Networking: Industry & UAL Grad Get Together

The Graduate Employability Team held a festive Q&A panel networking event with industry professionals and brands with a chance for graduates to gain valuable industry insights and tips in a variety of sectors, hear career stories and ask questions to industry professionals.

It was a great opportunity to meet other UAL graduates, make connections and share contacts. Graduates also met the Graduate Employability Team in-person to learn more about what Graduate Careers Support offers and how the team can help graduates in their early career journeys.

Speakers on the night included:

• Ellen Stone: Curator, creative and the founder and CEO of arts consultancy Public Offerings
• Josephine Clark: TV & Film Producer, Production Manager and Commercial Director at Maidstone Studios
• Jodi Waterfield: Operations Manager at V.O Curations, involved in exhibitions, studios, accounting, residencies, facilities management, online representation, events, press, publishing and print.
• Russell Holmes: Creative Strategy Director and joint owner of Nalla - one of the country’s most successful boutique agencies
• Laurence Headlam & Rebecca Ferris: Global Talent Acquisition Partners at Charlotte Tilbury.

It was great to have speakers from diverse creative backgrounds to offer varied insightful stories which provided information over a number of industries so more graduates would feel seen and represented. Panel events with a range of speakers are especially important in providing a wide, reliable and insightful scope of what it is like to work in creative industries and what you can expect.

It was a privilege to hear of their careers early-on first-hand as many of them started off in roles that were indirectly related to their current positions. A consistent message relayed across the panel was about following your interests and being guided by your enthusiasm; being ready for opportunities once they come.

Jodi put an emphasis on trying out other roles as a way to gain valuable experience and skills to use in the creative industries.  She worked in various admin and hospitality roles for reliable income, but then engaged in more relevant work experience by volunteering at a local museum

and working an internship at a gallery. Also working in lorry travel and logistics meant she was able to arrange conditions checks and courier for artworks. She remained passionate about heritage, art, and history by doing MA Museum Studies, which provided valuable learning and created influential connections for this industry.

Russell spoke warmly about his working class northern roots and his childhood love for magazines. He was drawn to his current line of work from very early on without knowing much about it but continued to pursue his interests by moving to London to study at CSM and consistently taking up opportunities when they arose. His varied career so far has been colourful, eventful and rewarding.

The event was a success; grads were engaging with each other, swapping contacts and also sharing stories of their experience and career journeys so far. Speakers on the panel were open, honest and approachable. As they spoke of their beginnings, it was easy to imagine them as the enthusiastic but unsure graduates they once were, much like the graduates in attendance that evening.

As we plan to hold similar events in future, here's a few ways in which graduates can make the most out of them:

-       bring a friend along

-       research speakers in the panel and come prepared with questions

-       be friendly, genuine and approachable

-       have your website / portfolio / LinkedIn page / CV polished, up-to-date and ready

-       give feedback: fill in the feedback forms to ensure future events we put on are suited as best to graduates needs.

To see all Careers and Employability events you can visit our what’s on page.