Learning aim A Part 2

Explain where people can find out about employment opportunities advertised in the media
sector

There are multiple ways people searching for jobs can be noted about the upcoming opportunities in
some companies and in the media sector which include:

National press- although the internet has revolutionised the ways of job seeking the national
newspapers are still filled with many different print adverts. The best way to seek employment
opportunities within the national press is to have a look at the papers every day because the adverts
listed will change depending on the day so new and different opportunities will be visible. This is
because several national papers specialise in different sectors on different days so looking at the
papers to determine which day and sector you would be interested will surely open lots of chances
to find employment.

Networking- the term networking building up relationships in order to gain information about any
open opportunities that are going on in certain places. People you would know or even people you
don’t may have reliable information about job placements. When looking at employment jobs in the
media sectors the best way to do this would be to ask around online and use their contact
information to strike up conversation and find out any additional information.

Social media- social media is a very strong source to use when looking at jobs as there are many
different platforms that are used by people all over your required areas with job placements. Things
like Instagram, Facebook and twitter are the best places to look for job places as they are used
mostly by older generation so it would help you connect with the people that can assist you in a
specific media sector. Of course there are also ways it can backfire and jeopardise your job chances
or even a job you currently have, regardless if used properly will give you many benefits than
problems.

Personal contacts- when thinking about personal contacts the term used for this is career
networking and although similar in name to networking it solely focuses on using any contacts such
as family and friends, professional or even academic contacts to help secure job opportunities.
Meeting face to face is good when looking for job opportunities through personal contacts as you
would go to them and ask for advice rather than a job. This is because you want them to not feel
pressured to help you but want to remember you in case they find any big chances. It will also make
you move around and let you see for yourself if there are other people nearby within your personal
that could assist you.

Word of mouth- the WOF (word of mouth) is an old but effective way to get job placements, this is
because the best way to ensure your hired as most employers will want to hire someone who was
praised by someone they trust. To get your WOF started you need to get your personal network
down and let everyone know you’re looking for a job. It can personal contacts or even people your
personal contacts know because the key is to be as specific as you can be. The type of media sector
you want to join, what type of job your looking for everything needs to be clear otherwise the WOF
doesn’t work appropriately as your friends and family won’t be able to help if they don’t understand
what you need.
Explain what different type of contracts of employments are

Part time contracts

A part time contract in a lot of ways are similar to a full time contract except one of the differences is
the time of working hours agreed. A part time employee will work less than 35 hours per week and
whatever time agreed on between the employer and employee must be present in the contract to
avoid any underpay. One benefit that part time contracts include for both employer and employee is
that the contract can be terminated by either party with a given notice and reason for termination
without facing any potential claim for damages equivalent to the pay and benefits for the worker.

Temporary contract

Temporary contracts are agreements that have a start and a finish but with agreements from both
parties can be extended. Although they are temporary you as an employee are still entitled to the
same rights as the other members of staff present in the company, this includes any sick pay and
holidays. A temp contract can be somewhat flexible as it does allow you to pursue other interests or
experience with other sectors in the media or any other job.

Voluntary

A volunteer is a little different compare to the other contract types and the main reason being that
they don’t have a contract with the given company, which means there hasn’t been one made. This
is because volunteer work is not compulsory therefore you’re not being paid for your service at the
organisation. This also means you don’t have the same rights as the other workers do but you’ll still
be given level supervision and support just like the other employees as well as training to ensure
you’re doing the job right just like the other workers get.

Explain what you need when finding employments opportunities

Portfolio- a portfolio is a collection of a person’s best work that they have done either previously or
in present time that they want to show the job their applying for to show off their skills and give
evidence that they are the right candidate for the job. It’s used as a base to tell the person looking
through a story of your process, careers and challenges that you would’ve had to overcome in order
to accomplish the finale.

Social media- social media is an effective 2-way channel of communication with employees, it
increases staff retention. Platforms such as Twitter or Facebook are both good examples of social
media that is needed to successfully be noticed further than those you would know in person.
Twitter is used to post and exchange short messages, but it’s also used for businesses to promote
their services to the public. This would be helpful and most likely needed when looking at jobs online
these platforms as they will contain lots of adverts or wanted posts about companies looking to hire.

CV- a CV is a single document used to apply for jobs, it contains a small summary of your
achievement’s throughout your life. Things like your education, skills and experience, selling your
abilities to the job your applying for and for your potential employers. Because you want to show off
your capabilities they place an important role and is required as it gives your possible employers a
better first impression. It tells them whether or not you are willing to go through and beyond for
your job.

Reference- a reference is someone who can answer questions about your work history, skills,
abilities even style. It’s basically someone of a higher position than you that has worked with you for
a while and understand the work capabilities you come with. These references are important
because it allows your future employer to see if your able to connect well with others in the same
work environment and their opinions on you as a worker. They are important when looking or
applying for new jobs as they are an insight to determine whether or not you would be suited to the
role and if others agree with that

Explain what you need to do to prepare for an interview

Self-presentation

Personal presentation skill are things like how you present yourself in what you wear, what you do
and how you act around others. Most people like to think of this as a way of communication as it
always starts with 2 people or more. People who have good self-confidence and self-esteem are
good ways to prepare for an interview as they allow you to speak clearly when spoken to and lets
you give out your reasons with more passion that if you were nervous. A dress code to present
yourself formally shows the person interviewing you that you as a person is serious about the job,
respectful of their time and show interest in the position.

Interview techniques

Interview techniques mean to prepare and practice in advanced all the possible things an
interviewer could say and how you as a person would respond to it. Practice is good before an
interview as it helps you see and understand if your answer shows your genuine personality but also
showing if you understand the position your applying and if you fit. It helps break down nerves and
ensure you feel more confident entering your interview then if you went in without preparing. You
might see this a lot in films but a firm handshake is one of the techniques used at the start of an
interview, it shows your confidence. The tone of voice is a good thing to remember during an
interview as your tone suggests to the interviewer your eagerness, emotion and mood and even if
you lack one or all of the three. Other things like eye contact and body language can also be used to
show the interviewer confidence but with body language it can also be used to express truth,
sometimes your body says more truth than your words and you can panic speak from pressure.

Explain how you can increase your job opportunities

Education and training- at this time in society education is highly valued and that means the more
education you receive the more job there will be opened to you. The amount of education a person
had can determine their salary as you have obtained more knowledge or even experience through
better trainings towards the subject and this is what employers look at in the application. Education
that is further backed with training means you have a deeper understanding of the field they have
chosen.

Work experience- work experience is the best way to help increase your job opportunities, this is
mainly because you enter real life jobs and develop more knowledge and hands on experience than
you would during trainings with companies after they’ve given you trial end or something along with
those lines. It’s easy and affordable as many work experiences are just volunteer work, some cases
there are payments but most companies will not pay the work experience employers. Work
experience can help you increase job opportunities as employers will want someone who has hands
on experience with working on the field and in the open. This will open a lot of doors for them as
each job they apply for will look at this directly after education.

Work shadowing- work shadowing, also known as job shadowing, follows a person observing closely
a professional within a certain field to gain a better understanding of the role (this is mostly in
common with students and graduates that want to get a taster in certain jobs they want to apply for
in future). It’s very helpful when thinking about the job opportunities as when the employee is
writing up their CV’s and resume’s they could include the experience they’ve gained from this
particular company just by observing. It will allow the jobs holders to see if people could handle
what is to come even if it was simple observations.

Continuing professional development (CPD)- Continuing professional development or as some

people would know CPD is the documenting of any skills, knowledge and experience you as an
employee would gain formally and informally as you work. Again this helps to gain a panoramic view
of an individual’s skills which is needed when thinking about increasing job opportunities as you
want people to focus on your skills more than others.

Updating records of employment- a record of employment is information on the history of the

employment from the moment they started working to the recent dates. Updating the records of
employment is very important as without it employers may miss key skills or qualifications that could
greatly go with the job they had applied for. It would cause people to miss out on many job
opportunities but it’s also so that people know what they have done through the work industry.
Overall, it is an important need when trying to increase the amount of job opportunities given to a
person.