E-PORTFOLIO
B1 NEXT STEPS: CREATIVE L3 EXT DIPLOMA
E-PORTFOLIO NEXT STEPS GUIDE
WELCOME TO MY NEXT STEPS PORTFOLIO AS OF OCTOBER 2023. THIS WAS A COURSE UNIT WHICH REQUIRED ME TO RESEARCH AND THINK ABOUT MY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ONCE I LEAVE BOA STAGE AND SCREEN. THIS INCLUDED THINKING ABOUT MY PERSONAL BRANDING, FUTURE CAREER PROSPECTS AND LOCATIONS. AFTER THIS RESEARCH IT HAS PROVIDED ME WITH CONFIDENCE MOVING INTO THE FUTURE AND ALLOWS ME TO SEE MY VISION AS A REAL LOGISTICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
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THE BREAKDOWN
STARTING THIS PROCESS WAS DIFFICULT AS IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT I WANTED TO DO. AFTER THE PANIC WAS OVER I DECIDED TO LIST MY VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS, WHICH WOULD THEN HOPEFULLY STEER ME TOWARDS A FUTURE VISION. I TITLED THIS PAGE 'THE WHY BEFORE THE WHERE' AS THIS WAS REALLY HOW I STARTED. I REALISED I WANTED CREATIVITY, TRAVEL, AND INDEPENDENCE AND I LIKED THE IDEA OF COORDINATION IN THE AREAS OF MEDIA AND PERFORMING ARTS.
I THEN MOVED ON TO OUTLINING MY CURRENT SKILLS AND THE SKILLS I WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP. THIS THEN NARROWED EVERYTHING DOWN TO A FEW POSSIBLE CAREER PATHS, ALL WITH OPPORTUNITIES I FEEL I COULD TAKE ON WITH MY CURRENT SKILLS. IT THEN BECAME A CASE OF HOW WOULD I ACHIEVE THAT; WOULD IT BE UNI, AN APPRENTICESHIP OR EMPLOYMENT. THIS WAS WHERE THINGS WERE MADE CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING I REALLY NEEDED TO START THINKING ABOUT.
BEFORE I STARTED TO PANIC, AGAIN, I DECIDED THAT MAKING A MOOD BOARD WOULD HELP ME PICTURE MY FUTURE BETTER. CREATING THIS HELPED ME VISUALLY SEE WHAT I ENJOY AND WHAT I DON'T. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT I HATED STUDYING, BUT, I DO ENJOY RESEARCHING AND ANALYSING, THEREFORE UNI SEEMS THE PICTURESQUE IDEA. HOWEVER, I ALSO THRIVE THROUGH PROJECT-BASED WORK IN PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, THEREFORE IT WAS THEN A QUESTION OF EMPLOYMENT OR AN APPRENTICESHIP. DESPITE ME AGAIN ENDING WITH CONTRASTING OPINIONS, IT DID HELP ME NARROW IT DOWN, AND ALLOWED ME TO SEE HOW MY IDEAS COULD BE SHAPED INTO REAL PLANS.
NOW IT WAS TIME TO RESEARCH. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, I DO LIKE RESEARCHING. I ESPECIALLY FOUND THIS INTERESTING AND ADDICTIVE AS ONCE YOU START LOOKING INTO UNIVERSITIES AND APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMES, YOU CAN'T STOP. THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF 'NEXT-STEP' INSTITUTIONS IS ADMIRABLE, THE PROBLEM IS THEY ALL SOUND SO GOOD. ONCE I GOT WELL INTO MY RESEARCH I FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO GO TO ALL OF THEM. I EVEN FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO CHANGE MY CAREER PROSPECTS AFTER LOOKING AT EACH COURSE. AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE I HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM OF WHERE MY FUTURE GOES; TO ME THAT IS SCARY BUT EXCITING, AS ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. THE THINGS I WANTED OUT OF THE NEXT 5 YEARS WERE TRAVEL, NEW OPPORTUNITIES, SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND HOPEFULLY A BIT OF FINANCIAL SECURITY. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS WHERE I REALISED I HAD TO COMPROMISE, NO MATTER WHAT, I WAS'NT GOING TO ACHIEVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AT ONCE. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, I WAS NOW AWARE OF ALL OF THE OPPOTUNITIES THAT I COULD TAKE, WHICH NOW GAVE ME A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH PATH TAKES WHAT AND HOW LONG.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP IN EVALUATING MY NEXT STEPS WAS LOOKING BACK AT MY PAST ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTACTS. THIS HELPED ME FIGURE OUT WHO COULD HELP ME ACHIEVE MY GOALS AND ALSO COMPANIES THAT I COULD SEE MYSELF WORKING FOR. I COULD ALSO REACH OUT TO SAID CONTACTS FOR ADVICE ON CAREER AREAS THAT THEY SPECIALISE IN. THIS DEVELOPED MY UNDERSTANDING OF NETWORKING. THESE CONTACTS WERE ALSO BROAD ACROSS ALL AREAS OF INTEREST, WHICH GAVE ME A GREAT INCITE INTO THE INDUSTRIES WITHOUT GETTING TOO FAR INTO A CAREER. AFTER REACHING OUT TO A FEW I FOUND THAT CASTING FOR EXAMPLE, A CAREER I WAS INTERESTED IN, WAS INCREDIBLY COMPETITIVE AND REQUIRED MULTIPLE COURSES IN MEDIA SPECIALISMS. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT CASTING IS USUALLY STARTED WITH SHORT FILMS OR ADVERTISEMENTS AND TAKES A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS TO BUILD UP A CREDIT CV.
I'M NOT GOING TO LIE IF YOU ASKED ME TO REWRITE THIS IN 4 WEEKS, THIS WOULD AGAIN BE DIFFERENT. I TRIED MY BEST TO MAKE THIS PLAN AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE WHICH IS WHY IT IS QUITE VERSATILE. IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO SET GOALS TO HELP MY FUTURE SELF. MY FINANCES ARE ONE COMPONENT THAT I WILL BE THANKFUL FOR THINKING ABOUT EARLY ON. ONE OF MY GOALS IS TO EVENTUALLY OWN MY OWN HOUSE. TO DO THIS I NEED A RELIABLE INCOME, A SAVINGS PLAN AND DISCIPLINE. THESE PLANS ALL HAVE MY CORE VALUES AND END GOALS BUT ARE ACHIEVED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THIS WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO DO, SO I DIDNT FEEL DIFLATED IF A PLAN DIDN'T GO AHEAD. IT ALSO MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASN'T TOO CONSTRICTED, AND I STILL HAD COMPLETE FREEDOM TO HAVE CHOICES OVER MY FUTURE. HAVING STRUCTURE DOES HELP IF YOU WORK LIKE THAT BUT IF YOU LIKE ME, I THRIVE BY TAKING OPPORTUNITIES AS AND WHEN THEY COME ALONG, AND ALSO APPRECIATING THEM IN THE MOMENT. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I PLAN, AT ANY MOMENT IT COULD CHANGE.
NOW I HAD A PLAN IT WAS NOW ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO ACHIEVE THAT PLAN. HOW WILL PEOPLE KNOW WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT? SO, THIS IS WHERE MY LOGO DEVELOPMENT AND PERSONAL BRANDING STARTED. I BEGAN BY RESEARCHING BRANDS THAT WERE CLOSE TO MY OWN AND ANALYSED WHAT WORKED AND WHAT DIDN'T. I THEN TOOK THE IDEAS I LIKED AND INFUSED THEM INTO MY LOGOS. I DECIDED ON TWO THAT I FELT REPRESENTED ME THE BEST AND THEN MOVED ON TO PROMOTING MY BRAND.
PROMOTION IS MAINLY ONLINE THESE DAYS SO I FOCUSSED MY RESEARCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA TACKTICS AND WEBSITE DESIGNS. I FOUND THAT MOST CVS AND PORTFOLIOS ARE NOW ALL ONLINE AND THEY ALL FEATURE PAST WORK, PROJECTS AND EXPERIENCE. THEY ALSO COMMUNICATED IT IN A CREATIVE BUT PROFESSIONAL WAY, WHICH INCLUDED MINIMALISTIC LOOKS WITH BOLD COLOURS AND TEXT. THE MAIN THING I TOOK FROM SELF-PROMOTION, IS TO NOT OVERCOMPLICATE THE LOOK AND TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND EASY TO NAVIGATE. I DIDN'T WANT TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA JUST YET, NOT UNTIL I HAD FIGURED OUT FOR DEFINITE WHERE I WANTED TO END UP, HOWEVER, I DID GET MYSELF ON LINKEDIN AND I CAN SAY THAT IT'S A GREAT PLACE FOR DISCOVERING OPPORTUNITIES AND NETWORKING.
BETCTU IS A UNION FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS AND WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME WHEN STARTING IN THE INDUSTRY. THEY CAN TEACH ME MY RIGHTS AT WORK AND SUPPORT ME IF I EVER NEED ANYTHING. I WASNT AWARE OF BECTU OR HOW TO CONTACT THEM, THEREFORE THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF DEVELOPING MY NEXT STEPS AS BECTU WILL DEFFINETLY BE AN AGENCY I WILL LOOK FOR IF I NEED IT.
AFTER CREATING LOGOS IT WAS THEN A GOOD IDEA TO START BUILDING MY USP. MY USP WAS HARD TO IMAGINE AS I DON'T FOR SURE KNOW WHERE I WANT TO END UP. AFTER DECIDING ON AN AREA OF COORDINATION, LOGISTICS OR PSYCHOLOGY, I FELT LIKE IT WAS GOOD TO START BUILDING IT BASED ON MY CURRENT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE. MY EXPERIENCE AND WAY INTO THE INDUSTRY ARE UNIQUE AS I DIDN'T ALWAYS PICTURE MYSELF IN MEDIA. EVERYONE'S STORIES ARE DIFFERENT THEREFORE ITS A GREAT WAY TO FORM YOUR USP. AFTER USING BITS FROM MY STORY AND FUTURE VALUES, I CAME UP WITH A USP COMBINING ALL MY CURRENT SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE BUT ALSO ADVERTISING MY AREAS FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
I DID AT ONE POINT GET STUCK WHEN DECIDING MY NICHE AS THERE WERE PLENTY OF OTHER STUDENTS WITH SIMILAR SKILLS, SO I BEGAN RESEARCHING BRANDS THAT WERE SIMILAR TO MINE. I FOUND TWO FREELANCERS THAT I HAVE FOLLOWED FOR A LONG TIME WHO HAVE CREATED A BRAND AND BUSINESS BASED ON THEIR OWN USP. THEY BOTH USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES AND AGAIN USE THEIR STORIES AND EXPERIENCES TO SHAPE THEIR USP.
SWOT. I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT SWOT MEANT AND NOW I USE IT IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITY AND THREAT. THE KEY THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN CREATING A FULL-PROOF BUSINESS PLAN. THIS WAS ONE OF THE TASKS THAT SHOCKED ME, AS IT MADE ME REALISE THINGS I'D NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED BEFORE.
I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT MY STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES BUT I ALWAYS TRY NOT TO COMPARE THEM TO OTHERS AROUND ME. HOWEVER, WHEN EVALUATING MY THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES I REALISED THAT COMPETITION IS A HUGE FACTOR IN THE INDUSTRIES I'M ENTERING. IF YOU ARE NOT THE BEST OF THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BRING SOMETHING ELSE TO PUT YOU ABOVE THE REST. THIS GAVE ME EASE IN ANOTHER SENSE AS IT MADE ME FEEL VALIDATED FOR ALWAYS HAVING MULTIPLE SKILLS AND TASKS ON THE GO AT ONE TIME, AND MADE THE YEARS OF SWITCHING FOCUS POINTS, NOT A TOTAL DELAY OF TIME. DESPITE THAT IT ALSO PUTS IT INTO THE PERSPECTIVE THAT EACH AND EVERY PROFESSIONAL STRIVING FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE IN THE SAME POSITION AND THAT WERE ALL JUST PROFESSIONALS DESPERATE TO USE AND SHARE OUR SKILLS. INSTEAD OF CONSTANTLY TRYING TO BE THE BEST AND BEAT EVERYONE AROUND ME, SWOT TAUGHT ME TO EVALUATE AND REVIEW AREAS FOR MY USP TO SHINE WITHOUT IRRELIVACE.
I THEN MOVED ON TO RESEARCHING DIFFERENT PROMOTION TECHNIQUES AND THE INDUSTRY OF ONLINE PROMOTION. I FOUND AND ANALYSED OTHER MEDIA CVS, BUSINESS CARDS, EMAIL SIGN OFFS AND OTHER METHODS, HOWEVER, I WAS THEN LED ON TO FIND MORE ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS CONTRIBUTE TO MY DIGITAL FOOTPRINT. I GUESS THIS DID START TO CONCERN ME IN CASE I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY CAREER INTEREST. FOR EXAMPLE, I COULD SET UP A HUGE MEDIA PROFILE AND MEDIA CV AND CREATE AN ONLINE PRESENCE AS A MEDIA SPECIALIST. I MAY WANT TO REBRAND IN LIVE EVENTS OR PSYCHOLOGY, BUT THE ISSUE WITH THIS IS THAT ONLINE I WOULD STILL BE SEEN AS A MEDIA SPECIALIST DUE TO OLD CONTENT. EVERYTHING I POST OR UPLOAD WILL ALWAYS BE THERE SO I NEED TO BE AWARE OF HOW IT WILL REPRESENT ME IN THE LONG TERM AS WELL AS THE SHORT TERM.
THESE INFOGRAPHICS REPRESENT THE TAKEAWAY KNOWLEDGE I TOOK AND USED IN MY WORK. THIS RESEARCH HELPED ME DEVELOP MY UNDERSTANDING AND PERSONAL BRAND TO STAND OUT AGAINST OTHERS. IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF MY BRANDING FITTED WITH MY USP, AND RESEARCHING AND ANALYSING IT HELPED ME ACHIEVE THAT THROUGH INSPIRATION FROM OTHERS.
NEXT ON MY BRAND DEVELOPMENT WAS MY WEBSITE CREATION. IT STARTED WITH IDEA GENERATION OF STYLES AND CONTENT SUBJECTS. I THEN DECIDED TO RESEARCH OTHER CREATIVES, SIMILAR TO MY BRAND, AND ANALYSE THEIR APPROACH. ONCE I FOUND MY COLOUR THEME AND CONTENT AREAS, I BEGAN TO DESIGN. I STARTED WITH MY HOME PAGE WHICH I KNEW I WANTED TO BE MINIMALISTIC WITH THEMES OF GREEN. I DECIDED ON THIS PHOTO I TOOK IN CHESTER, AS IT GAVE OFF THE CONTEMPORARY VIBE MY BRAND COMMUNICATED. THE ONLY ISSUE IS I NOTICED THE IMAGE DOES LOOK OCCASIONALLY PIXELATED ON SOME DEVICES.
I THEN MOVED ON TO MY CONTENT PAGES WHERE I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SHOWCASE MY EXPERIENCE AND ABILITIES SO POTENTIAL CLIENTS COULD SEE IF I WAS THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THEIR PROJECT. AS A STUDENT I AM ALSO AT THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF MY CAREER, THEREFORE MY STUDENT EXPERIENCE IS PRETTY MUCH ALL I HAVE TO PROVE MY SKILLS.
OVERALL, I FOUND THE DESIGNING ASPECT HARD AS I WAS QUITE INDECISIVE; IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO SETTLE ON A DESIGN AND LAYOUT, AND I DID CHANGE THINGS MULTIPLE TIMES. I AM HAPPY WITH THE WAY IT TURNED OUT, AND I FEEL CONFIDENT IN SHARING THIS SITE WITH COMPANIES OR CREATIVES WITH POTENTIAL INTEREST IN MY WORK.
INTERVIEWS ARE A CRUCIAL PART OF CAREER PROGRESSION. NO MATTER WHICH INDUSTRY YOU GO INTO, INTERVIEWS GET HARDER AND HARDER AND YOU MOVE UP THE LADDER. IT IS IMPORTANT TO STAY CONFIDENT AND PROUD OF YOUR WORK SO FAR, EVEN IF THE INTERVIEW END IN REGENCTION. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOUR INTERVIEW WAS BAD, JUST SOMETIMES THINGS HAPPEN FOR AREAS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. EACH INTERVIEW WILL BE DIFFERENT, HOWEVER, DESPITE THAT, THROUGH EACH ONE YOU NEED TO BE JUST AS PREPARED AS THE LAST. STANDING OUT AGAINST OTHER COMPETITORS AND EMPLOYEES CAN SOMETIMES BE HARD, HOWEVER, IF YOU KNOW THIS ROLE IS GOOD FOR YOU AND PERFECTLY FITS YOUR PRESENT OR FUTURE PLAN, THEN COMMUNICATE THAT SAME CONFIDENCE TO THE INTERVIEWER, AND YOU JUST MIGHT SELL YOURSELF ABOVE THE REST. PREPARATION IS ALSO KEY! BEING PREPARED HIGHLIGHTS YOUR DETERMINATION AND PASSION FOR THE JOB. IT ALSO SUGGESTS YOU ARE PROFESSIONAL AND HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDUSTRY AND WORKING LIFE.
THIS GUIDE WILL HELP ME AND OTHERS STAY CONFIDENT WHEN PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW. THESE ARE SKILLS I HAVE LEART MYSELF OVER THE YEARS, AND ALSO FROM RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF OTHERS FINDINGS. EACH WORKPLACE IS DIFFERENT AND EACH INTERVIEW WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT VIBE SO ITS IMPORTANT TO READ THE ROOM AND APPROACH IT ACCORDINGLY. BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING AND OF COURSE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK, YOU ARE MORE THAN READY FOR THIS ROLE!
NETWORKING WAS THEN THE NEXT BEST WAY TO GET MY BRAND OUT THERE. IT IS PREACHED FROM MY COLLEGE THAT NETWORKING IS THE KEY TO WORKING YOUR WAY UP IN THE INDUSTRY. WETHER ITS USING CONVERSATIONS TO GAIN AN OPPORTUNITY OR GAIN USEFUL CONTACTS, ITS A NO BRAINER THAT IT WILL DO MORE GOOD THAN HARM.
THE HARDEST THING ABOUT NETWORKING IN MY OPINION IS GETTING TO CONFIDENCE TO START THAT INITIAL CONVERSATION. IF YOU GO INTO AN EVENT WITH RESEARCH AND GOOD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ON THE PERSON OR AREA OF INTEREST, THEN THIS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE CONFIDENCE. IF YOU GO IN NOT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT ANYONE, THAT ALSO GIVES YOU AN ADVANTAGE, AS IT GUARANTEES THAT THEY PROBABLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT YOU EITHER. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SELL AND PROMOTE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND.
AS UNIVERSITY AND JOB INTERVIEWS WERE NOW FAST APPROACHING, NOW WAS A GREAT TIME TO START WORKING ON ETIQUETTE AND TECHNIQUES. OUR COLLEGE HELPED US BY PUTTING ON A MOCK JOB INTERVIEW, WHERE WE RECEIVED FEEDBACK ABOUT OUR PERFORMANCE AND PREPARATION.
I FEEL I WENT IN TO THIS INTERVIEW WELL PREPARED AND CONFIDENT IN MY SKILLS AND ABILITIES. I PREPARED BY SENDING OVER MY CV AND PORTFOLIO BEFOREHAND TO MY TUTOR, THEN ALSO READING THROUGH BEFORE GOING IN. I MADE SURE I WAS ON TIME AND WAS PREPARED FOR ANY QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE ASKED.
DURING THE INTERVIEW I FEEL I WAS WELL SPOKEN AND APPROACHED QUESTIONS WITH THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION. I DID HOWVER, FEEL I TALKED WAY TOO MUCH AND OFTEN APREARED TO INFORMAL OR ARRANGANT WHEN LISTING MY EXPERINECE.
THE FEEDBACK I RECEIVED WAS THAT IT WAS A GOOD INTERVIEW AND THAT I CAME ACROSS REALLY FRIENDLY AND 'NOT ARROGANT' AT ALL. IT WAS ALSO SAID THAT I WAS WELL PREPARED AND ARTICULATED QUESTIONS REALLY WELL IN RESPONSE TO THE ROLE AND COMPANY.
MY NEGATIVE FEEDBACK DID COME DOWN TO RAMBLING ON SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT IRRELEVANT SUBJECTS. I DO AGREE WITH THIS. ALTHOUGH, THIS ISN'T A EXCUSE BUT I DO BLAME THIS ON MY ADHD AND IM FULLY AWARE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING I NEED TO WORK ON INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF WORK. SO, WITH THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED I WILL NOW APPROACH MY NEXT INTERVIEW WITH SIMILAR CONVICTION, HOWEVER, I WILL TRY HARDER TO STAY ON TOPIC AND HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE WHEN SHARING MY EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS.