Let's Land A Job

It’s no secret that landing a job in the creative industries is hard work. Especially a job that excites you, one that you know will put you on the right path and get you where you want to be.

That’s why we spoke to Nikky Lyle earlier this year, a top creative recruiter with over 10 years experience in helping creatives land their dream job. 

Last year Nikky delivered a Tedx Talk about recruiting with conscience and hiring diverse talent, and she’s overseen recruiting processes in the creative industries for long enough to know what makes a candidate stand out. Our session with her was full of valuable insights and top tips to help make your job applications stronger, better, and more difficult to ignore. 

Nikky had so much advice to share that we’ve broken down the important information into three main categories: Cover Letters and CVs, acing your interview, and working with recruiters.

Though you can focus on whichever area you think you need to work on the most, we suggest brushing up on all three to really give yourself the best chance of landing your dream job in the creative industries. 

Cover Letters and CVs - top tips

Nikky has spoken to the likes of Nike, Spotify, and Pentagram to find out what makes a CV or a Cover Letter stand out amongst the masses. 

The overwhelming answer she got was the voice of the candidate.

In your CV, the About Me section is the opportunity to really show the employer who you are. Many of us are guilty of filling this section with generic terms we’ve seen in templates - “I’m a team player” - OK, but does that actually reveal anything about you that might be interesting to an employer? It’s much more effective to describe an aspect of your personality, or something about what you do.

Remember, your CV is one amongst many others that are probably being read that day, so try to be as unique as possible. 

The rest of your CV should be simple, straightforward, and easy to read. It is a factual timeline of your career to date, so keep it crisp and clean without any wacky fonts or images.

Your Cover Letter is a chance for you to elaborate on the most relevant aspects of your CV, the experience and skills you have which your prospective role needs. 

Personalise the email by addressing the opener directly, introducing yourself, and briefly telling them why you want to work for their company. This will entice them to open your CV and find out more about you.

Acing your interview

If you make it to the interview stage, congratulations. Now is your time to really shine. “Give the interview everything you have”, says Nikky. “Wow them.”

It might sound like a lot of pressure, and it kind of is, but there are a few things you can do beforehand to make the interview go in your favour.

Like when writing your CV and Cover Letter, you need to try and stand out amongst other applicants, so Nikky suggests doing something extra that goes beyond what the employers have actually asked for. Perhaps a small presentation, or a portfolio that is tailored to their company. You can suggest showing these at some point during the interview, but don’t hijack what they already have planned. 

According to Nikky, 50% of an interview is about you, the candidate, and the other 50% is about them, the employer.

Companies and organisations love to talk about themselves, so ask them questions and research projects they’ve done in the past so you can talk about them in the interview. The people doing the interviews are looking to see if you will work well with their current team, so try and establish a good rapport with them.  

Lastly, remember to be polite. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t ever be late to an interview, and especially if it’s online - the “bus was late” excuse doesn’t apply in the world of Zoom! Thank them for their time at the end of the interview, and follow up with an email immediately after, while you’re still fresh in their memory. You can also attach any presentations or portfolios here as well.

Working with recruiters

Recruiters can help you land a job quicker than if you’re searching solo. They have a whole roster of clients and will often know about new roles before they go to the general public. 

In order for a recruiter to be able to sing your praises, you need to establish a positive working relationship with them first. Nikky, like many other recruiters, prefers email communication, so try and stick to that unless they’ve specified otherwise.

Give the recruiter everything they need; don’t make them work to figure out whether or not they can help you. If you’re clear on your skillset and the roles you’re interested in, they will contact you when something relevant comes up. 

Research the most suitable recruiters in your area before signing up. Have a look at the clients they work with and the roles they tend to share, so you can make sure you’re a good fit for them. 

And finally, remember to be patient! Job hunting can be incredibly frustrating, but try and relax through the process, and be confident that you’ll land the right job for you in time.