Starting Out - First steps | ArtsProfessional

Getting a first foot on the job ladder can be daunting for anyone starting a new career, but careers in the creative industries present particular challenges for those starting out. Jo Wilkinson highlights some of the potential pitfalls and suggests how to best get started.
In a burgeoning creative sector that provides thousands of highly rewarding careers, not to mention over £50bn for the UK economy, theres no shortage of potential professional creatives. Whether its a courageous career change or a first job from school, the clamour to work in this dynamic sector has never been stronger. But this is a notoriously complex industry to negotiate, not least as a result of the celebrity connotations often inaccurately associated with the sector, and consequently its becoming an increasingly competitive arena.

Experience first

Starting a new career is always a daunting prospect, irrespective of age, or background, but the creative and digital industries, thanks to their evolutionary nature, are helping new entrants embrace this change and use it to their advantage. Qualifications are no longer automatically sufficient for obtaining your dream career. Even university graduates can no longer rely on their degrees to secure jobs, and companies across all industry sectors are increasingly requesting specific industry experience to distinguish the thousands of CVs they receive, graced with reams of examination results.

The creative industries are no exception, and given the often practical basis of these businesses, relevant experience is becoming a prerequisite to employment, which is why university sandwich courses can be so important. The age-old tenet of its not what you know no longer dominates and, increasingly, it is a combination of knowledge, experience and who you know that proves most fruitful. However, how do you go about getting that vital foot in the creative door?

Often there are local programmes and support to give you that crucial way in. Organisations like CIDA (the Creative Industries Development Agency) offer bespoke business support, personal development, placement programmes, and specific training and industry knowledge to take your business and creative practice to the next level. Similar programmes exist up and down the country.

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) have been set up to reduce skill gaps and improve productivity and learning. They cover specific sectors across the UK. For the Creative Industries they include Creative and Cultural Skills, Skillset, Skills for Business, Skillfast-UK and e-skills UK. Details for each of these councils and what they can offer can be found at http://www.ssda.org.uk

The Arts Council website (www.artscouncil.org.uk), Artists Newsletter (www.a-n.co.uk) and Artquest (www.artquest.org.uk) are useful websites for additional information. The Creative Portal website (www.creativeportal.org), positioned as the Creative Industries online, offers a wealth of information to help people gain access to the Creative Industries from events and job opportunities, to the ability to network with fellow industry practitioners via online forums.

One feature of the Creative Portal is a particularly useful tool for those starting out in the sector and is fast becoming adopted by companies throughout the country: the e-newsletter. Subscribing to electronic newsletters from creative-industry companies is an incredibly quick and easy way of gaining insight into the sector and gaining access to employment and professional development opportunities, news, events and conferences and courses.

Making contact

In a sector so reliant upon building up relationships with key contacts in the industry, in addition to gaining the practical, hands-on experience and skills, it is equally important that potential entrants to the sector know how to network making new contacts, sharing experiences and good practice, and generating new ideas. This is true of all industries within the sector. For example, starting out in the theatre industry, it will often be the case of following the tried and tested method of working your way up from the bottom. Once you are in the company it is far easier to find out what jobs are available and what you need to do to get into the role. Its a great opportunity to network.

Even if you have to volunteer and work for free, the important thing is that youve got your foot in the door. This is where university placements often give job candidates serious advantage over their competitors. Many universities have strong links with creative industries companies, which is why it is so important to make the right choice. Similarly, in the fast-growing music sector, networking is extremely important: speak to well-established professionals in addition to those who have only started out recently. At the end of the day, nothing beats experience for giving an honest account of the industry.

Perseverance

As with any career, competition for jobs is becoming increasingly fierce and this is particularly true of the creative industries sector. Having achieved the relevant qualifications and experience and successfully built up networks of contacts, in this sector perhaps more than most, determination is a prerequisite to ensure success.

Whether applying for job positions, or starting up on your own, be prepared for setbacks; however, perseverance will help to keep you on track. Encouragement and support is vital, both for your own health and that of your career, and this is where practical, realistic and honest advice comes into play. Channel 4s Ideas Factory (www.ideasfactory.com), aimed at people working or wanting to work in the creative industries, is a useful resource. The website offers advice on jobs within the industry, business guidance and different types of courses available, both vocational and academic. There is also an area entitled Funding and Awards, where you can do a nationwide funding-provider search. The Creative Industries helpline is also useful for finding out information about the sector (08000 111 633).

In exchange for enthusiasm, talent, commitment and drive, there are organisations out there able to supply the experience, opportunities, training and contacts for creative individuals of any age, background, ethnicity, or physical ability, looking to get their foot on the first rung of the creative industries ladder.