Career Action Plan: Self Employed Status - Essay Example

?Career Action Plan: Self Employed Status Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Business Research 4 Terms of Reference 5 Methodology 6Main Findings 7 General Trends in Sector 7 Opportunities for Graduates 7 Required Skills/Knowledge & Experience 8 Self-Employment Opportunities 8 Personal Analysis 9 Personal Analysis 9 Skill Gap Analysis 10 General Cover Letter 10 Career Action Plan 11 S.M.A.R.T. Objectives 12 Conclusion 12 References 14 Bibliography 15 Appendices 17 Introduction This report is a two-fold assessment divided into two parts- Business Research and Personal Analysis. The business Research includes the analysis of the media industry which I wish to join after the completion of my graduation. I have chosen this industry after discussion with my senior students and professors. The industry trends have been analyzed to understand the opportunities for self employment. In order to do so the governmental industry and sector analysis has been used. The Personal Analysis section is a self reflection report to plan my career ahead which includes a skills gap analysis, general cover letter, Career Action Plan and S.M.A.R.T. career objectives. The S.M.A.R.T. objectives have been set out in the form of short-term and long-term career goals. I plan to reflect on these objectives and Career Action Plan periodically for the purpose of self-assessment. Business Research The creative industry is a very important contributor to the UK industry. This industry can be defined as an industry which emanates from the individual creativity, talent and skill and which has a potential for creation of jobs and wealth from the creation and exploitation of intellectual property (Higgs, Cunningham & Bakhshi, 2008, p.3). The household census conducted in 2001 in UK identified 11 creative industries including arts, interactive games and films, architecture, marketing and design, advertising and web development. 26 creative occupation groups were also identified which included graphic designers, town planners, furniture makers, advertising managers, journalists, librarians, actors, software professionals, archivists and architects. These creative occupations have evolved over the years as some of these groups did not prominently exist in 1980s. Terms of Reference The purpose of this report is to explore the various opportunities in the creative industry for self-employment after graduation. In order to do so a careful analysis of the creative industry is required. The industry should be based on the interests and possible work experience that can be related to the field of self-employment. Transition from education to work requires the understanding of the interests, skills, experience, industry outlook, competition in the industry, compensation pattern and the career growth opportunities (Wissen & Dykstra, 1999, p.126). The global recession has affected the employment statistics badly in all the developed economies. This makes it very difficult to secure a job immediately after graduation unless the graduates have a long work experience and/or is highly skilled. The trend in employment especially the full-time and total employment has been very weak in UK since 2008. Only the part-time employment has shown a positive growth quarter-on-quarter (Appendix 1). In such a scenario researching and preparing for the opportunities to seek self-employment is a better option. Like many people who start out business, self-employed magazine journalism involves covering news worthy events and assignments hoping to trade them with the magazines and newspapers. In this profession journalists research and prepare features for a variety of journals, periodicals and trade publications. In 2010 UK had approximately 9000 magazine titles (Prospects, 2010). Magazine journalism covers a range of disciplines like writing, designing and sub-editing. Magazines are not just provided in the form of print media but also for web (Conboy, 2011, p.154-155). The work activities of a freelance magazine journalist includes researching the story or the subject, writing features or news according to the publication’s house style, ensuring the accuracy and timely submission of the work, attending conferences, seminars and fairs, idea generation, conducting interviews, sourcing the images to couple with the written material, directing the work of people employed and remaining updated with the developments and trends in the magazines subject matters. The staff may be hired for assistance in research, sub-editing, proofing, and other administrative works. The self-employed freelancers require time to build relationships and expand network of people with the publication houses. They need to negotiate the compensation rates and be self-motivated. Methodology The area of research has spanned from the industry trends and outlook to the opportunities in the creative industry for the self-employment by recent graduates. The various websites that have been accessed to research the employment trends and creative industry trends are: 1. www.prospects.ac.uk 2. www.nesta.org.uk 3. www.culture.gov.uk 4. www.ons.gov.uk 5. www.skillset.org 6. www.freelanceuk.com The career option is carefully selected based on the information provided in the links above as well as after discussions with current graduates, professors and fellow students. Therefore both the primary research as well as secondary research has been carried out for investigating the business opportunities. Main Findings The findings from the investigations of the creative industry and journalism sector are as follows: General Trends in Sector Recent statistics for UK’s creative industry are: 1. 2.9% contribution of the industry to UK’s Gross Value Added in 2009 (2008: 2.8%). 2. Five million i.e. 5.1% of UK’s total employment is in the creative industries where the media sector employs 550,000 people with opportunities in animation, film production, interactive media etc (Prospects-a, 2010). 3. Creative industries’ export of services account for 10.6% of UK’s exports of services. UK is the net exporter of services (ONS, 2010, p.134). 4. In 2011 5.1% of all the companies are from creative industries (Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 2011). Opportunities for Graduates Most new journalists have a degree and related experience. The qualification of degree in journalism is not required to work in this sector as a freelancer because many journalists move on to specialized field which depends upon their degree such as science, computing, engineering or finance. Pre-entry experience either voluntary or paid is essential to get a first-hand experience of the industry. Thos is this sector should have the knowledge of Freedom of Information Act. In a UK survey by Skillset employers it was found that 71% of the respondent employers report a skills gap in new entrants in journalism (Skillset, 2008, p.5). However they expect the graduates to be suited for multi-tasking. In terms of compensation Freelance Fees guide of the National Union of Journalists helps in negotiating a reasonable remuneration of ?180 for 1000 words article (FreelanceUK, n.d.). Required Skills/Knowledge & Experience Following are the skills and knowledge required in this profession: 1. Ability to write clearly, concisely and succinctly. 2. Self-sufficiency. 3. Proactive approach to investigate coupled with good research skills. 4. Persistence, determination and a flair for the current affairs. 5. Strong inter-personal traits such as self-motivation, versatility and commitment. 6. Passion for the subject/field for magazine. 7. Good IT and multimedia skills such as HTML, Photoshop, InDesign etc (University of Kent, 2011). 8. Related experience in journalism is a strong trait to establish in this field. Self-Employment Opportunities Generation of new employment is very low especially in journalism where the large media companies care forced to trim the payrolls of their journalists instead of creating new job opportunities. Start-ups, small businesses and self-employments trends are on the rise. In 2010 AOL hired 1000 journalists opening up around 750 local news sites with a staff of one or two person(s) (Grimm, 2011). Although these persons were not entrepreneurs but the individual news operations of AOL were more like startups than traditional newsrooms. The National Union of Journalists and The Newspaper Society can be contacted for details of the profession. Personal Analysis Personal Analysis My present skills on the basis of the prepared CV are: Educational Skills: 1. 1-year Foundation Course from Cambridge Art & Science department. 2. 1-year international degree in pre-university pathway programme by HIBT. 3. Pursuing Undergraduate degree from University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield. Work-related Skills: I have five months experience in Urban Shelter Limited, a Nigeria-based property development & management company. The experience ranges between various departments: 1. Marketing Department 2. As company’s Managing Director’s Assistant. 3. Public Relations 4. On-site Project Management. Inter-personal Skills: 1. Good analytical abilities. 2. Interest in current affairs especially political news and business news. 3. Determined, persistent and versatile. Language Skills: Adept in Hausa, English and Arabic. Skill Gap Analysis Out of the eight required skills for a successful career in magazine journalism, I meet the requirements of determination, persistence, versatility, knowledge of current affairs and good language skills which are some of the critical skills required for the profession. The other key skills and requirements relevant experience and IT skills, in my opinion, can be attained during the remaining course duration. The diverse range of experience at Urban Shelter Limited has helped to gain a preliminary understanding of business operations which is likely to help me in my long-term goal of becoming an entrepreneur. The business reference from Assistant M.D. of Urban Shelter Limited Mr. Adejunla will help me prove my credibility to start a profession after graduation. However the reference is from a property development company which is likely to be of little help in the field of freelance journalism. General Cover Letter Dear Sir or Madam, The purpose of this letter is to introduce myself and to let you know my sincere interest in being part of your organization. The details concerning my educational background, skills and work-related experience are furnished in the enclosed resume. I have been a dedicated student with strong determination, persistence and excellent language skills that have helped me in achievement of my goals academically as well as professionally. In my short span of work experience, I have tried to perform with due diligence and careful understanding of the work. My current objective is to work in a field which will utilize my skills and offer me an opportunity for professional growth. As a hardworking and self motivated person I can be an invaluable asset to any organization in the field of journalism. I look forward to your response in near future. Thanking you. Yours Sincerely Faisal Mohammed Aliyu Career Action Plan In order to acquire the missing skills to become a freelance magazine journalist, I have decided to follow the following action plan: 1. I will immediately register in a short-term IT course (possibly 3-6 months duration) to acquire working knowledge in required software such as HTML, Photoshop, and InDesign. 2. I will regularly perform paid or unpaid writing work for small newspapers, magazines. This will help me in generating references and network along with experience in the field. This will also help me refine my writing skills and if paid for the work done will assist me recover for the costs of the work done and savings. S.M.A.R.T. Objectives Career Objective: To become self-employed in the magazine journalism sector of media industry after the completion of graduation by acquiring the required skills and experience for long-term sustained career growth and become an entrepreneur in journalism business within seven years. Specific: Become self-employed journalist. Measurable: To earn monthly ?5,000 with consistent increase in the compensation. Achievable: I will immediately enroll in IT course and start the freelance work for newspapers and magazines. Relevant: Links with my long-term goal of becoming an entrepreneur in media industry. Timely: The time span for meeting the short term goals is the remaining course duration which is 3 years and sufficient to acquire the experience and IT skills. Seven years time for accomplishment of long-term goal seems a reasonable time frame. Conclusion Presently the growth in employment generation is negative throughout the world and self-employment seems to be a better way to make a living during current recessionary times. The career action plan which I have prepared with a careful analysis of the required skills in freelance journalism and my present skills. The gap analysis has helped me understand the strengths and weaknesses and my strategic position in the employment sector. I have the critical skills required in the journalism career lack IT skills and relevant work experience. Therefore I have prepared a career action plan which I will adopt immediately so as to be able to achieve the short-term and long-term goals which I have set out for myself. The goals have been set in the form of S.M.A.R.T. objectives. I believe I have ample time to work on the action plan which is the duration of my graduation course. However this process of self-assessment and planning does not stop here and will continue as I acquire more skills and experience, and improve upon my present skills. References Conboy, M. (2011). Journalism in Britain: A Historical Introduction. SAGE Publications Ltd. Department for Culture, Media & Sport. (2011). Department for Culture Media and Sport - creative industries. [Online]. Available at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/creative_industries/default.aspx. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. FreelanceUK. (No Date). Journalism - Routes into the industry :: Freelance UK. [Online]. Available at: http://www.freelanceuk.com/journalists/journalism_routes.shtml. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Grimm, J. (2011). Job trends: startups, self-employment and small businesses | Journalism career advice. [Online]. Available at: http://www.jobspage.com/2011/03/4-we-simply-must-invent-our-own-jobs/. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Higgs, P. Cunningham, S & Bakhshi, H. (2008). Beyond the Creative Industries: Mapping the creative economy in the United Kingdom. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/library/documents/beyond-creative-industries-report.pdf. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. ONS. (2010). The Pink Book 2010. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2010/the-pink-book.pdf. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. ONS. (2011). GDP and Labour Market, 2011 Q2. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171780_237417.pdf. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Prospects. (2010). Magazine journalist: Job description | Prospects.ac.uk. [Online]. Available at: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/magazine_journalist_job_description.htm. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Prospects-a. (2010). Media: Overview | Prospects.ac.uk. [Online]. Available at: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/industries_media_overview.htm. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Skillset. (2008). Journalism Skill Survey. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_13022.pdf?2. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. University of Kent. (2011). Journalism Careers. [Online]. Available at: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/journalism.htm. [Accessed on January 12, 2012]. Wissen, L.V. & Dykstra, P.A. (1999). Population issues: an interdisciplinary focus. Springer. Bibliography Alexander, M. (2008). Management planning for nature conservation: a theoretical basis & practical guide. Springer. Bacon, T.R. (1999). Selling to major accounts: tools, techniques, and practical solutions for the sales manager. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Gregory, G. Healy, R. & Mazierska, E. (2008). Careers in media and film: the essential guide. SAGE. Harcup, T. (2009). Journalism: principles & practice 2nd ed. SAGE Publications Ltd. Levitt, J.G. & Harwood, L. (2009). Your Career: How to Make It Happen 7th ed. Cengage Learning. Roy, B. (2004). Beginner's Guide to Journalism. Pustak Mahal. Sterling, C.H. (2009). Encyclopedia of journalism. SAGE. Ward, M. (2002). Journalism online 2nd ed. Focal Press. Appendices Appendix 1: Employment trend since Recession 2008-09 Source: (ONS, 2011, p.2) Read More