The Career Interview: Recent Episodes
Rachael Turner
Welcome to The Career Interview. The podcast turning the table on the traditional interview process. We interview a wide range of people working in the careers you’re interested in; from the ones you know about, the ones you think know about and the ones you don’t. Understand what it’s really like in their role and how they got there. So whether you're not sure what the right career path is for you, you're considering a career change or you're just a little bit nosey then this is the podcast for you
This is the final episode of The Career Interview podcast - and to celebrate I asked my friend Camille to interview me about my role and my career path! Listen to how I went from believing I wanted a career in marketing to realising the 'thing' I'd been describing all those years was in fact something entirely different! I also go into far too much detail about how I came to make the decision between two job offers that at first hand went very WRONG but in hindsight was one of the best (and funniest) things that happened.
I hope you really enjoy this episode and thank you for coming along on my little journey of podcasting!
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses the top things to do once you've got a job offer including how to negotiate your salary and benefits package.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Naghmeh who has spent her career working as a midwife where she recently retired from the NHS where she was a Midwife Coordinator. Naghmeh grew up in Iran and was originally planning a career in Law but at the age of 19, had to relocate to the UK to avoid political unrest. With the urgency in getting an income landed in midwifery - whilst it wasn’t her original plan, has absolutely loved her career. She has facilitated over 5000 births and remembers every single baby! So take a listen to find out all about what its like being a midwife!
Useful Links:
Find Naghmeh on Instagram: @MidwifeNaghmeh
Other useful Instagram accounts to follow:
@midwifemarley
@midwife_pip
@the_independent_midwife
@the_student_midwife_journal
@thehonestmidwife
@drlarisacorda
@midwives_rcm
@the_modern_midwife
@student_midwife_studygram
@theobgynaemum
Useful websites:
- Royal College of Midwives: https://www.rcm.org.uk/promoting/learning-careers/become-a-midwife/
- NHS: How to become a midwife: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/midwifery/studying-midwifery
- Royal College of Nursing: https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-Development/become-a-midwife
- National Careers Service: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/midwife
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses the most effective things you can do straight after an interview.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Chloe who works for the civil service as a senior policy advisor in the crime reduction directorate.
She oversees a fund of around 45 million pounds to help reduce crimes such as robbery and violence against women. We discussed the common assumptions about what it's like working for the civil service, such as whether you're regularly meeting with politicians and is it slow to get projects delivered?
There are currently around half a million people working for the civil service. So if like Chloe, you enjoy doing meaningful work to improve people's lives and you're an individual who can spot improvements and run with it then the civil service could be for you. There are a range of roles you can choose, from policy oriented roles, strategy roles, operational roles, legal, communication/press to commercial roles.
Useful Links:
https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses what questions you can ask at the end of an interview to maximise your chances of success including one KILLER question that always takes interviewers by surprise.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Victoria who works as a family lawyer which I quickly learnt wasn’t just about divorce. We talk about what it is specifically about family law that means Victoria gets so much fulfillment out of it and find out just how far Victoria sometimes goes for her clients. We also myth bust some of the common assumptions about family law and find out some of the less common ways of landing a training contract!
Useful Links:
Some law related Instagram accounts to follow:
@EMLawyersDivision
@UrbanLawyers
@AspiringSolicitors
@JuniorLawyersDivision
@LawCareersNet
@Grow.Mentoring
Some useful websites:
Find out about law careers here, here and here
Check out The Law Society Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division on Linkedin
Reach out to Victoria on Linkedin here
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses how to stay relaxed during an interview.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Victoria, who works as a creative producer in the non-traditional space of theater and dance predominantly in the world of immersive experiences. The job title producer can mean so many different things in the arts world so Victoria breaks down what it means in her role where she shares some of her favourite projects including the current Abba tour as well as an immersive experience for school children to get them excited about writing and reading stories. We also discuss some of the typical myths about working in theater and how Victoria has snowballed from job to job in her freelance career. So let’s find out what it’s really like to be a creative producer in immersive theatre and dance.
Useful Links:
Find Victoria on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaeyton/
Find out more about Darkfield: https://www.darkfield.org/
Take a look at some resources about producing in the arts sector: https://producergathering.com/
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses what do the day of the your interview to put you in the best possible position
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Camille, who has worked in various project management roles all within the public health research space. That means she’s worked on projects from helping to trial a vaccine for ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo to getting involved in testing the COVID vaccine efficacy in Africa. We discuss the role of a project manager and what value they add to a project, as well as some of the typical challenges you may expect as well as some more niche ones that Camille deals with given she’s working across multiple cultures. We also touch on Camille’s career journey where she realised her dream job she had in her mind wasn’t in fact her real reality and she shares how she pivoted to redefine her professional career. Camille really opens up in this conversation showing real vulnerability of how she was feeling about it all and therefore has some absolute pearls of wisdom if you’re feeling the same about perhaps your once thought perfect role is not actually your perfect role.
Useful Links:
Reach out to Camille on Linkedin
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses one of the most common questions: how to prepare for an interview.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Beth, a news reporter at The Scottish Daily Mail. We cover some of the myths you may have heard about journalism such as whether journalists are always out to make you look bad, that everyone is a journalist these days with social media and we discuss her thoughts on fake news. Beth eloquently articulates what the most important skills are and why they are important to be a great news reporter as well as what her day to day actually entails. She even lets us in on her most successful news story which involves Frazzle crisps.
Reach out to Beth on:
Linkedin
Twitter @bethsexton_
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses all of the ways in which you can use your network to find new roles and to be successfully in being offered the role.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael speaks to Andrea who works for Gousto as a Senior Software Engineering Lead. Demand for software engineering roles has reportedly doubled in 2021 and it’s easy to see why it’s an attractive career prospect given practically every industry needs software engineers enabling you to take your pick plus the flexibility it offers with remote working meaning you could live anywhere you like and still be able to work. Andrea shines a light on what's involved in his role, how it's changed as he’s become more senior as well as what the most important skills are to succeed at a more senior level.
Useful Links:
Reach out to Andrea on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-marchello-4a683245
Welcome to Your Career Dilemma's, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses the questions to ask yourself to figure out if it's time to look for a new role and to decide if your current role is for you.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael chats to Simba who is an Art Director Assistant at the big fashion house Burberry where he’s involved in the creative direction of experiential design. What I learnt most from talking to Simba was that the creative industry is vast, it features everywhere and all you need to do is look around where you’re sitting or standing right now to see it. Which also means it can be a difficult one to navigate for anyone that wants to work in it, it’s hard not to feel inspired and have your eyes opened talking to Simba about how he navigates his continuous journey in this amazing creative sphere, from how to develop a keen eye to evolving your practise and aesthetic. I hope you enjoy this episode!
Welcome to Your Career Questions, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses how you can decide if it's worth the effort and time to apply for a specific job that you've found.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael chats to Ashley who is an Associate Solicitor working in Corporate Law. With so many popular TV shows depicting what it’s like to work in a law firm, Ashley tells us if his work is really as glamorous as Suits makes it out to be, whether you need to be great at arguing to be successful and if it is always long hours. Ashley also touches on what it is that makes you a great lawyer and how Ashley was able to walk straight into a training contract and bypass interview stages - pretty impressive when for every legal sector vacancy there is, there’s 28 graduates! Hope you enjoy!
Useful Links:
Reach out to Ashley on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleytaylor3/
Welcome to Your Career Questions, a new series of short episodes where Rachael answers your most common career related questions. Rachael will break down your question into some easy, practical things you can do. This week, Rachael discusses what steps you can take after you've had a job rejection to increase your chances of being successful in future applications.
If you'd like to submit a question then please either
- Send Rachael a message on Instagram @Thecareerinterview
- Email Rachael at thecareerinterview@gmail.com
This week, Rachael chats to Dan who runs his own successful video production company called DMB films which was an award winner in the 2020 Media Innovator Awards. After a career pivot where he spent 10 years working in the corporate world for FTSE 100 companies, Dan decided to gamble and pursue something he was passionate about. We touch on how Dan has been able to take what he learnt from his corporate roles to be successful running his own business, how just like Dan you don’t need to do a degree in film production to be successful and what Dan wished he’d known before about the realities of video production.
Useful Links:
Check out some of DMB films work: https://vimeo.com/725610809
Check out some behind the scenes: https://vimeo.com/655030217
Reach out to Dan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bryant-bb290122/
This week I'm joined by David who is a Senior Vice President at Alantra; a boutique investment bank. There are many films that give a certain picture of what the banking world is like such as The Wolf of Wall Street or The big short but David tells us how it really is. We touch on what he actually spends most of his time doing during a typical 60 hour working week, how to make you stand out in the extremely competitive job market to land that first role and what he has learnt from each role he’s done. We cover a lot of ground, really breaking down the fundamentals of what a banking role is but I won’t blame you if you want to listen to this episode for a second time round! David also shares what he’s learnt and advice he’s been given throughout his career that is applicable to any job role so feel free to jump straight into section 2 (see below).
- Section 1: Hear David breaking down the fundamentals of banking and his role:
- Section 2: Hear David share his career path, career advice and the key things he's learnt throughout his career.
Useful Links:
- Check out Alantra: https://www.alantra.com/
- Check out the Investment Banking Careers Blog David mentioned: https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/
- Check out Liars Poker by Michael Lewis: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liars-Poker-author-Big-Short-ebook/dp/B004JHY7PY/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=liars+poker+michael&qid=1625510320&s=books&sr=1-3
- Check out Monkey Business: by John Rolfe and Peter Troob: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monkey-Business-Swinging-Through-Street/dp/0446676950
- Check out Anti-fragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Antifragile-Things-that-Gain-Disorder/dp/0141038225/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=anti+fragile&qid=1625510221&s=books&sr=1-2
In this week’s episode, I was going to be joined by David, a Senior Vice President of a boutique investment bank but I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait another week for that! But instead, I have another amazing guest all about the world of electrical engineering. I’m joined by Nathan who is an electrical systems engineer at Caterpillar. He’s responsible for helping to develop the Genset engine 4000 which is about the size of a shipping container for electrical power generators which are often used as backup generators for hospitals, or even to power small towns in the Amazon. We touch on what his role looks like on a daily basis as well as the key skills required for the role. And it’s worth knowing that there are almost 5.7 million people who work in engineering in the UK, which accounts for just over 19% of all UK employment yet to meet projected demand, the number of engineering apprentices and graduates will need to double. So it’s definitely an area worth exploring if you’re interested in understanding how things work, building things as well as taking things apart!
Useful Links:
Check out careers at Caterpillar: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/careers.html
Sources used:
https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/our-expertise/engineering-and-manufacturing/engineers-demand-uk-and-throughout-world
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/engineering-and-manufacturing/overview-of-the-engineering-and-manufacturing-sector-in-the-uk
This week, Rachael speaks to Ceri who has spent 8 years working in vet practises before making the move to an International Technical Manager in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry for a company called Dechra. In her role, she supports internal sales and marketing teams with her veterinary knowledge as well as supporting vets with queries and training in relation to Dechra’s medication based products. Ceri had always wanted to work with animals ever since she was a little girl where she’d set up a wildlife vet clinic in her garden shed, and after working in vet practises wanted a new challenge. Ceri shares how the skills she developed as a vet are completely transferable to her current role today, her tips on having a smooth transition from a vet role into industry as well as why her current role still includes the things she loved from her original vet role without the downsides. If you’re interested in working with animals and have a passion for continuous learning then this is a great career option for you.
Useful Links:
- Dechra: https://www.dechra.com/
- The London Vet Show: https://london.vetshow.com/
- BSA VA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association: https://www.bsava.com/About-us
- Ceri on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceri-bailey-216287163/
This week, Rachael speaks to Aimee, an Account Director at MMC, a digital creative agency set in the North East of England, working with clients from all over the world. After spending a few years down in London working for TK Maxx in the internal comms team, Aimee wanted to return to her roots and move back much closer to home and give agency life a go. Aimee shares her experience of navigating the agency world and we break through some of the common conceptions made about working in agencies such as it’s not all about marketing to end consumers and it is totally possible to have a successful commercial career and not need to be based down in London. We touch on the differences of agency life vs working in house, the important skills to do a good job and the lessons Aimee learnt from her previous roles. Aimee has an infectious personality and you can clearly tell just from speaking to her why she loves her job managing relationships with their clients so that she can paid to chat to her clients and colleagues for up to 5 out of 8 hours of the day.
Useful Links:
- Check out MMC: https://mmc.agency/
- Connect with Aimee on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-greensmith-60906622/
This week, Rachael speaks to Tom who works for the management consultancy Baringa in the Digital and Marketing space. After completing a music degree where Tom specialised in Opera singing and playing the clarinet, Tom wasn’t sure if music was the way to go and through discussions with people he knew he landed in the world of consulting. Tom has worked for an incredible range of brands from the likes of Adidas to Hotels.com and even some companies you may not even think of such as Saudi Arabia's largest reseller of PVC piping. We discuss the most commonly made assumptions about life as a consultant such as is all the travel as good as it’s cracked up to be, how many hours does Tom really work in a week, is the consultant culture as cutthroat as some people say and do consultants just make pretty powerpoint slides? Tom provides a really eye opening account of what it’s like on the inside of a consultant’s office walls. Hope you enjoy this week's episode!
Useful Links:
- For support getting a role in consulting: https://managementconsulted.com/
- Useful resource to find out more about what it's like to be a mgt consulting: http://www.insidecareers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Management-Consultancy-201718-Final-RED.pdf
- Some great Instagram accounts to follow:
- https://www.instagram.com/consultingcomedy/
- https://www.instagram.com/consultinghumor/
- https://www.instagram.com/crazymgmtconsultants/
This week, Rachael speaks to Leanne, a Research Dietician at Kings College London. Whenever she tells someone what she does, they immediately stand up straight and breathe in but as Leanne demonstrates, helping patients lose weight is not the only part of a dietician's role. Leanne originally intended to become a clinical dietician but ended up in research after not getting any of her first, second or third choice placements whilst at university. She’s been involved with helping understand the impact of snacking on almonds to improve your cardiovascular health as well as understanding how diet can help improve the symptoms of Crohns’ disease. We talk about the good and bad bits of the research dietician role as well as the important skills you’d need to demonstrate if you wanted a role in this field. Leanne has also spent some time as a clinical dietician so shares her experiences of what it was like treating patients in hospitals.
Useful Links:
- Read research articles on Pub Med: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
- Find out more about this career role: https://www.bda.uk.com/
This week, Rachael talks to Emma who is a data analyst in the pharmaceutical industry. Emma originally wanted a career in medicine so that she could help others but when she felt her grades weren’t good enough, she thought she’d have to give up her dream. But as we discuss in this episode, data is everywhere therefore data scientist roles are also everywhere, with demand for these roles have tripled over the past 5 years! Emma shares her career journey demonstrating how she was able to find a role that still enabled her to have a positive impact on patients, what it’s like being one of the first people to see the results of a new drug trial as well as the typical challenges you might face in a data analyst role. We also touch on the key skills required to be a data analyst, what career progression looks like as well as lots of great career advice that is relevant to any career.
Let me know if you found this episode useful, you can get in touch with me on Instagram at TheCareerInterview. And please rate and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts to help share the love! It would mean the world to me.
Useful Links:
- Phuse: Global healthcare data science community https://phuse.global/
- PSI: Statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry https://www.psiweb.org/
- SAS: Programming basics https://stats.idre.ucla.edu/sas/seminars/sas-programming-basics/
- R: Free programming tool https://www.r-project.org/
- FDA website: https://www.fda.gov/
In this week’s episode, Rachael talks to Harriet who is an advanced nurse practitioner for the NHS. When Harriet saw the great level of care her grandmother got when she had an accident resulting in severe burns, she knew that she wanted to help others in the same way. Harriet has worked in a variety of settings and teams within the NHS and she is able to share how each team is different so that you can choose what would be right for you. She also touches on the really important skills to offer great care including how to have those really tough conversations with friends and family. Harriet clearly loves her role at the NHS and is truly humble in her role, saying that she felt awkward at the ‘Clap for Carers’ because to her, she was just doing her job. Harriet also lets us know on some of the bizarrest scenario’s she’s encountered with patients in A&E because if you don’t laugh about it, you’ll cry!
Opinions expressed in this episode are solely of the individuals and do not express the views or opinions of their current or previous employers
Useful Links:
- Nursing and Midwifery council: https://www.nmc.org.uk/
- A Nursing associate role: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/nursing/roles-nursing/nursing-associate
This week, Rachael talks to Shoshanna about her role as a business to business marketing manager at Intel. It can feel like there are endless avenues within marketing to choose from, plus marketing and business are still one of the most popular degree subjects meaning that the job choices when you graduate are overwhelming plus there is a lot of competition. Shoshanna, also known as TheFairyJobMother on Instagram, shares her advice on how to choose the right path in marketing for you as well as her top tips on how to get marketing experience to help set you apart, which enabled her to graduate university with more than 2 years marketing experience and land 5 different job offers. We also touch on the most important skills in B2B marketing and what a typical week can look like.
Check out @Thefairyjobmother: https://www.instagram.com/thefairyjobmother/?hl=en
Welcome back to Series 2 of The Career Interview podcast! This week, Rachael speaks to Carly who works as an Adult social worker. We discuss what the key things to consider when choosing a role within social care such as the individual you want to work with as well as the different kinds of environment, what a typical week looks like for Carly including how she goes about effectively assessing the needs of an individual and what career progression opportunities there are. We also touch on how this role has changed Carly as a person, why she finds it so rewarding and the different ways you can find a role in social care.
Disclaimer: We touch on some difficult topics including domestic violence and child abuse so I’ll understand if this isn’t the episode for you.
Useful Links:
Legislation:
Protection of Children act 1999: Focussed on safeguarding children and supporting families: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/14/notes/division/2
Mental health act 1983: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/contents
Mental Capacity Act 2005: Focus on the ability for people to make decision themselves https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921428/Mental-capacity-act-code-of-practice.pdf
Routes into social work:
Thinkahead: https://thinkahead.org/
Step up program: https://www5.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_capita78.asp?newms=info1
Social work England: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/
Useful resources:
Siobhan Maclean: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErZbztI7SWtBYWqG6Bptmw/featured
Understanding Social Work by Neil Thompson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Social-Work-Preparing-Practice/dp/0230221807
The Social Work Tutor Podcast: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KqDP/
This week, Rachael talks to Laura who runs her own branding photography business ‘SocialLaura’ in Perth, Australia aimed at helping female oriented businesses express themselves authentically online and bring their vision to life. Laura shares the highs and lows of what it’s really like running your own business - some you’ll know and some you definitely won’t. Laura demonstrates that running your own business means you can make it work for you and enable it to give you the lifestyle you want and just because others are 100% productive all the time and are up at 5am everyday, it doesn’t mean that’s what you have to do. Laura is such an inspirational woman who is proof that if you are willing to make that jump and just give things a go, then magical things do happen. We also touch on how to deal with imposter syndrome and how she knew when it was time to leave the corporate world. If you’re into photography or have a passion that you want to turn into a full time job, then this is the episode for you.
Useful Links:
Check out Laura's business: https://www.instagram.com/sociallaura_/
Laura's Camera: https://www.canon.co.uk/cameras/eos-5d-mark-iv/
Laura's Lense: https://www.canon.co.uk/lenses/ef-24-70mm-f-2-8l-ii-usm-lens/
This week, we’re talking to Michael who has spent the last 12 years working in product management roles. Once upon a time you’d only hear about product manager roles at big tech companies like Google but in today’s world where businesses are having to be super customer focussed, and release new products and services quickly, the role of product managers has become even more important. And it’s fair to say that Michael has rode that wave of growth over his career where he’s been involved in designing life saving beacons, wearable tech and smart several smart home products. It’s fair to say product management is a massive growth area and we were only able to scratch the surface in this episode where Michael talks about what’s involved in product management, the key skills that are important and some of the challenges product managers typically face. Michael also shares his incredible story of how he ended up entering the world of product management which involved working in a disused cheese factory with one of his best friends.
Useful Links:
Find out more about Product Management:
- Mind the product: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/
- Canvas Product conferences: https://canvasconference.co.uk/about/
Tools that Michael mentioned:
- Miro planning tool: https://miro.com/online-strategic-planning-tool/
Companies mentioned:
- Focal Agent: https://www.focalagent.com/
- Homeserve: https://www.homeserve.com/uk
- Hive: https://www.hivehome.com/
- Imperial College: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/
This week, Rachael talks to another Rachael who is a Senior Account manager at Ogilvy, a global creative agency that is part of WPP, which is considered to be the world’s largest advertising company. Rachael works with Boots to produce their health and beauty magazine but has previously worked on brands including Chanel, River Island and Pizza Express with some of the most well-known and respected agencies. Rachael talks through how each issue of the magazine goes from concept to delivery, what the role of Ogilvy is in helping Boots to create unique content and to what extent it’s like Devil Wears Prada at work! She also touches on the most important skills as an account manager, what she loves about her role (think an all expenses paid trip to Dubai) and what the difference is between media, creative and production agencies. We also discuss how competitive the agency world can be so she shares her top tips on how to get into the industry when you’re still early on in your career and have less experience.
Useful Links:
Check out some of the agencies that Rachael has worked at:
- Ogilvy: https://www.ogilvy.com/#work
- Walgreens Boots: https://www.walgreensbootsalliance.com/media/3756
- Intermarketing: https://intermarketing.com/
- Mindshare: https://www.mindshareworld.com/
- AMV BBDO: http://www.amvbbdo.com/
- Havas: https://www.havas.com/
- Saatchi: https://mcsaatchi.com/
- VCCP: https://www.vccp.com/
Check out some useful websites:
- Campaign Live: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/
- Marketing Week: https://www.marketingweek.com/
- The Drum: https://www.thedrum.com/
This week, Rachael delves into the world of 2D animation with Diana who is a freelance animator. Despite Diana considering to become a nun or an architect as a young child, it was when she became fascinated by how her most loved cartoons such as Scooby Doo and Ed, Edd n Eddy were made and watching a documentary about how the original Snow White was made that she realised she wanted to pursue animation. Diana talks through the end to end process of creating a short film working with a client as well as all the different types of roles involved in creating a short film if you don’t want to be the one producing the drawings! We also discuss the pros and cons of working as a freelancer as well sharing tips on how to negotiate with clients and how to attract clients. Diana also shares a lot of important advice of how to move into and progress within the animation industry.
Useful Links:
Check out Diana's work
- 'What is consciousness?': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XN6GClCOZs&fbclid=IwAR2QKMEeP4xoOqYmqE1URE7lD-HtwSeW-QWwQxOLIg7ElximziDq79QTSEU
- 'The Viral Origins of the Placenta': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDA1ISk0rlI&fbclid=IwAR2WmsoqjfrHGmo4XyqrcRd6heTs-eNXKUITt9Uki8YMhVB_TCSry5M-koc
- The Royal Society of Arts 'Most People are Pretty Nice': https://blinkink.co.uk/projects/most-people-are-pretty-nice-by-rutger-bregman
- Check out the rest at: https://vimeo.com/dianagradinaru
- Follow Diana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diana_gradinaru/
Learn about animation:
- Documentary about making Snow White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7X8u-EjADw
- Joanna Quinn: How I animate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWfVEdbvdoE
- Read The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-animators-survival-kit/richard-e-williams/9780571238347
- Watch tutorials on how to use Maya: https://www.youtube.com/c/MayaHowTos/featured
- Join panimation, a directory of women animators anyone can join: http://www.panimation.tv/#
- Join this private Facebook group called 'She Drew That' where you can share/ask questions about animation, seek help regarding anything from technique to finance to production issues: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2377228439006355
In this week’s episode, Rachael talks to Katherine who is a Business Development manager for Seedrs, a leading equity crowdfunding platform that allows anybody to invest from as little as £10. Katherine finds start up companies who want to raise investment on the Seedrs platform and supports them through the whole process from creating their investment strategy to running their crowdfunding campaign.
Katherine shares her experiences and her advice on what it was like starting a career in law and making a career change at the age of 28 into the relatively new crowdfunding industry. And we also touch on how she moulds her role to focus on the industries she’s personally passionate about such as fem tech start ups and sustainable consumer brands as well as encouraging other females to invest.
Useful Links:
Check out Seedrs: https://www.seedrs.com/
Check out Big Night, the restaurant delivery service: https://bignight.app/
Check out Gively, where you can give and get items for free: https://www.gively.co/
Check out And Sisters who make sustainable period care products: https://andsisters.co.uk/
Check out This who offer plant based meat alternatives: https://this.co/
General resources to keep up to date with start ups:
- https://sifted.eu/
- http://www.startups.co.uk/
- http://www.technation.io/
- http://www.wired.co.uk/
Female Focussed:
- http://www.allbrightcollective.com/
- http://www.foundflourish.co.uk/
- http://www.angelacadame.com/ (sign up to their newsletter)
Fem tech/health tech focussed:
- http://www.womenofwearables.com/
- http://www.femtechinsider.com/
This week, Rachael speaks to Rajat who is a GP in a local surgery. The NHS is one of the biggest employers in the world with 1.4 million staff in England and deals with more than one million patients every 36 hours. We discuss the different places a GP can work, what a GP does outside of just seeing patients and the key factors to consider when choosing the right surgery for you. Rajat also explains how a surgery is run as a business, what the most important skills to be a good GP are and what it takes to become qualified as a GP. Rajat was extremely humble and anyone listening to this episode will no doubt appreciate the hard work that GP’s undertake.
Useful Links:
Read ‘a day in the life of a GP’: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/gp-day-in-the-life
Read ‘a day in the life of a GP’ from the British Medical Journal https://www.bmj.com/content/366/bmj.l4388
The Royal College of General Practitioners: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/
Follow Dr Ranj who is a well known doctor: https://www.instagram.com/drranj/?hl=en
Follow Dr Hazel Wallace as The Food Medic: thefoodmedic.co.uk
New England Journal of Medicine Podcast: https://www.nejm.org/multimedia/audio-summary
British Medical Journal Podcast: https://journals.bmj.com/sites/default/files/podcasts/index.html
In this week's episode, we're talking all about architecture but not about the typical type of projects you may first think of such as designing office buildings or schools. Rachael talks to Kara, who has recently become a shareholder and director at Metaphor; a design company predominantly working in the cultural sector who focus on bringing stories to life through design. Kara has worked on a wide range of projects from the national mining museum to the incredible Winchester Cathedral and shares her experiences of what it’s like working in a small company, how Metaphor find the best way to tell the stories of a museum’s collection and how the role of an architect changes as you progress up the career ladder. We also touch on what it’s like working in a predominantly male industry, what’s involved in the 7 years of training to become an architect and the most important skills to be successful.
Useful Links:
Check out the Metaphor website:https://www.metaphor-design.co.uk/ Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA):https://www.architecture.com/
Architect's journals: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/
This week, Rachael talks to Joanna who is a primary school teacher. Practically every child says they want to become a teacher at some point in their lifetime - this was also true for Joanna. We discuss what’s really involved in being a primary school teacher. Here’s a clue, it’s not just about teaching kids to read and write and to do sums and you don’t necessarily get to finish at 3:30pm everyday. We talk about the really important skills to be a great teacher, her tips and techniques on how to maximise her classroom’s learning and how you can find out for yourself if teaching is really for you. If you think you know everything there is to know about being a teacher then think again!
Useful Links:Smart Classroom Management Blog: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/
Smart Teachers Agency: https://www.smartteachers.co.uk/
Teach Primary Articles: https://www.teachprimary.com/
Keep up to date with the National Education Union: https://neu.org.uk/latest
This week, Rachael finds out all about the movie animation business with Jasmine who is a CGI animator at Framestore; who have helped produce just a few films you may have heard of… Harry Potter, the Marvel movies and Paddington 2 just to name a few.
It’s been Jasmine’s dream to transport her audience to a different world ever since she was a little girl and she truly embodies that ‘if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’ mantra. We talk about everything from the different kinds of animation you can get involved in, the end to end process of creating a 90 minute film, why nine gag is an important work tool and the many reasons why working in animation means you can be a big kid your entire adult life!
Useful Links for more information:
Connect with Jasmine on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghoreishijasmine/
Check out Jasmine's own work on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jazzy__doodles?igshid=43p7npcwivks
That Waitrose Christmas Ad with the Robin: https://youtu.be/wCSgf9q71xw
The Making of That Waitrose Christmas Ad with the Rob: https://youtu.be/UgYWkj9ATwQ
Maya Software: https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview
Ecole Superieure des metiers artistique School: https://www.esma-artistique.com/diplomes-taux-de-reussite/cinema-danimation-3d/
Framestore: https://www.framestore.com/
The Mill: https://www.themill.com/
This week, Rachael talks to Kate who works in supply chain in the innovation team for a leading confectionary brand. They discuss why an effective supply chain is critical in being able to launch new products quickly and what it’s like working for a large company vs a start-up. She also talks us through what she loves about her role and what skills are important such as managing ambiguity. As well as what options there are in getting into supply chain apart from just doing a graduate scheme.
Useful Links:
Chartered institute of purchasing and supply
https://www.cips.org/
Welcome to The Career Interview hosted by Rachael Turner. Each week, Rachael talks to someone to find out more about their career; including what their role is really like and how they got there. The podcast covers a wide range of roles from all different types of industries; from the ones you know about, the ones you think you know about and the ones you don't. So if you're not sure what the right career path is for you, you're considering a career change or you're just a little bit nosey, then this is the podcast for you.