The Art of the Approach Course

Week 11.1 – 6th August. 2021

RealWORKS hub – The Art of the Approach curriculum

This week we re-visit RealWORKS hub, to encourage us to start getting prepared for the future, which luckily I have already started in the last module. Please click the link below, to see my progress with Module 1: 710, Week 11. 2.

The difference is now, the whole cohort is all on different modules, which means some of the students need to start focusing on what their future goal is right now, but for me, this is my second module, so no rush quite yet.

I know what I want to do though, and where I want to go…

I am continuing to look for placements, internships, freelance and collaboration opportunities, so the next step for me left on the list of 7 things, remaining to complete for the “Art of the Approach”to get closer to my target, is the section on; Opportunity Spotting and Planning your Approach.

Searching for the new Career…

Whilst watching the RealWORKS video, Job Hunting Explained… They list the key points, what you must do, in order to achieve your final goal.

Opportunity Spotting and Planning your Approach – Step 1

Do your job preparation – Before the initial application, make sure you are organised, and know the job hunting channels you could possibly be using.
Know your job hunt channels – Direct Applications, Job Boards, Recruiters, E- hireability, Online Networking, Face to Face Networking, Speculative Applications, and Being referred. (Indeed, CareerBuilder, Glass door, Seek, LinkedIn, Monster, not forgetting the smaller company’s.
Get the most out of them – Focus on the four things when applying; Relevance; highlight the skills you have, most relevant ones, and all the channels you use. Consistency; make sure your cover letter, elevator pitch, the language you use about yourself, and when networking is the same. Attitude; be professional and polite in all your communications, and always be enthusiastic and positive. Authenticity; be genuinely you, an authentic CV personal statement and profile summary may set you apart from the competition – show a genuine interest in whoever you’re networking with, to an employer, and any other opportunities.

Opportunity Spotting and Planning your Approach – Step 2

Create a Job Search Strategy Planner, including;

Direct Application
Job Boards / Recruiters
Speculative Applications
Online Presence and Networking
Referrals and Face – to – Face Networking

The second step above I cannot fill in just yet, as one of the first things, I need to focus on is creating a professional online presence, which leads me to continuing with one of the other tasks on RealWORKS, which includes; re – evaluating my Linkedin Profile.

LinkedIn Legend ..?

After watching the video, how to create a powerful “LinkedIn Profile“. The next step is to apply that method to my LinkedIn Account. Here’s how it now Looks…

My next step – redesign my CV from scratch
Work on joining more social media platforms, such as: Twitter, ArtStation, Behance and start Networking on these channels.

The steps above are vital to my studies, and aid towards me building and developing my personal brand.

Future Ambition

I aspire to be an animator, storyboard/concept artist, or game illustrator. I generally am very keen to start a career, with an Indie Game Dev Company.

I am in the process of developing a portfolio ready for my future employers, that’s why I have the separate tab on here; Development of Animatics, to show how I am progressing so far. Plus I am working on designing my new CV, and preparing myself to be more social on Twitter, and start collaborating and reaching out to other game dev enthusiasts.

Week 11.2 – 9th August. 2021

Amending Teams Transcripts & Updating CRJ

My goal this week was to, catch up with missing weeks in my blog, start searching for Job roles, and researching what key skills, are specifically required.

Plus collating the Teams Transcripts, re watching the 10 minute Pitch Demonstration Video, and re – writing the transcripts, to match the wording precisely on the video. This was part of the documentation that the Team Leader is required to submit with all the other paper work.

I prioritised this task first, as it would need to be handed in by the 19th August.

Week 11.3 – 11th August. 2021

Adjourning – Final Retrospective

Yes ..its the time again, we give our final thoughts on everything that has gone well, during the team work project, what could have been improved, what should have been avoided.

Not clear communication at the start – Improved after week 3
We only brain stormed on Miro, this was not often – but very detailed
Commitment – 100% from everyone
Work was submitted very frequently
The relationship with my peers was positive, and supportive, especially as the weeks progressed. So did our bond.

References

White, J. Adjourning Falmouth University. 2021. Reviewing Team Success. Available at : https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/913/pages/week-11-adjourning?module_item_id=54995 [Accessed 11/08/21]

Definition of a Personal Brand Vs. Personal Branding. 2020. Available at: https://personalbrand.com/definition/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 7/08/21].

Introduction to Real WORKS. 2021. Available at : https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/911/pages/week-11-introduction?module_item_id=49219 [Accessed 06/08/21]

Personalbrand.com. ‘Definition of a Personal Brand Vs. Personal Branding’. Available at : https://personalbrand.com/definition/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 06/08/21].

The Art of the Approach. 2021. Available at : Coursehttps://realworks.careercentre.me/resources/taskmanager/default.aspx?ProgrammeID=0CEjEGg1TYV2%20GCek1zfiQ== [accessed 06/08/21]

Introduction to Real Works

Week 11.1 – 24th April. 2021

This week we are introduced to Real WORKS, the Falmouth University employability service, to help us plan for our career goals. It is discussed in this first term, to allow us to start thinking about any specific targets we may have, so we can get a better idea of what we need to put in practice or learn, as we go further down the line and closer to our end goals.

I understand this process as the preparation I need to apply to my new career that I aim to go into, or for others to develop the role they are currently in, and to research into the skills that we individually need, when we finish after the 2 years.

After watching the video about Real WORKS, and getting a better understanding of the tools the employability service can help with, I will register straight away, and the first thing I want to do is actually take one of there tests, to help get a clearer sense of my purpose and passions, just to see what kind of other job specifications may pop up.

Research

So far the masters, has opened many more doors for me, not in regards to job opportunities, but it has allowed me to build up my current skills and develop them. Plus I have learnt many new ones, which will all help towards my end goal. Not just for my final artefact that I aim to create, but skills that will help build my portfolio up, and show my development of animation, and show I have delved into all areas, and have the experience.

I have found my critical reflective journal to be a way of communicating to researchers and practitioners, and especially to share my recent projects, to different communities of practice. I am starting to gain more comments and followers and I am following new websites to, and trying to comment as well.

Defining Personal Brand

We are asked to look at our own personal brand, if we haven’t got one, if we have, how we feel about creating one, if we have reservations, if so what are they and why?

A personal brand is a way to present myself, and get your work, skills, and portfolio noticed, by doing so to the correct audience, this gives you more opportunities in this creative industry.

From the definition of Personalbrand.com they exercise the differences between a personal brand and personal branding.

A personal brand is a widely-recognized and largely-uniform perception or impression of an individual based on their experience, expertise, competencies, actions and/or achievements within a community, industry, or the marketplace at large.
(Personalbrand.com 2020)

How do I create my personal brand?

After comparing the 2 definitions, a personal brand is what I need to focus on, and to create one, and make it truly unique, I understand that to do so, I must think about what represents me as a researcher, practitioner, what I want to be known as. A personal brand is like creating my own symbol of what my work is about, and what I represent.

I will research more into this as I go deeper into Indie Game Dev, as I believe the person I am, that I will find many other interesting avenues, that I may want to explore.

Week 11.2 – 28th April. 2021

The second part of looking into Real Works, is to understand, The Art of the Approach curriculum, and to consider what steps I need to take to develop a portfolio that is perfect for future employers.

We are given a short programme to complete, which entails a combination of tasks and actions to help as achieve developing our personal brand.

The first part of the test, is about how confident you are;

When applying to a job
When at work
When being interviewed
Your CV skills
Manager skills
Leadership Skills
Self awareness skills
Job hunting skills

After taking this test, I found out that I need help with my CV writing, and how to write a compelling application.

This is my next step to look at redesigning my CV from scratch, ready to apply for part time work, work from home job roles whilst studying.

References

Introduction to Real WORKS. 2021. Available at : https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/911/pages/week-11-introduction?module_item_id=49219 [accessed 24/04/21]

Personalbrand.com. ‘Definition of a Personal Brand Vs. Personal Branding’. Available at: https://personalbrand.com/definition/ (Links to an external site.). [Accessed 24/04/21].

The Art of the Approach. 2021. Available at : Coursehttps://realworks.careercentre.me/resources/taskmanager/default.aspx?ProgrammeID=0CEjEGg1TYV2%20GCek1zfiQ== [accessed 28/04/21]