Employment Opportunities
There are many kinds of employment opportunities when you start to look more deeply into searching for careers. From full-time, to part time, to even freelance and voluntary. It all depends on what kind of work you are looking for. So what are the different kinds of opportunities and what do they involve?
Full-time work: Full-time work means that you work a full week, this doesn't mean its 24/7, but rather, for example, 9-5 five days a week. In the United Kingdom, generally, if you work full time you are expected to work 40 hours a week. It also carries some more benefits compared to other types of work. For example, you may given sick-leave, health insurance or annual leave, all of these aren't normally offered to, say, part-time or flexible workers.
Part-time work: Part-time work is when you work fewer hours than a full-time workers, generally they work less than 30-35 hours a week. As a result of working less hours they are paid less, however legislation states that they are to be treated no less favourably than somebody who works full-time.
Freelance: If you are a freelancer then it means you are self-employed and you do not work for one particular employer. Often, a freelancer will have their work represented by an agency, who in turn resell their work to clients. When a freelancer is offered work by a client there is some sort of written contract or verbal agreement between the client and freelancer. Pay depends on how much you are willing to sell your work without over-selling. Not only will your skill and how well you finished the work depend on how much you get paid, but also the way that you wish to be paid. It could be by piece or even by day or hour.
Shift Work: Shift work means that you work in shifts, just like the name suggests. Often an employee is given a time table which describes the different shifts, so you may work 06:00 to 14:00 on one week while working 14:00 to 22:00 another week, and so on. An example of where you can find this type of work is in a factory setting, the factory may need to kept running so shifts are enforced.
Permanent: A permanent role is one that you are employed under a single employer and are paid directly by them. Often people with a permanent job role often are given benefits such as paid vacations, sick time , holidays and even a retirement plan. Permanent job roles are rare within the private section, however in the public section it is perfectly normal.
Temporary: Temporary work is when you are contacted for a certain amount of time before you have to renew the contract or find other employment. Some names for temporary staff are 'Interim', 'Contractual', 'Seasonal', 'Casual Staff', 'freelance' or more commonly 'Temps'. You may apply for such jobs through a Temp Agency, who in turn place you where you will be most suited. Temp Staff don't receive as many benefits as Permanent Staff.
Multiskilled: Multi-skilled or multi-competent workers are those who are skilled in more than one area. In the media industry this could mean that you are a skilled camera operation as well as being able to edit or produce.
Voluntary: Voluntary work is work that you have volunteered to do free of pay. It is common within charity work where an employee has put them self forward to do the work for the benefit of others, it is a self-less job. Although you may not be payed in money, you will be benefited as you will have gained experience and may boost your self-esteem. In the media industry this may mean you volunteer to be a background character or help work behind the camera.
Casual: Casual work, or more formally Contingent work, is the contract between an employer and employee which means that there is no security on that particular job and more often than not it will be temporary work and/or a by-piece wage. Generally Casual work is aimed at teenagers and students who wish to work during holidays but have little to no interest in a full-time career.
Hourly Paid: An hourly paid employer is paid by the hour, rather than have a fixed salary for their work. Often this type of work is found within manufacturing and service field, but are commonplace among other occupational fields.
Piecework: Piecework means that you get paid for every 'piece' you produce. For example, if we take the media industry, if you produce a film you will get paid for that film. However the amount of money you receive will depend on how well that film is made, you could have spent months planning and making it, but if it's not up to the clients standard then you won't get as much. It is all based on how skilled you are.
Recruitment
So now that you understand a little of all the types of employment, you may be wondering about how you can get a job. Well there are a few ways that you can do this, and all it takes is a little time and research.
Careers Advice: A careers advisory service is often a good place to start if you have little knowledge how how to break into employment. They offer counseling and guidance on careers, giving advice on many different areas. So if you are looking for your first job they will help you build a portfolio, which will include such things as a CV and a cover letter. If are already in employment they also offer advice on how to advance in that job role and build up on your skills. They can also help on issues such as redundancy, coming to the end of a working contract, motherhood or even just relocating.
Trade Fairs: Trade fairs are a good place to pick up useful hints and tips on the area in which you wish to work. Often trade fairs have many stalls which you can visit and talk to those running them. They may be trying to sell you their merchandise, but it is also a good place to start looking for work.
National Press: The national press often has a job section, whether it be for the local area or nationwide, there will be advertising. It's just a case of reading and finding a job that is suitable for what you want and applying for it. It is best to read the advert carefully as it will explain how to apply for the job.
Trade Press: Trade press is good for looking for opportunities within a particular area. So if you are interested in game design you may look at a gamer magazine rather than one, for example, baking. Again much like with the national press read the adverts carefully as it will explain on how to apply. Also keep an eye out on any useful websites which may offer more opportunities.
Personal Contacts word of mouth and networking: Making personal contacts is a useful thing to do, as it will allow you to open more doors. For example, if you know somebody in the field of work you are interested in, then keep in favour with them as they may drop in a good word for you. Other than this, they will be able to help you in the application process, think about it, they had to do exactly the same thing to get a job so they should know what to do and be able to help.
Internet: The internet is a great place to search for job, not just in your area but nationwide and even worldwide. Websites such as 'Clickin2jobs.co.uk' and 'direct.gov.uk' have many job advertised and it would be worth checking them out. One way that you can also get into a job is through and apprenticeship, and once website which offers media apprenticeships is 'apprenticeships.org.uk'. This is a good way to break into a career as you get the training required to fulfill a job role but you also get employment from it.
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