Help Me Investigate Work Placement Report

Between July 8th and July 19th, I gained work experience at Help Me Investigate - a website which helps people and journalists investigate topics in the public interest. After conducting investigations as part of my university degree, I wanted to experience this practice in the working world. Investigative journalism is a possible career choice for me so it is important to build up knowledge in this area.

As part of the placement, I helped sub-edit a number of stories. This involved me improving the writing of other Help Me Investigate contributors so the work was more interesting to read. Click here to read an investigation into the London 2012 Olympics, which I edited.

Furthermore, I attended the CIJ Summer School (discussed in my previous post) as part of my work placement. I live-blogged and tweeted for Help Me Investigate during the investigative journalism course. Click here to see my live blog. I believe this exercise helped improve my social media skills and gave me an insight into conducting live blogging. After returning, I wrote up the classes from the CIJ Summer School and summarised them into 'top tips' and 'how to' posts. Click here to read my finished articles from the CIJ Summer School.

Attending this event as a Help Me Investigate contributor also helped me with my communication skills. I used the CIJ Summer School to network and create contacts in the investigative journalism industry. I handed out business cards and discussed Help Me Investigate's work with various individuals. This made me more confident to speak to others and really pushed me out of my comfort zone, which I found exciting and intriguing. 

To add to this, I assisted Help Me Investigate with ongoing investigations. This involved me chasing stories and quotes from a variety of individuals and companies. I found that this task helped improve my telephone communication, which I feel I need practice in. I believe my confidence has grown when speaking to professionals in regards to retrieving quotes and information.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Help Me Investigate. I think my knowledge of investigative journalism has significantly grown and conducting investigations outside of university has definitely benefited me. I wish to gain more experience within this industry in the future.

Abbey Hartley

Sixty Nine Degrees Work Placement Report

Last week, I completed a work placement at the fashion and lifestyle magazine, Sixty Nine Degrees, as an Editorial and PR Assistant. I was very excited to gain experience at this company, as it was shortlisted for 'Magazine of the Year 2012' at the Midland Media Awards. 

The week started off with a team meeting where I gained an insight into the structure and organisation of a magazine company. A printing deadline was due at the end of the week so it was crucial for the team to discuss work loads. Magazine deliveries were also arranged between the colleagues.

After the team meeting, I performed many tasks to good standard whilst on my week long placement. I posted print stories from the magazine onto the online platform, so Sixty Nine Degrees's website was kept up to date. I completed the whole magazine as well as an issue of Dluxe, which is Sixty Nine Degrees's sister publication. The team were pleased with how quickly and efficiently I delivered this task. To add to this, I learnt new skills from posting online features. I gained knowledge in using WordPress and Adobe Photoshop, which are soft wares I needed extra practice in. I now feel confident using these programmes.

Another task I was assigned included to write 'diary' features for Sixty Nine Degrees's next issue. This involved me writing 50-100 word summaries of up and coming events in the Midlands. The team were impressed with my work and emphasised how my writing would appear in the next printed issue. It's very satisfying to think my work will be used in the magazine and read by thousands! Furthermore, I transcribed interviews Sixty Nine Degrees had conducted with winners from the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards. I had to complete this task under pressure as the work had to be finished before the printed deadline. I transcribed the interviews to high standard and prior to the required deadline. I got a taste of what working to magazine time frames is like and I loved the rush and excitement of this office situation.

During my work placement, I worked alongside Sixty Nine Degrees's PR professional as well as the editorial team. I am eager to gain experience in the PR sector as I believe it compliments journalism well and also further opens up future opportunities for me. I attended PR meetings with Sixty Nine Degrees's clients, where negotiations and deals were discussed. One of these clients was another magazine in the Midlands area. Sixty Nine Degrees were proposing editorial ideas to them and would therefore be paid for writing articles for the client. The meeting went well and many editorial features were agreed. 

The second PR meeting I attended was with a hotel client in Brindley Place, Birmingham. This time, Sixty Nine Degrees were discussing advertisement and competition opportunities. The magazine wanted to advertise the hotel in return for revenue. After negotiating for an hour, myself and Sixty Nine Degrees's PR professional secured an A4 page advert, a competition and an editorial review of the hotel. This provided Sixty Nine Degrees with some significant extra income and loyalties with a client. 

I learnt so much in just a short space of time at Sixty Nine Degrees. I gained insight into the organisation and structure of a magazine company; I learnt how to use WordPress and Adobe Photoshop more effectively; I experienced working to deadlines and under pressure; I learnt what PR negotiating with clients is like. Overall, I believe that after completing a work placement at a fashion and lifestyle magazine, I am one step closer to securing my dream job in this journalism sector.

Abbey Hartley

Birmingham Mail Work Placement Report

Earlier this month, I completed a week long work placement at the Birmingham Mail. I was very excited about this prospect, because I had never gained experience at a newspaper before and it's vital to do so as an aspiring journalist. 

On my first day at this regional newspaper, Margaret Thatcher passed away, causing the news room to be extremely busy and hectic. I was given a news story to write which then later appeared in the newspaper and online. Click here to read my article on celebrity Twitter tributes to Margaret Thatcher! I believe I learnt new skills from completing this task. I experienced what it is like working to deadlines and under pressure. This article had to be completed by the end of the day and I managed to finish it in plenty of time. 

Another major task I completed was to conduct vox pops with the general public. This was for a feature in the Birmingham Mail called 'Centre of Attraction', where Birmingham residents speak about their favourite part and place in Birmingham. I really enjoyed this task as I ventured out of the office into the city centre and got talking to lots of different people. My work later appeared in the newspaper and I received praise from my colleagues.

Whilst at the Birmingham Mail, I also experienced what a newspaper office is like. I got a taste of the news room environment which I found fascinating and interesting. I believe I learnt a lot at the Birmingham Mail and I can't wait to put my new skills into action at future newspaper work placements.

Abbey Hartley

King Edward VI College Work Placement Report

In January 2013, I spent two weeks at King Edward VI College in Stourbridge, gaining some insight into the career of teaching. Being a teacher is a possibility for me, so I thought getting some hands on experience within the sector would be vital and insightful. 

As a previous student at this third placed sixth form college nationally, I studied the subject of Communication and Culture. This is where I first discovered my passion and interest for media study. I enjoyed this subject so much that I achieved an A* at A Level, indicating that I had a natural flare for Communication and Culture.

During my two weeks at King Edward VI College, I assisted in Communication and Culture lessons, as well as some Film Studies and English classes too. I talked to AS and A Level students about their coursework and used my knowledge and experience of media to help them improve their writing. Watching over a lesson being taught has also provided me with a vast amount of information about teaching skills and techniques.

I challenged and pushed myself during my two weeks of work experience. I never thought I’d teach a lesson in just three days of settling back into King Edward VI College. I led two Communication and Culture extension classes to A Level students, by helping them analyse and understand academic readings. I hoped my experience of university work and an A* grade would significantly help the students with their studies. I was a bit nervous about this task, but it went extremely well. I also gained an insight into the lesson planning process when preparing for these extension classes.

In just two weeks, I learnt a vast amount about teaching techniques and what being a teacher involves. Being a journalist is still my most desired career but teaching will definitely act as a back up.

Abbey Hartley

Bareface Media Work Placement Report

In January 2012, I completed a two week work placement at a company called, Bareface Media, who specialise in services such as website design, online marketing, social media marketing and graphic design. This digital marketing agency works with various organisations and companies from solicitors firms to manufactures, to create an effective corporate identity and house style. Ultimately, Bareface Media helps their clients receive more customers and awareness within society.

My role when working with Bareface Media was to be an Account Executive. This involved performing routine tasks within the office to help the agency’s work run smoothly and effectively. I worked alongside the professionals in the office and completed a number of specific tasks. One major job of mine was to write website content for one of Bareface Media’s clients. This manufacturing company specialises in locks, hinges and latches and Bareface Media were assigned to create and design a website for this client. My role was to provide all of the written content which would appear on the website. I found this task very difficult, as I did not know anything about the subject area of locks, hinges and latches. I had to research the topic to help with my writing. I also found writing website content a lot harder than I thought it would be. The words had to be eye-catching, dynamic and effective to grab the reader’s attention when online. After completing this task, I learnt the important techniques needed to write an ideal piece for the client's website. To add to this, I realised that I did not want to work on written website content in a future career, especially if it is on a topic I am unfamiliar with.

I learnt even more about this client when the Managing Director provided me with a short presentation in regards to all the different types of customers. He explained how we should be aiming the website towards these customers. I learnt a lot from this presentation. I did not realise how many different types of clients there were for some companies. It was really fascinating to receive in depth knowledge on the background of this industry.

Another task I was given to complete was to receive a number of printing quotes from various printing companies. Bareface Media needed four A3 glossy sheets to give to a client. This involved me researching local printers and communicating with them over the telephone. I then compared all of the price quotes to find out which was the best value. It was important to discuss deadlines with the printing companies to ensure that the documents would be ready for the desired date. Further to this, I had a different task to complete which also involved communicating on the telephone. This time I had to take messages for the Managing Directors whilst they were busy in meetings. I was very nervous when first completing these jobs as I have never felt confident talking over the telephone. However, I believe these small tasks raised my confidence significantly and improved my communication skills, particularly over the telephone.

Whilst on my work placement at Bareface Media, I was given a variety of tasks involved with website design. I learnt how to create site maps, which are planned layouts of the pages within a website. I had no idea such planning and organisation went into the structure of a website. I believe this task made me more aware of the website planning process. I also edited a number of photos for Bareface Media’s mobile site by using Adobe Photoshop. This consisted of me altering the size and shape of image files. I had not experienced the use of this software before, so I gained a number of new technological skills when completing this task. To add to this, I received an insight into website design by observing my colleagues at work. It looked extremely complicated, detailed and confusing which has encouraged me to not want to work in the website design industry in the future.

Further to this, I was asked to create a site map for a client who Bareface Media were meeting with in the office. I had to work quickly and effectively under pressure, as the site map needed to be completed under a time scale for a deadline later in the day. I got an idea of what working to deadlines felt like when conducting this job. I found this very pressurising. However, when delivering the work on time to good standard, I felt very pleased and proud of myself which was extremely rewarding.

Conducting job sheets was another task given to me. Job sheets record and file every task Bareface Media has to complete. The date opened, whether the job is active, the client it is for, the job number and who made the sale are all written on the job sheets. This helps the agency keep track of their jobs. This is some of the only information written on paper within Bareface Media, so it was important to complete this task accurately. I also had to check whether these jobs were written on Bareface Media’s Excel files and add any to the grid that were missing. This gave me a huge insight into the organisation behind a business. I found it interesting to see the hidden tools of Bareface Media.

One task I found extremely interesting was helping a colleague create and design a brochure for a client on Adobe InDesign. We had been given all of the information and images to place inside the brochure. Our job was to organise the layout and to make the brochure look visually dynamic. I had completed very similar work to this in a university degree module, so it was great to see these techniques used in the working world rather than in the classroom.

On a whole, I would evaluate my performance at Bareface Media positively. I believe I learnt many new skills quickly, as I was experiencing new environments and blended into the company very well. I feel that I put in as much effort as I possibly could and completed tasks to the best of my ability. I also think that I multi-tasked to good standard, due to completing a variety of jobs at the same time. Further to this, I believe I applied skills I learnt in the classroom at university, to help complete tasks effectively whilst on work placement.

Abbey Hartley