Enternships Blog

How Recruiting Works Online Posted on Tuesday 21 February 2012 at 13:51PM by Ed

More than 250 million people search for jobs online each month. I thought it might make an interesting post to show you where these millions of job searchers actually go, and how the internet caters for them. It starts with Google...

... or does it? Google is only one option to start your job search. Not all job sites and recruitment companies can cover all of these ways of seeking out candidates.

Of course, there isn't just one job site...

There are hundreds of thousands of job websites. Even with all the different industries and types of searches, many of these jobs sites see little or not visits from candidates. That's where job aggregation sites come in...

The job aggregation sites take feeds of jobs from thousands of job sites and having them on one site, for instance UK startup Adzuna. They help drive traffic to quality roles posted all over the internet. A couple of tips if you're looking for jobs online.

1. Avoid queues. If you're only looking on the biggest sites, chances are so are hundreds people competing for the same position. Look for more specialist sites like Enternships where you can apply for a huge range of different roles where fewer people will suit each role.
2. Avoid shotgun-CV sites. If all it takes to apply for a job is to upload your CV and send it with a click to dozens of organisations, so is your competition. Here at Enternships, every candidate has to pass a 'filter question' where they "pitch" the startups and small businesses on there role.

If you're looking to advertise job roles online

1. Post a job somewhere which provides extra value. Here at Enternships for example, we're on campus so you don't have to be. We travel up and down the country to get to know the Enterprise societies and Career's departments from dozens of Universities.
2. Beware of posting everywhere. If you're posting in generic, popular places then expect a huge number of low quality applicants, which can take ages to to sift through properly.

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Get Into PR with these Incredible Opportunties Posted on Monday 20 February 2012 at 14:18PM by Ed

At Enternships, we've been putting together this exhaustive guide to getting into PR and PR internships, together with eight PR experts. “PR is a fantastic industry to work in and there's never been a better opportunity to get your career started - if you really want it, you'll get that PR job!” - Ben Matthews We're also excited to tell you about PR prom - a must-attend for anyone looking to get into PR - being held on Thursday 23rd February at Shoreditch Town Hall in London. You can book your ticket here.

It's the perfect excuse to dress up and connect with 500 of the Top PR's in the United Kingdom, with all proceeds supporting BrightOne, a volunteer-run PR agency for non-profits, charities and social enterprises.

In exchange for a mere twenty-five pounds, you'll enjoy food, drink (including 'Brite Fizz' cocktails on arrival) along with live entertainment and a DJ set.

Oh, and there's a 10% discount code 'student' to make it an even sweeter deal ;)

We asked our eight PR experts what their best moment in PR has been...

What's Been Your Best Moment In PR? “Winning my first account was special. It was two weeks into my first job as a PR, for a small but growing web design agency that went on to be sold to Gyro and become of the biggest in the world. I had absolutely no PR experience, but had done most of the groundwork for the pitch. 'Social' and digital media was still relatively new, and that one account shaped the rest of my career.” - Vikki Chowney

“Winning Young PR Professional of the Year at the PR Week Awards. I picked up the brochure writing up the awards as I walked out the door. It was nice to see a write up on what I’ve been up to in the 3 years since I graduated and got my first job in PR, as well as see the quality of the other shortlisted PRs – Luke Alexander and Louise Lloyd were even nice enough to congratulate me on the win.

Reading through the write up, there was a pull out quote which really flattered me from one of the judges on the panel - "It's exciting to see such a young talent shaping the future of our industry with such self-effacing modesty". It shows that the nice guys don't finish last after all!” - Ben Matthews

“Achieving national coverage for my clients is the best feeling and if it goes multi-platform i.e. TV, radio, print, it's even better!  This only happens with very newsworthy, timely stories that fit with the interest of a particular journalist on a particular day.  It's tricky and requires well-planned execution.” - Rachael Dines

“Working with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Some amazing people, some amazing stories. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but working with the team  at HMDT, things quickly get put into perspective.” - James Gilheany

“I'm not sure if there is one thing that stands out more than others, but generally there is nothing better than running a campaign for a client that gets brilliant results. There's nothing quite like the buzz of seeing amazing coverage coming through or website hits going through the roof!” - Danny Whatmough

“I guess any campaign which does well is a good moment. I worked on a campaign for Aviva last year which was massive and it was great to be part of that success. Aviva’s first ever global brand campaign, You Are the Big Picture, aimed to bring to life their brand promise to recognise the needs of their customers better than any other insurance company.

To deliver this deeper engagement, Blue Rubicon (my company) democratised the concept of ‘recognition’, by creating a tactic to give tens of thousands of people the chance to see their face projected onto an iconic building in one of six cities across the world. These high impact public projections were delivered by a social media word of mouth campaign and far-reaching media relations, which took Aviva into fertile new ground.

The social media element of the campaign took Aviva from a standing start to a fully integrated campaign using personalised videos, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter to motivate the public to tell their friends and families. Not only did social media secure mass engagement, but it also resulted in mass approval from members of the public who relished the opportunity to get involved.

In addition, for every photo submitted via youarethebigpicture.com and facebook.com/aviva, Aviva also donated £1 to its Street to School programme to support the needs and rights of street children.” - Josh Feldberg

“I should really tell you about how I got a specific piece of press coverage so far, however that would be untrue.  I ran a press trip to Estoril, Portugal a few years ago which was one of the best experiences of my life.  We went in vintage cars to all locations, stayed in some of the best hotels I have ever seen, were taken on speed boats, helicopters and even to the old F1 course. There we got to go in several cars and get up to all kinds of fun.

The press were great people, the food was fantastic, I learnt loads and the weather just perfect. Best of all I was paid to do it!” - Lexi Mills Find out how to get into the wonderful world of PR with our latest PR internships and expert guide.

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Summer in San Francisco with a Grassroots Startup Posted on Tuesday 09 August 2011 at 13:41PM by Ed

This week, Max McQuillan shares a bit of his Enternship experience from the sunny valleys of California.Whilst working with a startup still in alpha mode, he's been able to get out and enjoy the bits around Bay Area too.

Not many internships would have given me the desire to fly across the world but my internship at Playkast, a San Franciscan start up in stealth mode, did exactly that. I have always been fascinated and motivated to start my own business; entering the Dragon's Den competition every year in college and following all the entrepreneur and tech news religiously. The working environment in a startup cannot be beaten for its excitement and motivation to work.

I was regularly checking Enternships.com, looking for the right internship that would suit my skills and that would give me the opportunity to join a very early stage company. It was around mid March when I saw the posting from Playkast. It said that the company was based in San Francisco and was angel funded. That was very reassuring, San Francisco is the home of the start up scene and being funded meant that outsiders had a strong belief in the company as well.

I also really liked that they were hiring 6 interns, which is unusual for a startup, as it meant they had thought about why they needed us and that six people would be needed to carry out those tasks. Once I went through the interview stages and got accepted I had to plan for a summer in America. I got accepted for a summer work visa and then with the help of some friends I sorted out accommodation for 3 months.

So two months after coming across the posting on Enternships and a week after finishing my college exams I flew to San Francisco, unbelievably excited and motivated to help out Playkast in anyway I could. I am now half way through my internship (12 weeks in total) and I still can't believe how lucky I was to find it - so far it has been so much more than I could have ever expected from a start up or even a summer internship.

Upon our arrival we were told that we (the interns) have so much influence that we could change the whole direction of the product and company. That is an unbelievably motivating thing to hear on your first day. This is one of the best things about working in a start up, what you do really can make a big difference. You are given more responsibility than any other internship as there is so few people working everyone is dependent on each other and so you are completely trusted in a way that you don’t find in a lot of other jobs.

So what exactly have I been doing? The company is only just about to enter closed Alpha and so everything is been kept pretty secret. We are using the site a lot; giving feedback and suggestions; and everyday we are taking part in brainstorming sessions, which have been incredibly productive. Preparing for Alpha means we are researching a lot and creating a closed community of users who we think will maximise the web site's potential and give us the best feedback for when we move to Beta.

Since I have come here the whole way I look at websites has changed - I am obsessed with the creation process and how users interact with sites now - literally what every single click does. I am constantly looking for ways to improve, looking for things that work really well and how to maximize them. I think that in the future this mentality could easily stand to me hugely and big a valuable asset.

To sum up my experience thus far, it has been really interesting, challenging and incredibly exciting. Everything I had ever imagined and more. It is pretty cool to be working somewhere where a suggestion for a change in the business one day will see that change implemented the next day. To wake up and know that can happen each day makes you want to go to work and be excited about it!

One thing I know for sure now is that I want to stay in the start up environment with any company and hopefully someday my own. By the end of the summer I will have been part of a team which will have taken a company from basically its birth to its beta stage and I think that is pretty unique experience to have coming out of college.

Here are some more pictures of what I've been seeing whilst in California...

Visiting Yosemite National Park.

Watching Baseball Games

Enjoying the city of San Francisco.

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[VIDEO] Success at Startup Britain, Three Months On Posted on Friday 15 July 2011 at 11:17AM by Ed

Since launching on the 28th March, here's a five-minute video showing what's been happening at StartUp Britain.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp-pfjySzOM?rel=0&w=640&h=390]

What's Been Happening Recently?

The recent Marketing 4 StartUp Britain Week saw the Marketing Agencies Association providing a week of free seminars and workshops in early July. Here's a link to the video recordings.

Startup Saturday, rolling out nationwide this September, is a weekly course to train people how to turn their passion, hobby or skill into a viable business.

StartUp Summer, a project with University College London, will see five teams of students work on their business ideas ahead of a "Dragons' Den" style pitch, as well as compete to win around £15,000 based on how much progress they've appeared to have made.

Follow @StartupBritain on Twitter

 

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Seven Tactics to Become Insanely Employable Posted on Sunday 10 July 2011 at 17:19PM by Ed

Graduate unemployment may be frightening, but the truth is there's plenty of room for jobs if you know how to ask. This is how I built up half a dozen job offers for this summer, by experimenting, failing and investing in relationships with employers.

Like a recipe, most of these elements won’t standup on their own - its up to you to put them all together. Worse, its not a list of simple instructions. What you make of this is really up to you.

Here’s Seven Tactics to Become Insanely Employable... If you were hiring, wouldn’t you want someone who was clued up on you, your company and your industry? Build an informed opinion - read around what you're interested getting into; reading is a fun and fascinating habit, even if you’ve never really picked up a book before, A few great places to start if you need some help...

• TED TED is an organization. Their mission is to put remarkable people in front of an audience, and give them 20-minutes to share their idea. The videos are then shared freely across the world. I can guarantee you’ll find something and someone of interest on there.
• Twitter You’re not on Twitter? It’s not just for insights into Paris Hilton’s life and “tweeting” your feelings and grid co-ordinates every few minutes. No, the real upfront value of Twitter is following people, companies and blogs posting really interesting stuff. Its the ultimate, personalized newsfeed. And as you find people you like, Twitter’s perfect for engaging with them too.
• Amazon UK and US Amazon’s recommendation engine, the banks of reviews and huge range of books and DVDs, digital and hardcopy - there’s bound to be some book, or even just an author to follow and read up on.

Become an industry expert. And prove it. Besides, the act of writing forces you to think and express your ideas with clarity. Writing is more than stringing words together; a good writer shows clear communication, the ability to make things simple to understand.

• Go start a blog or website. Share your thoughts, commentary and ideas about the industry and niche you want to get into.
• Go retweet. Engage people on Twitter, share new and interesting links and posts with your followers. Build an audience.
• Go comment on topical forum threads, blog posts and other news.
• Go and learn to become a better writer.

Bigger corporations and brands have the attention (and therefore, the competition) for job-seekers. They may well be great jobs, but what’s more attractive is small businesses and startups where jobs may not be so well advertised, but more importantly, there are more “roles” to fill. Do they have an online marketing expert? A legal expert? Someone who can really nail the accounting and finance?

Small business owners can’t be everything - the best one’s recognize this and build teams around them to fill in the gaps. They needn’t have to post an official “job offer” for you to stand a chance getting in there. See how Fiona created her own job via Enternships. Employers are human. They like gifts. A gift needn’t be a box of chocolates or some extravagant hamper (that *could* be seen as manipulative).

If they’re blogging, retweet and comment on their posts. Introduce more people to them, their goods and services. Send birthday cards. Heck, think about shipping a book to their door that you’ve found really useful, and perhaps mention how you could implement some of the ideas in their organization. Don't invade, but think on the edge of the box. Understand what makes a gift too.

This naturally leads onto a special type of gift. The gift of time... Get on a train. Go meet employers in their offices, shops and at events. Go help them. Apply a little of what you’ve read around about the industry, ideally something new. My ‘party trick’ is talking through the power of search engine optimization and other highly-effective online marketing tactics. What's yours?

Often, small business owners aren’t be experts at everything, and will appreciate your insight, hence why they hire outsiders. There's no better way to prove yourself and your commitment than by being face-to-face. How many of your jobless friends would think of that?

• Who are you following who you could contact?
• When in the next month could you spend time in an office with a small businessmen? Can you clear a day in your calendar?
• What can you do to make their time worthwhile? Seeing and meeting you should be a no-brainer for them. What do you have to offer?

Internships are the *perfect* way to get your foot in the door. It opens up the opportunities being inside a company, but without the commitment of a job just yet by the employer. Your chance to show off your true qualities in a workplace.

Since you’re not demanding the commitment of a fulltime job, its easier to go and ask for internships at even better companies that you might never be able to get a fulltime job upfront, so you can be even more ambitious. Finally, you’ve got to ask. You don’t ask, you don’t get. No one’s going to go and “anoint” you with a job. Ask nicely, but make your request clear, short and actionable. Ask a specific yes/no question. Something along the lines of: Hello.

My name’s John Smith, and I’d love the opportunity to intern with Gapplesoft this summer - I’ve been following your company and your blog for the past two years, and I love how you produced such simple, useful software.

I’m a computer science undergraduate currently studying at Manchester University, I’ve built my own web-application here (awesome-link.com) and I’m planning for a career in the software industry. I think Gapplesoft would be a great place to start!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

John Smith @JohnSmithy 01234 567890 Remember, you must never, ever send email. You gotta send “me-mail”. Me, me, me... my favourite person me. Think of the guy you’re trying to scrounge a job off - what do they care about? Write everything from that perspective.

Or you can take the simpler option, and fill out your profile here on Enternships. It’s quick, easy and free.

Oh, I lied. There’s one more thing... The laws of economics side with whatever's scarce. There’s only one of you, so play the field! Rinse and repeat these techniques with different companies, and build up an array of different job offers.

Of course, if you stick around the same industry, or related industries, what you’re reading, writing and doing will all rub-off on each other. For instance, I love the online marketing industry, but also the tech and startup space. The two go hand-in-hand, and so I get to leverage what I’m doing in both fields.

And when you’ve got lots of companies who know who you are, love what you do and are itching to give you a job, you only stand to win! Enjoyed this post? What are your top tips for getting jobs? Share your ideas on Twitter with the hashtag #InsanelyEmployable UPDATE: Here's what people have been saying

1. @BaltejW Get as much work experience as possible (ideal for knowledge and networking) #InsanelyEmployable
2. @endamcshane always do what you say you are going to do + return calls no matter how difficult they might be! #InsanelyEmployable
3. @isoworg Don't be a specialist, there are lots of those; be a polymath. Even better, be a multi-specialist. #insanelyemployable
4. @Andrew_Isidoro Check and double check your online social media presence...employers won't want to see your latest drunken antics! #InsanelyEmployable

We've also got a competition running (closing in just a few days!); win work experience and £1000 here at Enternships.

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How The City is Crushing Young Entrepreneurship in the UK Posted on Wednesday 09 March 2011 at 18:16PM by Ed

Economies are built on new businesses being started. Jobs are created, problems are solved and money flows. Why is it then, that starting businesses and being an entrepreneur is never encouraged in schools?

Whenever I ask anyone at school who wants to be “rich” (why wouldn’t you want to be rich?) what they want to do, they’ll reply one thing: investment banking.

Yes, it gets bad rap, but since that’s the only news we hear. The underlying message is “investment bankers get tonnes of money”. So why wouldn’t you chase such a “fulfilling” career path? Smart kids, would-be entrepreneurs, who have the potential to make real change and economic benefit are following this kind of wisdom:

Its a job. Therefore its safe

It fulfilling. You can buy whatever you want

Its a no-brainer, and I’m prepared to fight to get to the top

We’ve created a culture where kids are growing up blinded by money as a vision for success. Job. Earn lots of money. Retire. Who’s idea was that to call that “a life”

Tim Ferriss is right to point out in 4-Hour Work Week. “We don’t want to be millionaires. We want to live like millionaires”. In other words, its not about the money. Its about creating high-income per hour rates so you can free up your time (and live a little). The first thing I say to folks who just want to earn lots of money is go read Tim Ferriss’s book! Here’s a quick summary...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYpRja0-vrU

Sure, The City supports our economy and I’m not advocating we shut it down (just imagine...), but is it neuteuring the next-generation of entrepreneurs at source? Right when they’re young, easily influenced and desperate to pay off some student debt?

I wonder then, if sites like Enternships are the answer? What happens when you "infect" teens with that small business buzz, and that rewarding feeling of making real change at a young age? The Entrepreneurial Virus. Share your thoughts in the comments below, and spread the word.

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Enternships and Incredible Opportunities Posted on Wednesday 09 February 2011 at 08:26AM by Ed

It was in the summer of 1968, and a young, fresh-faced teen found his passion and calling; computer programming. Back then, computers weren’t just rare, but treasured artifacts that even colleges and universities didn’t have.  But this lucky teen just happened to go to Lakeside school which had a computer.

Through time invested spending nights and weekend in front of a computer, a genius was born. By the time he dropped out of Harvard University, he was one of the smartest programmers around.

His name is Bill Gates. And all he needed was that opportunity.

Opportunities, or “luck” are one of the key components of creating incredibly successful, talented people. The other ingredient is time - 10,000 hours if you’ve read Malcolm Gladwells book, Outliers.

My Opportunity

Last summer, my opportunity landed. Somehow I landed my dream internship with a company called Distilled, which if you’re in search marketing and online reputation management (areas I’m really interested in) is a big deal. I spent two weeks dissecting big-name clients’ websites alongside some of the best brains in the industry. It was awesome.

I think I got incredibly lucky. Two paths just happened to meet. With Enternships, that all changes. A match-making service for awesome entrepreneurs to spark something off with a new intern.

Enternships = Incredible Opportunities.

For both the employer and the intern, it's a huge win. Who doesn’t say no to a young, energetic partner to go and grow a business with? Take a look at this video an imagine this fusion of entrepreneurship and fresh young faces in your business.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/7558732 w=400&h=200]

What opportunities can you create?

Opportunities are all around us. Perhaps you run, or are part of a company that is changing the world a little? A small business or even just a startup, a little seedling of opportunity. It starts when you arrive at the Enternships homepage.

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