University of Manchester Careers Blog

1. Explore roles and find out what’s right for you
   Working in the media is a popular career choice for many students and graduates.  The most common reason is that they’ve been inspired by something they read, watched on TV or heard on the radio, and would like a creative role such as journalist, television researcher, radio presenter and so on.However, in practice, these represent only a small selection of the jobs that people do in the media.  There are dozens more that aren’t very well known about, from audience research, production management, set designer through to finance roles, artist liaison and so on.  To learn more about the different jobs available, look on the creative skillset website and see what captures your interest.
2. Get experience
   Regardless of the area of the media, and role that interests you, you’ll need to build relevant experience.  While you’re studying, a great way to do this is by getting involved in student media.  You’ll find information of what’s on offer on the student union website    or you can call into the student media office in the student union and find out that way.A good starting point for finding out about working in the media, looking for experience and so on, is the Careers Service website   You can also use our online vacancy service CareersLink  to search for placements, volunteering and part-time work that links to your interest.  However, bear in mind that a lot of work experience comes about through word of mouth or by going onto an organisation’s website.  The BBC, for instance, has a careers page  that’s worth keeping an eye on.  So, if you’re interested in the media, start your search right away so you can follow in the footsteps of our many graduates who have built successful and rewarding careers in the industry.
3. Build up your networks – meet people!
   You need to start connecting with people working in the industry.  To help you, the careers service’s Media Club runs regular talks and workshops given by people working in the media industry.  All events are included on CareersLink  and are featured on the Media Club Facebook group  There’s also a Media Club twitter account so you can find out about the latest opportunities we’ve become aware of.
   Our one day Insight into Broadcasting and Journalism course at Easter is open to all students and although hard work is a lot of fun.

Louise Sethi, Careers Consultant