From Art Editor to Photographer and Graphic Designer

From Art Editor to Photographer and Graphic Designer Success Story > From: Job To: Freelance From Art Editor to Photographer and Graphic Designer “I don't miss having to 'design by committee', or the office politics.” * From Art Editor to Photographer and Graphic Designer Art Director Sheradon Dublin had a long-standing urge to make it on his own as a photographer. Here, he shares the story of his shift, as well as hisinsights about changing career. What was your role and lifestyle like in your old job? I was the Art Editor of a high-end audio and music magazine. I was responsible for all the artwork, which included commissioning photographers, art directing the photo shoots, as well as designing every page. It was really busy all the time as we were working three months ahead. The production line never stopped. Lifestyle-wise it wasn't great â€" late nights were the norm. On the other hand it was good having the responsibility, creative control and input, but at the end of the day all that hard work was for someone else. What is/are your new role(s)? I am now working for myself as a photographer and graphic designer. Are you happy with the change? Yes. I'm really happy with the change but it's a little scary when I don't hear from anyone for a few days. I still have to pay the mortgage like everyone else! Why did you change? Although I had been wanting to make the jump for a couple of years, in the end I didn't have a great deal of choice. The magazine I was working for was sold to another company and my Art Editor position was made redundant to save costs. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the art directing of shoots on such a large scale and the fine-tuning of covers, and some of the people. I miss the day-to-day interaction with a team the most. I don't miss having to 'design by committee' or the office politics. How did you go about making the change? The urge to go freelance as a photographer was always there as the two careers, design and photography, had been running parallel for years. I didn't have the financial safety net to make the move until I was offered redundancy. I immediately updated my website and business and social networking pages with my availability for work, and waited. There wasn't much else I could do after that. This sort of work comes via word of mouth or recommendations. I also contacted magazines and old colleagues, but that was met with a mixed reception. In short, I am making use of every opportunity that I can to network, pass on my business card and tell someone new that I am a photographer and available for work. How long did the process take from thinking about changing career to actually being in your new career? The process started around eight years ago,but I had nowhere near enough experience to make a go of it. It's only recently that I have all my ducks lined up ­â€" contacts, a creative team of make-up artists, a stylist and a few assistants. What was the most difficult thing about changing? The most difficult thing is staying afloat financially, followed by not getting distracted. What help did you get? None. I have tried to start reading self-help books but I have found that the time used to read the books could be best used to network and contact clients. What have you learnt in the process? 1. Choose your friends/enemies wisely - find those who will support you. 2. Put yourself out there - that business card isn't going to deliver itself! 3. In the creative industry, be careful what you tell fellow colleagues/ other networkers. 4. Never give up! What do you wish you'd done differently? I wish I had started my photographic freelancing earlier, from the safety of living at my mum’s 10 years previously! Even with the lack of experience I would have had time on my side. I would have been able to assist for free, build contacts and be in a better position now. What would you advise others to do if they are thinking of changing career? Try harder, never give up and be prepared to walk away. Get your head straight and return stronger, with more drive and from a different perspective if needed. You can view Sheradon's work at his website www.sheradondublin.com What lessons could you take from Sheradon's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

How to Buy a Car for Business

How to Buy a Car for Business Need a new car for work purposes? Before you go out and spend half your salary on a brand new saloon, consider all the options that are available to you. There are many different reasons you may need a fresh business vehicle, whether it’s to start a new job or simply look professional, and also various vehicles that will be ideal available. If you’re thinking about getting a new business car, consider the following methods. Company Car Schemes The first thing to check at your business is whether they do company car schemes, as this can be the most affordable way to get your hands on a luxury business car. Some will offer free company cars to certain employees, though this will often depend on the type of business and your position. Plus, you will still need to pay car tax, fuel costs and more. Otherwise, plenty of businesses run company car schemes where you can get a new vehicle through salary sacrifice. This offers the benefit of instantly owning a fresh car, being able to meet monthly repayments and having maintenance, repairs and insurance all included so there is nothing else to worry about. Purchase Outright Many businesses do not offer company cars or salary sacrifice schemes, so you will have to sort out your own business car. When buying outright you do at least have the advantage of owning the vehicle, which means should you change jobs in the near future you can take it with you. Plus, affordable options can be found through used car purchases. A new car from Robins Day is often a more professional option though, as it will look the part and should be a quality ride. Remember to choose the most appropriate trim level and colour for business use; a bright pink hatchback with a spoiler does not say ‘professional’. Leasing Deals If you need a new car for business quickly and money is tight, then a leasing deal could come in handy. This also offers the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a brand new luxury motor without stumping up the full asking price. Instead, you will make monthly payments for a set amount of time, which also includes the benefit of covering insurance, maintenance, repairs and more. The price will differ depending on vehicle, but it gives you access to some of the newest business cars around at a more affordable rate, though you never own the vehicle. Decided which method suits you best for getting a quality business car. Image Source; Image Source

What careers information can you trust is Google your friend University of Manchester Careers Blog

What careers information can you trust is Google your friend University of Manchester Careers Blog The truth  is out there, but where should you look for information and how can you be sure its accurate? Looking for a job vacancy with a specific company? Fairly obviously you would start with the company  website. But what if what you are looking for isn’t there? If they simply don’t have a jobs website â€" they may use third parties to advertise their jobs. Why not ring them and ask where they advertise vacancies. Looking for a job vacancy using job websites? There are lots of different job websites so you need to work out which one is best for you to use. Your CareersLink account â€" is a good place to start. The vacancies are vetted as far as we are able to make sure they are suitable and are  real vacancies not scams. Some vacancies are only advertised with us, so the only people viewing them are University of Manchester students graduates. Less competition â€" great. Unfortunately not every organisation out there will think of advertising with us so where to try next…? Try other graduate level job sites â€" many also advertise internships. Some companies will advertise via a professional body website or a sector specific website. Try our Which Career pages for suggested sites for different jobs sectors. What about generic job sites like Monster, Gum Tree and sites where you upload your CV? They certainly offer a wide variety of jobs. BUT the jobs may not be aimed at students or graduates and you will need to investigate carefully their policies on advertising. What about recruitment agencies? In some sectors they are used heavily to scout for talent and advertise specific jobs. Try to find one that is a good match for the job or sector you want to work in.   Check to see who is advertising the  most relevant  jobs  and try them first. What if I’m just looking for some careers information? If its information relating to a specific job role or career area Use our Which Career pages â€" we evaluate many information sources before linking to them so that you get the most relevant and easy to use sites. (though I’ll admit some sectors are pretty poor!) We also like Prospects website https://www.prospects.ac.uk Target Jobs websites https://targetjobs.co.uk/  They cover a good range of graduate entry level roles and have careers information as well as vacancies. Books  and journals, yes you know those papery things! Turns out they can be pretty good for research and we have quite a few here for you to nose through. Ask people for advice Careers staff â€" we will tell you how it is and we are not affiliated to any company so our advice is unbiased. Our staff are updated regularly and are often involved in research, so they know what they are talking about. Talk to professionals or employers at fairs or networking events. They can give you their opinion and the benefit of their experience. However, they cannot be experts in everything. Friends and family can be a great source of information. They want the best for you but that can mean they filter what they tell you.  If Auntie Beryl worked in HR 20 years ago her information  may not be the most up to date or accurate! Scouting around for a piece of information and not sure where to look? Well Google or other search engines can be a good place to start BUT, and it’s a big BUT, you need to be aware of how they work and evaluate the information sources carefully. The top 3 things on a search results screen may have little to do with what you actually looked for, there are other things in play here like advertising. Look at the summary and the link before clicking through â€" is it even a site in the country you would expect? Is the site one where you would expect them to know what they are talking about? Can you verify who owns the site and when the information was written? What might their bias be? Not sure where to start you can always ask us All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted careers Getting started graduate schemes job hunting job market jobs

How to Show Enthusiasm in an Interview - 6 Ways - Career Sidekick

How to Show Enthusiasm in an Interview - 6 Ways - Career Sidekick How to Show Enthusiasm in an Interview 6 Ways Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog You probably heard the advice that you should show enthusiasm in an interview if you want to get the job offer.And its trueHiring managers are more likely to offer you the position if you seem enthusiastic about coming to work for them.So in this article, Im going to give you six ways to show enthusiasm in interviews   even if youre an introvert like me.6 Ways to Show Enthusiasm in an Interview1. Boost your energy levelIf youre a quiet, introverted person, you dont have to pretend youre outgoing and bubbly.But you SHOULD bring it up a notch especially if the interviewer seems like a more outgoing person. You need to meet them in the middle and bring more energy than you usually would.Talk a little louder than usual.Use more inflection or changes in tone of voice (ups and downs).You dont want to sound flat or monotone.Also, give them visual signs that youre listening and interested in what theyre saying (nod your head, maintain good eye contact, etc.)If its a phone interview, remember that they cant see your facial expressions or body language, so your tone of voice becomes even more important. So focus on showing even more energy in your tone of voice when answering questions in a phone interview.Overall, the way you talk and communicate is the first way hiring managers will judge your enthusiasm in the interview, so its really important to practice.You really want to seem like youve been looking forward to talking with them and are excited to be there in the interview.2. Ask a lot of questionsOne of the best ways to show enthusiasm in the interview is to ask lots of questions. You want to seem like youre eager to learn more and really putting a lot of thought into considering their position.Topics you can ask about:The job duties and responsibilitiesThe training youll receiveGoals and expectations in the roleWhy the job is open and how their interview process worksFor more ideas, heres a list of 105 great questions to ask the in terviewer.Overall, you should aim at ask at least two or three questions to each person you meet in the interview.Its a great way to show enthusiasm and if you dont ask any questions, employers are a lot less likely to hire you.3. When something sounds interesting, say soThis advice is really simple but really important.If you want to seem enthusiastic in the interview, tell them verbally.If the hiring manager tells you about the job duties and you hear something that youve really been wanting to do more of, tell them. You could say, Thats really exciting to me. Ive been hoping to get a chance to do more ____, so Im really glad you mentioned it. Thats a big positive for me!You can also tell them youre excited about the work the company or group is doing overall.Example: Im really passionate about driverless cars because I feel they can save lives immediately. Its really exciting to me that so much of your effort goes into developing the software used in these cars.In that example, y oure talking about the companys overall mission and why that excites you.Every job seeker has different interests and priorities, so be honest and just tell them the pieces that actually do interest you.But dont just assume they know you want the job. They want to HEAR from you that you want their job, and why. So make sure to tell them.4. Compliment themNo, Im not talking about telling the hiring manager, I really like your shirt.Compliment them by telling them what their group or company is doing that stands out to you or is unique.What would make you want to come work for them? Compliment them on it.It could be their work culture, their products, their reputation, or anything else.Example: The way you described the work culture here sounds really unique. Ive talked to a few other companies and havent gotten the same sense of team environment from talking with the group managers. This sounds really great.Now, this might sound similar to tip #3 above (when something sounds interest ing, say so)And it is. In this case, youre just turning it into a compliment for the hiring manager. Its THEIR team, so telling them that the team sounds awesome is a direct compliment to them.And everyone loves a compliment.You can also compliment them on something that their job seems to offer, that other positions dont. This will make them feel like their job is unique (while also showing them youre interested in the role).Example: Im really excited about how youve described the opportunity to work hands-on here, while also managing projects. Thats not something Ive seen from other employers in this industry that Ive talked to recently. It sounds like youve really built a unique group here, and the opportunity is very exciting based on what weve talked about so far.So try to give at least one compliment like this when you meet with a hiring manager. Its a great way to show enthusiasm in the interview.5. Perfect your postureEarlier in the article, we talked about showing enthusias m in your voice and by maintaining good eye contact.Well, theres another important piece to showing enthusiasm in your body language your posture.Practice sitting upright and keeping good posture before your interview so youre ready to impress when you sit down across from the interviewer.Avoid slouching or looking tired both when listening and when answering interview questions.Avoid tapping or fiddling with your hands or feet, too. You want to see calm and interested in what youre discussing.6. Finish strong!Dont let your energy level or enthusiasm drop at the end.This final impression is what theyll remember most.To end your interview, shake their hand firmly. Thank the interviewer for their time, and tell them youre excited to hear about the next steps in the process.Even if its been a long interview and youre feeling tired, BOOST your energy one last time! Its really important to finish with high energy and high enthusiasm for two reasons:1. It will show them youre still inte rested in the job (they ALWAYS want to hire someone who seemed excited about their job even if that person is slightly less qualified than another candidate!)2. Itll make you seem more confident! You always want to seem like youre confident at the end of the interview, and talking/acting with enthusiasm and energy is how you do it.As a bonus step, remember to send a Thank You note after the interview too!Show Interest and Enthusiasm in Your Interviews to Get More Job OffersIf you follow the tips above you will seem more enthusiastic in your interviews, and more confident when you tell them about yourself and your skills.The end result? Youll make a better impression and get more job offers.Remember to practice these things before your next interview, though.Many of the tips above require steady practice to form habits  like your posture, eye contact, and your tone of voice and volume when speaking.So dont wait until you need to turn it on at the last minute. Go practice in everyday conversations!Thats the best way to show enthusiasm in an interview and get the job offer.