In collaboration with the Careers Service, the University of Bristol Latino Society held a panel event where BBC Journalist Laura Garcia shared her career journey as a Latinx in the world of journalism. Keisy Fong, President of the Latino Society, shares some of her takeaways from the talk:
The journey to your dream job doesn’t have to be linear
Laura worked various jobs throughout her career before becoming a journalist, including ones that didn’t initially seem to align with the journalist field. Yet in hindsight, she found that whilst not necessarily related, they yielded useful transferable skills that she could apply to future jobs. She explained that whilst it was not the job title she wanted, it gave her skills that helped her when applying to be a journalist.
Expanding your job search beyond a specific job title can help you learn more about your interests and preferences, and also add experience to your CV that showcases your abilities for future jobs. When applying for jobs, Laura explained the importance of showing how you fit well into the position as a candidate. She also reflected on how the ideal job could be one that fits your lifestyle and allows you to earn and learn at the same time.
Being Latinx in the workplace: embracing your differences and advocating for diversity
Initially when starting work at the BBC World Service, Laura dealt with imposter syndrome in her Latinx identity. Previously, she needed to integrate into British culture and whilst working in an English-speaking environment for 11 years. At the BBC World Service, Laura transitioned to speaking and working in Spanish in the workplace. She explained how this made her feel disconnected from Latin American culture at first, and wondering whether she was “Mexican enough” in her new work environment.
However, after some time in her job, she realized she could use her multifaceted experiences and identity as a benefit for her audience and saw her differences as her “superpower”. Rather than conform to what you believe is wanted from employers, Laura encouraged students to embrace all aspects of what makes you you – your differences are a positive and showcases what makes you stand out from other applicants.
Looking for work in the UK: don’t be afraid to ask for help
In the early days of her career, Laura recounts on her experiences obtaining a visa. It can be a challenging process and Laura reflected on the value of speaking to people around you for support:
“I didn’t tell anyone that I had to go back to Mexico as my visa was due to expire – I was embarrassed and ashamed. I went to interviews and got told I would be hired if my passport was different…people might have been able to make recommendations and helped or pointed me in the right direction – I wonder what my professional career might have been like if I’d have had the courage to ask.”
Facing obstacles in your career path
Throughout her career journey, Laura expressed the failures that also came alongside the wins when trying to achieve her dream job as a journalist. She applied for 15 jobs when she decided to move into journalism again and faced frequent rejections from different journalist job applications. Even when applying for the BBC, she found the application process to be drawn out.
Having a support group of family and friends provided support her through these times, and recommends the same when dealing with struggles during your career journey. But with these rejections came many important lessons for future applications and jobs to apply for.
Lessons moving forward: tips for going into journalism
In journalism, Laura recommends building a brand of yourself, shown through your CV, and having a strong social media presence. Build 5-6 content pillars that describe important factors that define your character, and ask people in the industry what is important for them as an employer. Laura shared how she embraced all parts of her identity:
“There’s an idea in my industry that you need to be serious to be taken seriously – hair colour and tattoo have nothing to do with my professionalism…it’s part of my fight for diversity.”
And if you face rejection:
”If you have shown someone who you are and they don’t hire you for that, you don’t want to work there anyway.”
Further reading:
- Support for under-represented students, including support for students from minority ethnic backgrounds
- Support for international students.
- For visa information and advice, see the Student Visas team or UKCISA website.
- Sector guide: writing, journalism and publishing – a starting point for your research if you are interested in a career in this sector.
- Blog: overcoming career anxiety
- Careers resources on finding jobs, applications and many more topics