Unit 1, 2.1 "Describe a range of prospective employers and the profiles and products of these employers" and 2.2 "Explain how to choose an employer in terms of personal interests, knowledge, skills and job requirements."

Unit 1, 2.1  "Describe a range of prospective employers and the profiles and products of these employers."

     We all have the perfect, ideal job that we would (probably) kill for. When it comes to the 'perfect' job, for me, a lot of them center around being a staff writer for magazines. I am a big magazine reader, more so than anyone that I know, so being in that kind of environment would really benefit me, I think. 

     Here is a list of prospective employers that I would love to work for (though it probably won't ever happen, but here's hoping!).

     

     Employer: Little White Lies

     What they do: First published in 2005, Little White Lies is a bi-monthly film magazine. They focus on all new cinematic-releases, dedicating each issue to a particular film that is coming out (as can be seen on the image on the left hand side).

     

     Ideal position: Staff writer

     Though, over the past few months, I have locked more onto writing as a whole rather than considering writing for film, I still love writing about film, and Little White Lies, though I do disagree with them sometimes, would be a great place for me to grow as a writer. The style they incorporate is laid back and very casual (unlike Sight and Sound) which is something I am much more in-tune with than over analytic essay-writing.  

     Employer: iD magazine

     What they do: Former Vogue art director Terry Jones founded iD magazine in the 1980s. Their more fashion and photography-focused than other less-mainstream fashion magazines, but do delve into the other arts, too. 

    Ideal position: Staff writer

    After dropping out of college, I ended up spending a lot of time to myself as everyone that I knew actually had lives to lead, unlike my job-less one. This was the time when I discovered a lot of things (especially film), and was also the moment when iD and Dazed & Confused entered my life.

     I've always had an interest in fashion (though I never dress like it, I just can't be bothered most of the time), and, at 16, fashion magazines started playing a major part in my monthly readings. I never got into the likes of Vogue or Elle, mainly because they dealt more with the celebrity side of things than I care to mention. iD is a great magazine for me because, on most occasions, they celebrate fashion that I actually like (!!) with top-notch photography, and when they do write-ups on musicians, artists, films, books or art exhibitions, my interest is always peeked. 

     Employer: Myself 

     Ideal position: Freelance writer 

     I think everyone daydreams of throwing in the towel to the working world, and becoming their own boss. Yes, freelancing is very tight rope to walk - you don't know when you'll get a job coming your way, and most likely, the pay won't be very good. Still, freelancing is where I think I would progress the most. Being given a writing task to do, and going about and doing it (with a time limit, of course).

     If I have to pick an employer that isn't myself, though, the last place of work I have listed below is THE dream job. 

       

E   Employer: Dazed & Confused

      

     What they do: Founded by now-infamous photographer Rankin, and journalist Jefferson Hack, Dazed & Confused originally started as an independent zine publication, before gaining notoriety around the London club scene. Now, Dazed & Confused is a monthly magazine publication, who focus on all-things art, particularly fashion.

I    Ideal position: Staff writer film/books

I    I've spoken a fair few times about Dazed & Confused on this blog already, so I think you get the gist that I love the magazine. It embodies everything that I love about art as a whole, not just fashion. I've discovered so many films, designers, artists, musicians, and books thanks to the magazine, and out of all the employers I have listed (minus myself, of course!) to work for them would really be a dream-come-true type of moment. 

     I'm also going to mention a magazine that I wish was around as, though I am now technically an adult, teenage issues are, unfortunately, something that still annoyingly concern me. 

     Employer: Sassy

     What they did: Sassy, formed in the late 80s, were a completely different alternative to the Seventeen-type teenage magazines around at the time. They spoke honestly about drugs, sex, relationships, school, life; everything that concerned teenage girls, really.

     Ideal position: Staff writer

     I am a big advocate for equality in all it's forms, and something that really bugs me nowadays is the lack of concern there is for people my age, ones who can be easily swayed by what they see/read. Sassy was a magazine before my time (well, I was alive when it was out, but I was way too young to read it) that approached teenage life with a DIY attitude, which I loved. 

     

     There are two sites up-and-running now that have been coined as the 21st Century Sassy's (Hardly Magazine and ROOKIE), I just wish they were both in print!

     There are many more places that I would definitely mesh well with when it comes to working as a writer. Most, as you can see from the list I made, all have to do with magazines, but, to me, it doesn't matter. As said, I am a big magazine-reader, and all the magazines I have listed above are completely different from each other, though they may cross over in terms of the arts. It's easy to forget that everywhere you work is going to be different from the last working environment you were in!

     

     Unit 1, 2.2 "Explain how to choose an employer in terms of personal interests, knowledge, skills and job requirements."

    It is important to go by what you have experience in, and what you believe you need experience in when it comes to finding jobs. Yes, of course you can get a job that you have no experience in whatsoever (that’s how you start building up on the career ladder), but the likelihood of that, especially in this working climate, is next-to-none.

    

     We’d all like to find a job that we are going to love, but again, just as it is very unlikely to get a job we have no experience in, it will also be a mission to find a jo that we 100% truly love.

     

     Personal interest wise, you may not be able to throw yourself into the deep end and get the perfect job you want. In terms of the industry you’d like to get involved with, usually, you will have to put your blood, sweat and tears into getting that ideal job (unless you’re best friends with Harvey Weinstein.)

       

     Knowledge is also another thing that you have to consider when choosing jobs. Are you knowledgeable in a certain area that few others are? Is there something that you think you could learn more about? These are things we all need to think about when it comes to job searching.

      
    Just as our knowledge in a certain area can be valuable to prospective employers, so are our skills too. If you have a skill that very few others have, this can be a highlight to your application.

    

     When it comes to the actual job requirements, there is no point in applying for a job that requires something that you don’t have, for example you could be asked to have two years’ experience in administration. If you don’t have that experience, then there is no point in applying for the job because they are looking for someone specifically.