By Grace Edwards, Misha Manani and Lydia Marshall
Creative Access is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help individuals under-represented in creative industries access opportunities to learn and progress. They offer diverse job recruitment, employer training and support to bring sustainable and positive change across the creative economy. They also work directly with publishing houses to provide and share entry-level to mid-level roles. We are going to highlight the opportunities, resources and tips to make the most of Creative Access.
Opportunities
● Internships: Internships are usually full-time positions that can last from a few weeks up to a year. Penguin's popular two-month summer internship gives candidates great exposure to the industry. The benefits of being involved in these types of programmes are building networks, gaining knowledge and exploring different career options.
● Entry-level jobs: These are great for career development. Some positions require a certain level of experience and others don’t. Highlight transferable skills that are relevant to the position. For example, attention to detail, prioritisation and remaining calm under pressure are key. Seeking mentorship is useful because mentors offer support and guidance that can support your growth. At Creative Access, these roles are assistant positions such as Editorial Assistant, Sales Assistant and Publishing Assistant.
● Literary agencies: At Creative Access, the literary agencies they partner with include: The Agency, Felicity Bryan Associates and David Higham Associates, to name a few. Agencies often bridge the connection between writers and publishers because they represent authors, so it’s important to figure out which area in the industry aligns with your interests and suits you best.
● Publishing partners: Creative Access is partnered with many publishers, including Atlantic Books, Bloomsbury, Hachette UK, Faber & Faber, HarperCollins UK, Penguin Random House UK and Bonnier Books UK.
Resources
● Blog: There are many blogs written by the Creative Access team that provide excellent advice for trying to get into publishing, such as How to pivot into Publishing and Top tips for getting your first publishing job. These provide you with some really insightful advice from industry professionals on how you can initiate your career in the industry.
● Webinars: Creative Access offers you the chance to watch webinars featuring tips from industry professionals about all things publishing. A helpful one to get started with is the Getting into publishing webinar that is uploaded onto their YouTube channel; Creative Access teamed up with Penguin Random House UK to talk about their journeys into publishing, their current roles and provide helpful advice.
● Masterclasses: In-person masterclasses offer you an opportunity to interact directly and ask for specific advice from industry professionals working within different areas of publishing. A great recorded masterclass we recommend is the Publishing masterclass with Sage Publications where panellists employed by Sage Publications answered audience questions about the industry.
● “How to…” resources: Creative Access offers a variety of articles giving you step-by-step ‘How to…’ advice to guide you through the job application process such as How to ace your interview and How to update your CV & interview across all career levels. These contain important points about how you can showcase your abilities and skills as best as you can to appeal to employers.
Advice and Tips
● Sign up to the community: You will receive the latest information and job adverts in publishing straight to your inbox. These cover different companies, departments, levels and trade-adjacent industries which is really useful. They also share stories from Creative Access alumni which is inspiring because everyone comes from different areas of the creative industry.
● Join the monthly CV consultations: This is a great opportunity for you to learn about creating and writing your CVs and cover letters to put you in good stead for job applications. They go through the dos and don’ts, and you can ask questions to the recruitment team during the session.
● Highlight the keywords on the job adverts: Creative Access publishes job opportunities on their jobs board with helpful structures for applications. They cover the responsibilities and what they are looking for, including skills and knowledge which can guide you when writing an application. Make sure you highlight the keywords and think about the ways you have demonstrated them. This is also good for the interview process.
● You receive extra support: If you apply for a job directly through Creative Access and are shortlisted, they will offer you advice for the interview stage, so you have a strong chance of demonstrating your skills, experience, enthusiasm, knowledge and why you are a good fit for the team. For instance, with schemes and traineeships, they will let you know what to expect and you can ask questions.
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