Chiodi's Textiles Blog

This webinar was really informative with lots of information on the dos and don’ts of job searching. There were also lots of good links to websites that can find you jobs or help you narrow down what sector or type of job you would like.

Here are the notes that took from the webinar

• Don’t put to much pressure on yourself to find the dream job
• Your career is long and will constantly evolve
• Good websites to look at – Careers Planner, Target Jobs, High Fliers, Gov.uk Graduate statistics

Job Specific Skills

• Creativity, Innovation, Thinking outside the box, self promotion, confidence, commercial awareness and business orientation, teamwork, organisation, time management

• Graduate schemes are great opportunities – you learn lots, get new qualifications, can travel, stringent applications, not always guaranteed a job at the end, most likely need to apply a year in advance
• Graduate Jobs – learn on the job, more flexible, actual job, you can apply closer the time

Websites

• Graduate jobs, Milkround, Brightnetwork

• You most likely need a 2.1 to get a job in art and design

Remember

• Give yourself plenty of time to apply
• Research the companies
• Its competitive
• Make sure you have the best CV
• Make yourself industry aware
• Build up your contacts
• Preparation is key
• Get organised – do you need smart work clothes, software or equipment

This was a really useful lecture with lots of good tips on how to apply and how the processes works.

Below are my notes

• Applying for post graduate study can enhance your employability
• Can you afford a Masters? Do you enjoy studying? – questions to ask yourself
• Apply earlier as courses will close when they have enough students
• Have an up to date CV when applying
• Don’t apply for something that you have no experience in. Most courses want you to have study them previously however there is the exception of a few courses that anyone of any skill set can apply for
• Search around to find the best course for you
• Don’t be scared to ask Cardiff met staff for help
• If u have already studied at the uni you can get a 25% discount on your course fees

Personal Statement tips

• Why did you choose the course
• Why did you choose that uni
• Relevant study/ work experience
• Evidence of transferable skills developed in work, on placement, volunteering, Uni and life
• Conclusion and summary sentence, show enthusiasm and commitment
• around 300-500 words long

This lecture was really useful. It went over a lot of do’s and don’ts in the work place and how to maintain being professional whilst at work.

Here are all the notes i took whilst listening to the lecture

• Work experience can help you network and build a profile
• Work experience can eliminate what jobs you don’t like
• Hard Skills – content that you learn at uni, teachable skills
• Soft Skills – less tangible and harder to quantify i.e communication, collaboration, professionalism
• First impressions – always be on time, present yourself well, be yourself, smile, small talk, project a positive attitude, be courteous and attentive, be confident – body language can speak louder than words
• First impressions online – Appearance, listen well, speak clearly, think about yout setting and background, camera angles
• Professional Etiquette – first impressions count, think about what you wear, set a professional tone, avoid gossip, communication is key, understand your work environment – read the company hand book
• Never share political view with work colleagues

Mobile phones at work

• They have a 48% negative impact on quality of work
• 50 minutes of working hours are spent on personal phones a day
• Mute your phone in your work place
• Do not disrupt others when you are on your phone
• Avoid using your phone when having lunch with colleagues – make conversation with them
• When using a work phone make sure your tone of voice is right – sound polite

• Remote working – be prepared, not everything has to be a video call, don’t drag things out
• Netiquette – Framework of accepted behaviours when communicating online
• Ways of signing off an email – yours faithfully (very formal ) kind regards, many thanks ( a bit informal )
• if you can’t make something always let people know, or if you do miss something always send your apologies
• Good Teamwork Traits – communication, responsibility, honesty, active listening, empathy, collaboration, awareness

The symposium was packed full of useful tip and trick on lots of different subjects and how to be the best with what you have around you. I found that it was a lot of information that I can definitely use in the future when making my CV and setting up hopefully a small business of my own.

Here are the notes that I took throughout the day

Cath Jones – Personal Branding

• Self branding is the most important thing – make it personal to you
• PDFs are the best way to show your CV, Cover letter and Portfolio
• Depending on what job you are going for you can tailor your logo towards that but sometimes it can be best to keep it general so it can apply to lots of job rolls
• Think of your self as product – how would you market yourself
• Think about your mission and values – Yours what’s and your whys
• Brand your personality – if your brand was a person who would it be
• Research the company before sending your CV
• Establish your point of difference
• Know your audience
• Be productive and approach potential employers
• Always stay professional

Suzanna James – Knitwear

• Suzanna is a sustainable knitwear textile designer
• The texprint program is something to look into
• Apply for everything you can
• New Designer is a very good place to show your work
• Hand made in Britain is also something to look into
• Traceability is being sustainable as you know exactly how and where your products/ materials come from
• When wanting to be sustainable you should always factor in time to source your materials as this may require a lot of research and visits to where they are produced so you can full understand the process to ensure it is sustainable
• Provenance – a product or objects place of origin
• Transparency – Accountability – Change
• The slow factory – @celinecelines – have a look in to
• Sustainable Development goals – these are there to see how many sustainable acts you fit into within your company – they allow you to realise where you can make change and improve
• Books to look at – Fashion Revolution – Fashion Environment Change – Fashion Craft Revolution – Actions require 10 global goals that will change fashion
• Acrylic wool when washed releases micro plastics into the water
• Peru is where Suzanna has been to to work along side The Antauta Knitters who spin wool from alpaca fur – Everything is done by hand meaning that it is very sustainable
• The Arts Council is a good place to get funding

Llio James – Presenting through photography

• First impressions is key so your photography needs to be right
• Study natural light
• Create photos that sell your work
• Cut out shots – Taking photos and then editing them so they have a white background
• Think about what angle fits the product best – making it appealing
• Having cut out shots are a go to – they look clear crisp and professional
• Think about background colours and light – it can make the product stand out
• Think of setting the scene for the product
• Think about where your product best fits
• Think about props that will enhance your product
• Beware of – verticals/horizontals, tangents, colour temperature, over/under exposure, backlighting, reflectors, less is more
• Useful apps to use – Snapseed, Canva, Over, First light, Moment, VSCO

Llio James – Curating work in a public setting

• Galleries – they need you so approach them and ask
• Things are not instant with galleries they plan way in advance
• Be specific with what you want to show
• Curators can over rule how you display things
• Oriel Davis Gallery is a gallery in Newtown to look in to
• Be careful when they give you dates – you should have the work ready for them weeks if not months in advance before the opening date of the show
• Most galleries will want CVs, biography, Artist statement, photos of your work, lists of work
• If you sell your work in a gallery they usually take 40% commission so be careful when pricing work
• Makers Guild in Wales – Craft in the Bay – good place to go to and find out more about
• Top draw trade show – they focus on selling work to shop owners
• Trade shows expect you to have public liability encase something goes wrong – artist network can help you get this
• The good life experience – festival – it is a festival in north wales which is a great place to sell work
• There are loads of festivals to go to and selling your work so research into this area
• Eisteddfod Ceredigion is a good festival as well

Cath Jones CVs

• Make sure it is sent as a PDF
• Always have a cover letter that is tailored to the company
• Always take a physical portfolio when going to a job interview – put the most relevant work first – be prepared, friendly, smile, polite
• Online presence is important
• What looks good – a brief to the point email that addresses the interviewer or company leader, a good cover letter (easy to read) , well designed CV, 2-3 page portfolio
• Clickable links to portfolios are a must if possible
• A link to a well curated Instagram