Media Careers: What Employers Want

Few question the appeal of graduate jobs in the media industry. We spoke to media sector employers to find out how to get your foot in the door.

For graduates of every discipline, the media sector has always held a certain charm.

There’s the perceived glamour, the chance to produce work in the public eye, the creative elements involved, and, in the right role, the potential to put specific knowledge as well as general skills gleaned during one’s period of study to good use.

Competition is, therefore, fierce.

A study by High Fliers Research found that that roughly one in seven students in the UK wants to work in the media sector, and you can add to that future graduates who haven’t yet considered where to employ their expertise.

“It’s tough. Very tough,” comments Ben Young, HR Operations Director at IPC Media (publishers of NME, Wallpaper* and Marie Claire magazines, amongst others). “In common with the rest of the publishing industry staff numbers have fallen substantially over the years, so competition for places is even greater.”

So what can a candidate do to stand out?

Young says there’s no such thing as an ideal candidate, but there are certainly things you can do to improve your prospects. For one thing, being confident with the multi-format nature of modern media is important.

“You have to show a commercial understanding and an ability to connect almost every media platform. At IPC we are no longer just about print – we are multiplatform where our content connects to our audiences through so many different channels. Being multi-skilled, comfortable with, say, both writing and editing a three-minute video, is a great plus.”

At SBS, a publically funded Australian broadcasting corporation, another sort of ‘multi’ is advantageous. “As far as SBS is concerned,” explains Paul Cutler, Director of News and Current Affairs, “it helps to have a multicultural background and speak at least one language other than English.”

Though the advantages of this are particularly accentuated with SBS, the raison d’être of which is to serve Australia’s multilingual community, it seems fair to say that having more than one language in your arsenal will serve you well in any news-orientated broadcasting operation.

Cutler also emphasizes the importance of having a good degree “either in journalism or associated media and arts subjects. A graduate qualification is useful, especially if associated with media studies,” he also adds. Though it may seem obvious, he also points to the necessity of having a portfolio of work built up during internships and any previous work experience.