How to get experience as a graduate

As a fresh graduate out of university the first thing you will want to do is get experience in your field as this will give you the opportunity to get a better full time job. There are two categories of people those who do work experience during university in their free time so this allows them to be in a better position when they graduate. There is also those who have made the most of going out while in uni and are starting fresh in the work place after graduation. Either way you might still need experience in your certain field before deciding fully which job is for you.

After graduating you can look on certain websites to get freelance jobs so that you can get a taster for the professional film industry. First Job in Film is a recruitment website which allows you to apply for internships or work experience in entry level jobs these will include production assistant jobs or working as a runner for the company. These jobs are definitely worth doing as you will get experience in the industry and it will allow you to perhaps gain a full time job in the industry after the internship is complete.

Other website that you can check to get freelance work is Film and TV pro, mandy.com and production base all of these have production work on that will allow you to gain experience in the industry..

Other ways to gain experience as a graduate is to go to networking events, film festival etc to gain access to talking to film and tv professionals. Once you get talking to the right employer they might offer for you to come and work for them on a work experience basis which could then turn into a full time job. You never know when you might meet the right person at the right time so keep your wits about you and make sure you are ready to sell yourself and your passion for film at any time.

You will need experience in the film industry to be able to progress to the professional level. The entertainment industry is incredibly competitive in the UK with thousands of applications for each role. You will need to show that you are the one for the role, show that there is something special about your ability to make films and your passion for the subject. When working in experience or internships you must never be late and always give 100% as you are trying to impress these employers to take you on full time and not the 1000 other applicants they have.

Make sure you keep your cv updated and your cover letter so that when you are asked if you want a job or asked to send a email you have it all read to go. You should also make sure that you get a simple business card made so that you are able to give this away to people as you are networking and scouting for work around different filmmaking events.

Finding a job as a graduate will be hard work especially in the entertainment industry so you must keep trying and keep plugging away at it. Sending emails is also a key way to get experience as this allows you to contact production companies and gets your name out there to different employees. If all of these options don't work you need to walk into production companies and give your cv to them in person. Make sure you are persistant and make sure that you make employers aware of your passion for film and why you want to work for your company. Make sure that you keep trying you best to show the company why you need their experience and expertise.