full Time - A full time job is over 16 hours and typically 5 days a week in most cases.

GCSE - This stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. This is a Level 2 qualification and is typically carried out at high school.

AS, A Level - These are level 3 qualifications. It consists of 2 separate years starting with an AS level you can carry it on to doing a full A level.

Level 2, 3 and 4 - This goes on a scale and shows progression through different stages of education. For example you start at GCSE which is a level 2 qualification all the way to level 4 which is undergraduate.

Pass, Merit and Distinction - These are all BTEC grades and they have the equivalent of E to A*. For example a Pass is E-D a Merit is C-B a Distinction is an A and a distinction* is an A*.

Vocational - This is where you learn skills on the job. A prime example of this would be an apprenticeship, this is because you learn as you work and gain your skills though that.

Bachelor/Master - These are types of university courses and qualifications. A bachelor or BA is a coursework based subject whereas a Master involves exams.

Graduate (undergraduate/Postgraduate) - Undergraduate is before you have finished your first degree, on the other hand postgraduate is after you have completed your degree.

I am currently studying the first year of 'Creative and Media Diploma in TV and Film' as well as the second year of 'Games Design' at full time education in college. These will equate to getting 2 whole A levels at level 3 by the end of this year. To get into my chosen university I need to get at least distinctions in both of these subjects.

My Qualifications

GCSE

Maths - B

English Literature - C

English Language - C

Chemistry - B

Physics - B

Biology - B

Art -B

P.E - C

Geography - C

ICT - Merit

Key skill

ICT - level 2

AS

Use of Maths - D

Geology - E

Task 3

List any three jobs mentioned in class or any you may have already been considering. What is the job role? What does it entail? Do you need any specialist training or skills? is it freelance work or can you be a permanent member of staff?

1.Games Artist - This role includes designing the visual elements within a game such as the assets and characters. This is typically a freelance job and will need a degree in a games or art related degree.

2.  Level Editor - A level editor creates the interactive architecture or scenery for a game. This includes assets, buildings and terrains. This is a freelance job and you will need a degree in game design.

3. CG Modeler - A CG molder creates the assets for the major aspects of the game. For example they will create the 3D characters and objects. This is similar to a games artist accept this entails more of a 3D heavy aspect. This is also a freelance job and will need a degree in game design or other previous experience in the industry.

Task 4

Research, define and explain methods of recruitment in the creative media industries .Try to find relevant examples.

National Press - This is where jobs are advertised in newspapers and magazines on a national scale meaning that anyone can see them.

Trade Press - This is different from national press as trade press has a target audience. For example if they were advertising a job in game design they would advertise it in a gaming related magazine meaning that it will only be seen my the types of people they want to employ.

Internet - The internet is now a very popular source of recruitment. This is because companies can advertise there jobs on it. Furthermore in media related job roles for example they may want to see a portfolio. Using the internet people can easily distribute their work and show it to viable employers.

Trade Fairs - These are good for networking. These are specifically looking for students that are looking for work in a certain area of the industry.

Word of Mouth - This is a very common form of employment as it is where you have heard about a job through friends or family.

Personal Contacts and Networking - Personal contacts are people that you know who already work within the industry. Networking is normally held at an event ans like minded people meet to discuss current trends ans jobs.

Internal Promotion - This is where a certain individual can work their way up through a company from the bottom up. This happens via promotions where your job gets better, more important and you will get paid more.

Task 5

In word create a CV and cover letter for a media job role found on the internet.

Task 6

Research, define and explain the following and relate them to yourself and past experience. You should also attempt to create the following if you complete the other tasks early.

Portfolio / e-portfolio - A portfolio is a display of some of your best work with explanations and descriptions for your progress and workings. These can either be done through the internet or sketchbook. I relation to past experience I have created my own e-portfolio on a blog. I used this in order to apply for uni as they wanted to see examples of my work.

Showreel - A showreel is a short video with highlights of all your best work. It can be created alongside a portfolio in order to show off all of your best work to an employer or further education. I have never made one of these but I could via using the work in my portfolio.

Personal Website - This isn't as popular as making a showreel or portfolio but they work in the same way. A personal website is simply another version of showing off your work. This is done by simply uploading it to the internet. I have done something similar because I have made my own blog which is technically a personal website which I can customise and I can upload all of my best work to it.

Task 7

Research the following presentation skills/methods and explain what you wouldn't be 'good practice' for each (list of do's and don'ts)

Interviewing skills 

Do's 

Make sure that you are confident. Need to make sure that your speech is clear and strong. Makes the employer know that you want to be here.

Dress smartly. You have to make sure that you are presentable for the interview. Else they may not take you as seriously as other potential employees.

Don'ts

Do not mumble your words as it will show a lack of confidence. Furthermore do not use slang when talking to the interviewer.

Do not pretend to be someone your not. Make sure that you are being yourself in an interview. For example don't talk any differently from how you do normally. You need to make sure that they are employing you for who you are.

Presentation Skills

Do's 

Be confident, need to make sure that you get the audience to back your idea. This is not going to happen if you stutter and mutter. Being confident makes you speak much clearer, this makes the audience understand you more.

Make sure that you are making eye contact with the audience and not staring at the floor or at your notes all the time. You need to be able to briefly look at the notes and then talk freely directly at the audience. Else you will lose all of there concentration

Use body language to express your points. This will allow you to have an interaction with the audience.

Don'ts

Do not hide or cover your mouth/grumble. This will result in the audience not being able to understand you.

Don't be afraid. Not everybody is confident but you cannot show a lack of confidence to the audience. You have to be behind your idea and this will not happen if you are stuttering and shaking.


Self presentation

Linguistic codes - This evolves your language and speech. For example being able to speak fluently and with a wide vocabulary.

Dress codes - Make sure that you are presentable. Smart casual is a possibility but dress code all comes down to the job that you are applying for. For example if it is a creative media related job then you wont necessarily have to go in a shirt and tie. But if you were going to work for a big corporation or bank then you would have to look extremely formal.

Interpersonal Skills - This is where you have the ability to communicate with a variety of different people.

References - These are required for most jobs and are written typically from a previous employers or someone who can comment on your skills and work ethic. They may also require a personal reference.

Task 8 

Research, define and explain the following terms.

Training on the job and continuing professional development - These are both forms of learning new skills on the job, as you work you will develop new skills. This especially applies to anything within the media industries because you will learn how to use new equipment and software. As well as this you will develop better functional and organisational skills.

Self-training - Self-training is where an individual has learned to do something in their own time. For example I learned how to use a variety of different software at home before I had to use them in the class room or just generally for recreational use.

Sources of Information

Trade Unions - A trade union is an organisation of people who have joined to achieve certain things. For example they will strive to get good standards for workers .e.g better pay or better environment to work in.

Sector Skills Councils - This is an organisation that aims to develop very high quality skills for workers in certain industries.

Careers Services - Careers services are in place to provide information to help make decisions on your future. They do this by offering advice and guidance on making decisions about future careers, education and jobs. All in all they help you choose or change a career.

Task 9

Identify the opportunities you have had in the courses that you are currently studying for developing your functional skills.

Subject	Maths	English	ICT
Game Design	I have learned a large amount about geometry while doing this subject. This is because I have learned how to use 3D software and methods to get the best results.	This has greatly enhanced my writing skills and vocabulary. This is because we have to greatly describe and evaluate all of our work.	This has by far increased my ICT skills as I have learned how to use a variety of new software including Flash and Blender.
Media	Maths doesn't often come into this subject but my problem solving has improved due to us having to working to deadlines and having to overcome problems such as duration in productions.	Since I started this subject my writing skills have increased dramatically. As well as this so has my presentation skills. This is because we do a lot of essay based work and that we have to show our ideas to everyone.	My skills in ICT have increased through learning new software such as Premier Pro and After Effects. Furthermore my typing skills have improved alongside my English due to practice.