Posts Tagged ‘graduate internships’

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Don’t be disheartened by unemployment figures

January 19th, 2012

The recent unemployment figures may make grim reading for job hunters and those poised to leave university but the view from Inspiring Interns is that there are innovative solutions to these disheartening statistics.

The latest survey by the Office for National Statistics revealed unemployment figures have risen to 2.68 million in the three months to November 2011.  The unemployment rate for young people was 22.3%, up 1% from the three months to August 2011 with a total of 1.04 million 16 to 24 year olds out of work.

The UK’s jobless are losing hope for the future with the number of people unemployed for over one year reaching 857,000 in the three months to November 2011. Research conducted by The Prince’s Trust found that unemployed young people are feeling less confident about the future than they did this time last year.

With job losses in the public sector likely to continue, the Government must make every effort to help the private sector and SMEs to create more jobs. The key to reviving the job market is to focus on enhancing the right skills and considering roles in growing sectors and newer industries.

In our experience most success has been found in newer industries which often complement many graduates’ personal interests. Areas such as mobile technology and digital marketing offer potential for swift progression when compared to more traditional professions and also allow university leavers to draw on familiar skills, such as knowledge of social media.

Inspiring Interns are championing graduate internships as a new and successful approach to encouraging small business to hire university leavers and getting graduates into work. Their model – a three month placement with minimum lunch and travel expenses, with a view to permanent graduate job – has seen over 1,300 graduates complete internships in the London area in the last three years, with 65% of them going on to secure full-time work with their host company. Inspiring Interns CEO and founder Ben Rosen believes that internships are the perfect model to get graduates into meaningful work.

“An internship provides that stepping stone between student life and the working world – it is a vocational learning experience that more often than not will lead to a job.”

Rosen also explains the benefit for employers;

“Internships offer employers the chance to hire someone on potential rather than experience. A three month internship period allows them to offer the intern training and the chance to observe them in the workplace before committing to taking them on permanently. This limits their risk and allows them to take a candidate on who they would not have otherwise.”

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Our 10 most popular blog posts of 2011

December 29th, 2011

As the end of the year fast approaches, we would like to give you a quick run down of our best blog posts of 2011.

Take a look below for our most viewed blogs of this year combining a variety of topics including; graduate and student news, current affairs, careers advice, case studies and all topped off with some Inspiring office antics.

1. The weirdest job interview questions

Do you have an interview coming up and have no clue what they are going to ask you? Find out the oddest interview questions that have been used by some of the biggest multi-national companies. Read more

2. Why National Minimum Wage does not mean a fair deal for interns

Nick Clegg launched his social mobility strategy this year and announced that the Government would be doing more to ensure internships are open for all.  We give our opinions on the importance of raising the standards of internships for all but why enforcing NMW for every single internship is neither appropriate nor necessarily beneficial for interns themselves. Read more

3. 9 ways to beat those ‘graduate blues’

Are you at the stage between leaving university and finding out what you want to do next and feeling slightly lost? Here are 9 tips on how to deal with this normal reaction to graduating from university. Read more

4. What is a Digital Marketing Executive?

Companies are increasingly realising the importance of digital marketing in enhancing their business thus creating many new career paths and job titles. We catch up with a digital marketing intern Joe Kiddle to find out what the role entails. Read more

5. A graduate guide to LinkedIn

LinkedIn serves as an online CV and allows you to connect with friends, colleagues and companies in professional capacity.  The value of LinkedIn is immeasurable however it is not being used effectively enough by graduates during the job hunt. This blog post offers advice on how to set up your own LinkedIn account and how to actively update it. Read more

6. Graduate unemployment figures highest in over a decade

It was reported back in January that one in five of those who have left university in the past year are unable to find work within six months. The report from the Office for National Statistics suggests graduates have been hit hardest by the economic downturn. Read more

7. The big office move!

This year we said a sad farewell to our old office and moved down the road to our new headquarters. We documented the move in pictures from the emptying of the old office to the building of the new. Have a nose through the final office pictures here.

8. The alternative to graduate schemes 2011

Graduate schemes are highly desirable for many university leavers and there are plenty of benefits if you are accepted onto one. However, with record numbers of students graduating this year, competition for these schemes is high. We have put together some alternative ways to land a graduate job that can be an equally, if not more, rewarding step onto the career ladder. Read more

9. Graduates are working in low skilled jobs

It was reported earlier this year that university leavers are increasingly taking menial jobs that do not require a degree.  New statistics published by the Association of Accounting Technicians reveals that 40% of last year’s graduates are ‘underemployed’ in lower-skilled jobs six months after leaving university. Read More

10. Cheap and cheerful Christmas presents – guest blog

One of our guest bloggers, Sara Royle offers her tips on how to buy Christmas presents on a minimal budget ensuring your nearest and dearest get lovely gifts, and that you can still afford to pay that dreaded winter heating bill. Useful if you need a late present! Read More

Happy New Year from the Inspiring Team!

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Posted in CV & Interview Tips, Debate, Inspiring Office Antics, Just for fun, News, careers advice

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PMQs: Cameron plans to tackle youth unemployment with work experience placements

November 24th, 2011

During yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions the Prime Minister was questioned about the recent rise in youth unemployment figures. David Cameron accepted the number of young people out of work was “unacceptably high”, but defends his Government’s efforts to tackle unemployment.

Towards the end of the 30 minute programme, Labour MP Chris Bryant asked the Prime Minister about what actions he is taking to deal with the one million unemployed young people:

“The personal damage caused by long term unemployment can be phenomenal. On average, somebody who is unemployed for more than 6 months are 6 times more likely to contract a serious mental health problem. Doesn’t the Prime Minister worry that we are going to have a generation of young people who will be suffering many of the problems of lack of self-esteem and never having a first job? Wouldn’t it make more sense to be guaranteeing every under 24 year old a job after 6 months being unemployed, paying them to work not paying them benefits?”

In his response, David Cameron defended the Government’s efforts and talked about the success of work experience placements:

“A very important point which is the scarring effect of youth unemployment. There are two very important things that we are doing to try and help that. First of all, helping within 3 months through the work programme for those not in employment, education and training rather than 6 months under the Future Jobs Fund. Secondly, one of the most successful schemes that there has been in recent years is giving people work experience placements. In many cases, and we will be producing evidence for this soon, it is actually leading to direct employment opportunities for those young people.”

Inspiring Interns support the Government’s plans of to offer work experience placements in the fight against youth unemployment. With increasing numbers of graduates entering the job market it has become vital for them to have meaningful work experience. We agree with his view that quality, well-structured internships can lead to employment opportunities. Our own statistics show that 65% of our graduate internships lead to permanent roles with the host company and the vast majority of the remaining 35% gain employment elsewhere as a result of the extra experience their internship provided.

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Glistening path of opportunity – guest blog

November 10th, 2011

Guest blog by Zara Kenton, creator of Designer District.

Zara Kenton, creator of Designer District, has kindly written a guest blog for us. It’s an interesting account of the struggle some interns face to make headway in the fashion industry. It is worth pointing out none of the internships she completed were found through Inspiring Interns, but they serve as a good warning for people looking to get into this highly competitive industry that there are some companies who act unscrupulously when hiring interns.

I have done approximately 9 internships since leaving university, some of which I loved, others which I thought would destroy me!

If you’re in fashion like me, you can end up hating fashion for a good proportion of each day- god I can tell you stories! Days where I would come home in tears after being told ‘Interns can’t use the sugar’. I’ve sat amongst a mountain of clothes in a press cupboard on my own for 7 hours each day, oh and then there where countless days of lugging three suitcases of clothing returns across town, back to their respective PRs.

I worried about ever getting paid to do anything in the industry when there is a mammoth queue of little misses ready and willing to give their services and souls free of charge just like me. These are the insecurities I had.

After nearly two years of interning, I realised that there is a precious silver lining to the momentary storm. It comes in the form of future success. Spurred on by my family, creative impulses and constant frugality, I persisted with every unpaid role a big brand offered me, took every opportunity to network and kept smiling. The experiences I gained throughout my internship journey provided me with credibility, experience and determination.

Working in the head offices of brands such as More Magazine, Damaris, Topshop, New Look, Dorothy Perkins, and The Observer, as well as freelancing for two high-end beauty brands, and a fashion events company, I gained an enormous amount of experience and skills, learning everything from gaining credible PR, creating award winning campaigns, organizing successful fashion shows and events, along with working with the most successful social media company in Europe.

This year, I used the skills I gained during my internships, followed by a hard dose of slog, and created my own company: Designer District.

The purpose of Designer District is to help talented designers take their first steps into the fashion industry. It provides all the help and support for new and emerging designers to help them become their own established and recognised label. Using the contacts I built up from internships and freelance roles, in addition to the models, photographers and industry experts I met along the way, Designer District is able to provide PR coverage and management, along with creating and shooting portfolios, an online marketplace for buyers to browse collections, and showcase upcoming collections on the catwalk to key industry figures.

If you’d like to read more about Designer District, please visit my website www.designerdistrict.co.uk, I am always looking for talented photographers, models and make-up artists to work with, as well as designers so if you’d like to contact me, just email info@designerdistrict.co.uk and you can also follow me on twitter @DesignerDstrict

Graduate internships can be a tough slog, but if used in the right way, can be stepping-stones to really fantastic possibilities!

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Is it really worth doing a master’s?

October 18th, 2011

When considering continuing your education beyond bachelor’s degree level, it is very important to stop, take a moment and…think.

Daunting as it may sound, it is essential to plan your future a few years down the line.  You wouldn’t impulsively buy something for thousands of pounds, so why dive head first into a master’s course?  Take the time to map out what doors your master’s will open.  If you have your heart set on a career in academia then clearly a master’s is the logical step but unless you have spent time considering how your master’s will further your career, is it really worth it?  There are plenty of graduates who view a master’s as a way to put off looking for a job while trying to improve their chances of getting a job. It is not wise to fall into this trap.

After all, undertaking a master’s is a very expensive affair. Professor Vincent Emery, vice-head of the graduate school at University College London, advises that prospective postgraduate students “need to be more focused on the advantages for them in terms of career and employment of going on to do a master’s.” A career-orientated master’s degree might be the way forward; but consider contacting people working in the relevant industry to garner their opinions before committing to one. If they suggest a further qualification will not add much to your employability then it might be time to reconsider staying in education.

Moreover, in the majority of industries Inspiring Interns works with (such as marketing, business development, advertising and digital media) our experience is that a master’s degree will not necessarily make your application stand out.  Of the graduates that began graduate internships through Inspiring Interns in the last three months, only 19.9% completed a master’s.  We have found that many employers tend to value work experience that you have garnered throughout and after university, and they are willing to take on an eager graduate ready to enter the world of work. That is not to say that a master’s will damage your application, just that it does not guarantee a place at the head of the queue of candidates.

So if you have considered all of the above, and can’t decide whether to take a master’s or not; what is the solution? We read in the business section of the Times on Sunday (16th October) of executives completing part-time MBAs in the hope of a promotion, pay rise or career move.  And although only 12% of mature students are funded by their employer, many are in a financial position that enables them to be able to afford this further education.  Studying for a master’s or business qualification may be more useful to you in later life than currently.

Clearly not everyone will find themselves in a position to be able to afford higher education in later life but our advice is do not do a master’s if it is your last resort. Consider all your options, including doing a graduate internship, before you commit to paying so much for what could be a redundant line on your CV.

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Weird and wonderful internships overseas – guest blog

August 19th, 2011

Written by guest blogger Caroline Apichella.

‘So I spent my summer internship lurking in the hall near the file cabinet. I read most of the things that were in the file cabinet, including some interesting memos that were marked ”top secret” and ”eyes only.” The file cabinet was right next to the men’s room, where one day the speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn, got locked in. Had I not been nearby, he might be there still.’

-          Nora Ephron “All the Presidents Girls”, New York Times (2003)

Right-on Nora, interns might not be working at desks or calling the shots like we all secretly hope we will, but how many 20-something women in 1961 were in the White house?

As an intern- hunter in search of work experience next Christmas— my last Christmas as an undergraduate— I’m on a mission to find an equally wow internship like Ephron’s, but what am I looking for? And what is on offer to people like me?

I’ve been doing my research, and there are 3 internships which thoroughly excite the potential traveller, eccentric and philanthropist in me.

Roman Holiday

Law-firms and media offices like the BBC receive high levels of applicants, but let’s look at some bigger offices offering work-experience. Take the Vatican for instance. Any serious intern- hunters will already know about this one.

It surely is an exceptional opportunity for lovers of Roman architecture, religion and beauty. I for one adore the Baroque wonder that is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Imagine working in the Vatican archives or the Vatican publishing house?

However off putting writers and film makers have presented the Vatican, the place is a modern centre for young academics and scholars. The Vatican Studies Center established a series of internship opportunities, bringing a youthful and forward-looking aspect to the vast establishment.

For example, interns launched the Vatican’s YouTube channel and created a virtual tour of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which can be viewed online today. http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

But if Rome isn’t for you there are other options.

Night at The Museum

This month in HuffPost College, the paper highlighted unusual and ‘weird’ internships which are offered, with genuine prerequisites including ‘being weird’ and ‘having a taste for fun’.

Last year General Manager Michael Hirsch of Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum opened a new internship programme. He explained that the placement was open to those who enjoy the extraordinary and the strange: ‘If the idea of earning college credit in the world’s best tourism market while being surrounded by shrunken heads, a lock of Elvis’s hair, and 500 other amazing artefacts, look no further.

The placement is in the Center of New York in Times Square, and despite the gaga rudiments they require, this sounds like an exciting and challenging venture.

Of course, these placements are impressive, but I was truly inspired by another internship which I discovered recently. This one is for the adventurer.

Love in Nepal

Rome and New York are two internship hubs, but in the mountains of Nepal there is perhaps the most extraordinary internship for a dedicated and strong- willed intern.

In the Himalayan setting of Nepal, The Asend: Mountainchild presents a 30 day placement emphasizing sustainable development work. It aims to empower a new generation of local Tibetans with the skills necessary to bring lasting transformation to their people and villages.

In short, “it exists for the sole purpose of raising awareness, resources and financial aid for humanitarian work carried out amongst children living in the Himalayas.”

It is a physically demanding, high- altitude trek in extremely basic conditions.

So if like Nora Ephron, you seek an internship with a fizz, these are just three options among a world of opportunities. Soon I will be interviewing three interns from London, New York and Hong Kong, asking them about their experiences.  Meantime, take a look at http://www.inspiringinterns.com/ for even more ideas for out-of-the ordinary graduate internships.

If you are interested in writing a guest blog post for Inspiring Interns then email us at marketing@inspiringinterns.com

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Part two: how employable are you? – guest blog

May 31st, 2011

By Janet Davies, editor of mygraduatecareer.com and myexecutivecareer.com.

Part two discusses further advice on how to improve your employability skills to boost your chances in a tough graduate job market.

IT literacy: It hardly needs to be said that being able to use some kind of word processing or spreadsheet programme and the internet is a given these days. However, if you have expert knowledge of particular programming languages or techniques, specialist software packages and skills in forms of media that are important to the role that you applying for, make sure that these are clearly outlined in your application.

Self-management: Management structures in most organisations are pretty lean these days – employers are looking for people who can manage their time and priorities effectively, who can take as well as give direction and feedback and who don’t need micro-managing. Being late for your interview, admitting that you hardly ever turned up for lectures or handed in coursework on time, or not being able to manage an assessment centre exercise designed to test your organisational skills, will all serve to undermine your perceived ability to manage yourself. When employers are handing out salaries, they expect to get an effective return on that investment so remember to make a good impression right from the beginning of the selection process. Besides, you’ll probably have to work quite long hours – being badly organised at work and taking longer than necessary to complete a task means less time for you to socialise and actually have a life as well!

Commercial awareness: Employers want to know that you are genuinely interested in their sector, the challenges it faces and the culture and customer ethos they need to adopt to achieve their objectives. If, for example, you are applying to work in management consultancy, they will expect that you understand current affairs, that you’ve bothered to read the customer publications on their website and done some background research. If you want to go into the Civil Service, interviewers may quite rightfully expect you to have an appreciation of who the leading figures in the Government of the day are, what the impact of the budget deficit is on public services and current affairs. Make some time to keep up with the outside world not just what is going on Facebook or YouTube.

Additional skills: Can you speak another language? Can you drive? Do you have any other skill, experience, achievement or contacts that will give you the edge when recruiters are sifting through hundreds of CVs?  Use them wisely – every little detail could mean the difference between you being at the top or the bottom of the recruiter’s list.

Your disposition: Employers like enthusiastic, motivated, driven, dedicated applicants who  know how to show initiative and may be capable of becoming the future leaders and wealth creators in their organisations. It’s the ‘X Factor’ that makes one candidate a winner and another an also-ran. They want to like you and they spend a lot of effort in their employer brand and values work to make sure you’ll like them. That’s the personal part for which there is no test, no exam and no guarantee. Still, it’s not all one way. Learn to smile at interviews but also trust your instincts – if you don’t like anyone you meet during the interview process and you don’t get a good vibe about the place, be very careful before you agree to work there!

Work experience: If you haven’t so much as served a pint in a bar or had some basic experience of work, you are at a serious disadvantage in the selection process. If you’ve had an internship or a work experience placement, you’ll have serious advantage. Internships and part-time jobs aren’t always easy to come by, but get some experience you must. Inspiring Interns can help you do just that!

If you would be interested in writing for our blog please email us – marketing@inspiringinterns.com

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Starting your career in public relations – guest blog

May 27th, 2011

By Hollie Rendall, Young Women in Media.

Breaking into the fast-paced PR sector is not the easiest of tasks and is renowned for being an extremely competitive industry.

To help you find the best route into the industry, we at Young Women in Media hold monthly sessions which often take the form of a panel discussion with experts on a particular sector related to the media. While previous sessions have included radio and journalism, our latest was on public relations and covered how to get into PR and develop your skills, what type of PR to go for, and how work experience and internships can help kick off your career.

We were lucky to be joined by some women with huge amounts of experience of working in financial, entertainment and film PR, and had a discussion chaired by the features editor of PR Week, Kate Magee. We started with some facts:

  • 70% of people working in public relations are female, 30% are male.
  • But this ratio reverses when you look to management positions in PR; 30% are female.
  • The industry has been perceived as having a problem with unpaid internships which last longer than six months, lack proper structure and do not lead to permanent jobs.  These types of internships have given some sought-after companies a bad reputation for taking advantage.

It was agreed that the ways into PR have changed drastically in recent years – our panellists got in though various routes, including: joining a financial services company after leaving school and eventually moving across to the press office; doing work experience for Planet Hollywood; and doing a degree in film and gradually moving into publicity after helping with film festivals. The fact is degrees or masters in PR didn’t really exist until recently, and this means that the usual method of starting a career in PR has changed drastically in a short space of time.

The panel unanimously said that work experience and personality is more important than qualifications – although some competitive internships now require a post-graduate qualification in public relations. It was pointed out that the experience of university, or a job completely unrelated to media relations, can be turned to a potential PR’s advantage as there are several transferrable skills you need. Being calm under pressure, good at writing and an excellent communicator are just some of these. Public relations is about promoting your clients, but it’s also about protecting them when something goes wrong – a good PR has to do both equally well.

Social media is a new development that is crucial for PR and important for anyone thinking about entering the industry. The use of social media can hugely amplify a campaign’s success, but it can also broadcast negative comments about a product or company to the world.

Tips for people looking to enter PR

  • Pick a sector – although the subject matter can vary massively, from working with consumer goods to doing crisis communications for large corporations, a lot of the skills needed in PR are the same. Research the options and perhaps try work experience in a couple of different areas to see what appeals.
  • Decide between agency and in-house – our panel agreed that for starting off in PR, getting agency experience is key. Whilst the pay may initially be lower, the experience you’ll get is invaluable – and agencies often have a great social life, too.
  • Get the knowledge you need – in most interviews you have at an entry level for PR, you’ll be asked about the media you consume on a daily basis. Read newspapers, become a Twitter aficionado, and also make sure you’re looking at PR Week to show you know about the industry and what’s happening.
  • Get experience – most agencies offer work experience placements to those showing genuine potential and willingness to learn. Well structured internships with a focus on learning, such as those offered by Inspiring Interns are a fantastic way to get in-depth experience and build your contacts book.
  • Be committed – show that you mean business by doing work experience, making contacts and following up with those people afterwards. The same goes for any journalists you speak to, and any contacts you have will really impress subsequent interviewers or bosses.
  • Make yourself invaluable – during work experience or internships, get involved with as much as you can. Put yourself forward for brainstorms, chat to senior people and show how much you care about the work you’re doing. If a company has a lot of work experience, make sure you stand out from the crowd.

If you’re a young woman looking to get into PR, you may also be interested in joining Young Women in Media. Our sessions are informal and our members range from students to women with around 5 years’ experience. You can contact us through workinginmedia.wordpress.com

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Have a little faith – guest blog

May 20th, 2011

Written by guest blogger Emma Farley.

You know how they say when you stop trying things just fall into place? Whether it be with relationships or your career, it turns out it’s actually true. I finished my degree with nothing lined up besides carrying on with my completely uninspiring part-time job in retail until I found something I really enjoyed. Turns out it wasn’t quite that simple, especially living outside of a big city.

I spent weeks on end applying for various jobs in media – practically anything going in the UK whether it be part-time, full-time, permanent or temporary, but I got very few replies. And the only replies were nos – not even interview offers! I couldn’t believe that small companies didn’t bother to reply with a ‘thanks but no thanks’ yet major companies like The Guardian and Channel 4 (who I applied to knowing I probably didn’t stand a chance and more often than not forget that I even applied to) would break my heart with a ‘you have not been successful this time’ email. I even applied for an internship with a decent film company based in London. I had a telephone interview and got through to the final four or so and planned how to work around it so I could afford to live in London during the week and transfer to another store to continue my retail work for three months. When I found out I didn’t get it I was heartbroken.

I remained optimistic and carried on applying for other positions and wound up with a fantastic six-week internship with filmdirecting4women. It allowed me to work from home for the most part and spend a week in London working at their film festival. For the first time in my life I was trusted to create a major publicity document for an established company. I learned a lot over that month and a half about the importance of networking and the use of social media and being able to put my magazine production and marketing skills into practice was a massive confidence boost. The founder of fd4w, Ruth Torjussen, was such an inspiring person to work for; I challenge anyone to find someone half as encouraging and supportive as her. She liked my work so much that she currently employs me as a freelancer and I am working under the title Marketing Manager for her current project, the filmdirecting4women roadshow.

It just goes to show that when you’re about to give up, something perfect will come along that will provide you with more opportunities than any of the previous placements you applied for. Don’t be afraid to dream big and don’t give up.

Follow Emma on Twitter @EmsLF or check out her website – http://screenspeak.blogspot.com.

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Meet the Team – Sam Bloom

May 18th, 2011

We are giving you the chance to invade Inspiring HQ and meet the people behind the scenes.

The idea is to interview each member of the Inspiring team to give you a little bit of a sneak peek of what goes on behind the graduate internships and the roof-top parties.  We will be digging the dirt on each of the team members so you can learn more about their roles, their ambitions and their inspirations.

To kick off the ‘Meet the Team’ series, the marketing team gets to know co-founder and Business Developer, Sam Bloom…keep an eye out for his little known fact!

Let us know if you have any of your own questions for the team, we are not afraid to ask them!

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