Finding work in the creative industries

The UK creative industry, valued at over £124 billion, is a sector renowned worldwide for its innovation and talent.

An artists studio, within paintings on easels and on the walls.

As a student, you may find it a little daunting due to its competitiveness and unclear entry routes. If you’re among the 42% (according to a new study by Ravensbourne University) who believe a creative career isn’t realistic, here are six ways to break in.

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Insights from the Latinx careers panel

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

Poster of the Latinx careers panel featuring Laura Garcia.

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.

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Working for a scientific SME: advice from professionals

“Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a large proportion of the UK’s economy and account for approximately 30% of graduate employment” (AGCAS, 2022),

Finding and applying for work experience, including internships, or graduate roles, in SMEs can be different to schemes with larger employers. In April 2024, the Careers Service invited three professionals, who work in scientific SMEs, to share their advice:

Scientist carrying out an experiment in the lab
  • Dr Mark Benizett, VetIMD – Pioneering isothermal molecular diagnostics solutions for the animal health sector
  • Dr Clio Andreae, GenomeKey – Biotechnology using cutting edge machine learning and DNA sequencing to treat Sepsis
  • Dr Ed Jones, Kelpi – World-leading sustainable materials innovation business – harnessing the properties of seaweed to create compostable, marine-safe, low-carbon bioplastic packaging
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Working in partnership: Tutor the Nation and the Careers Service 

At the Careers Service we work in partnership with external organisations to bring a range of experiences to our students, and we like to think our brilliant students give a lot back too! 

Five women look excited and happy standing by a large screen with the Tutor the Nation logo on.

This year we have been working closely with Tutor the Nation, who have taken part in City Challenges and run mock interviews for our students as part of becoming an endorsing organisation for the Bristol PLUS Award. 

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A career in law for STEM students

Justice statue

Graduate Recruitment Manager, Zoe Reid and Alexander Gower, a partner at Osborne Clarke (a law firm in Bristol) gave students an insight into how to navigate the legal career as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) students. Here is their advice to students in the Faculties of Engineering, Life Sciences and Science who are interested in a career in the legal sector.  

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Looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work

Elena graduated from Bristol in 2022 with a degree in English Literature and is now a Communications Consultant at Bright Carbon.

We caught up with Elena about looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work.

“It can feel as though there‘s a massive gap between an arts career and a science career, and once you pick a side, you’re stranded there.

The popularity of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy shows just how many people feel like the choices they make close off all other potential futures. I definitely felt this when I was choosing my degree.

There was a sense of finality – that this was my specialism and other routes were now closed. After a lot of back and forth and deliberation, I chose ‘arts’ and studied Art Foundation and then English Literature at University – and I thought that was the end of that for other subjects.

“But, once I started my job search, I realised pretty quickly that the door to other disciplines never really closes.”

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Faculty of Arts Careers Series 2024: top 5 takeaways

Hello! I’m Ella, a final year English Literature student and Career Peer Support Assistant. Here’s a round up of some of the takeaways from the Faculty of Arts Careers Series, which invited 41 University of Bristol alumni and industry experts to share their experiences and tips, and ran through February 2024.

Regardless of which industry you end up in, these 5 insights are transferable across sectors came up again and again…

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How extracurricular activities helped me graduate into the music industry

David Simkins is a 2023 MA Music with Innovation graduate with a developing career in music and media.

Between working at a local record label alongside his studies, conducting student orchestras and scoring soundtracks for media projects, (including two feature films and a short film), being mentored by the Head of Marketing at Sony Music’s Columbia Records and interning at SoundCloud, David (pictured right) has been busy in the past 4 years!

Drawing on his experience with soundtracks, tech, and client management, David is pursuing a music career in creative sync and marketing while working to improve industry transparency, education, and inclusivity, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community.

We caught up with David about how his extracurricular activities throughout his degree helped him get to where he is:

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Why Attend the Faculty of Arts Careers Series?

Are you interested in hearing from alumni from all over the world who have built interesting and fulfilling careers after graduating from Bristol?

Graphic which a photo of some cloud overlaid by text reading 'Faculty of Arts Careers Series'

Would you like to hear from Faculty of Arts alumni who now work in diverse roles such as a communications manager for Women’s Aid, a podcast producer for the BBC, and an advisor working in the European Parliament?

If so, attend our Faculty of Arts Careers Series 2024, spanning four weeks from 6 to 29 February.

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Tips for applying for laboratory internships

Are you an undergraduate looking for laboratory internships?

Finding lab internships for the first time can be confusing, you may be unsure how to start and feel a little overwhelmed. We’ve taken the opportunity to break this down and share some insights from Carol Huang, a UoB MSci Plant Science student, who has successfully gained opportunities within the UK and Europe. 


When should I apply?

  • Peak time is November to January ready for a summer start (typically July – September) 
  • Some will be available later in the year (but usually only accessible via supervisors who have secured funding) 

Generally, there’s two routes to getting a lab internship for the summer

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