The Careers Service’s Chloe Dunmore-Sharples shares takeaways from Sonita Alleyne’s media keynote talk
Sonita Alleyne is a Cambridge philosophy graduate who worked as a journalist and broadcaster, before becoming Master of Jesus College, Cambridge in 2019. Earlier this month she came to the Careers Service to share her top tips for getting jobs in the media, touching on how to prepare and ‘lay the foundations’ for this during your time at Cambridge.
Building a creative portfolio
“When I came to Cambridge, I realised I could be anything I wanted to be”, Sonita shared – and it was this way of thinking that encouraged her to “try a bit of everything”, as she became involved in organising events, writing her own pieces, and acting in drama clubs, all the while meeting new people and learning new skills. From this variety, Sonita said she learned the significance of activity and networking, alongside making opportunities for herself. She emphasised the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and making an effort to go to networking events to get yourself known. Sonita likened working in the media to “selling your creativity”, and explained that the skills that you acquire and develop will help you to market yourself when it comes to looking for a job.
Demonstrating your passion
Studying at Cambridge gives you the necessary theoretical, analytical, and research skills needed to succeed, however students must think about practising and solidifying these skills also. Ideas for this include: joining CamFM, writing your own piece and pitching it to a society, making your own film, and initiating a project. Lay the foundation whilst you are at Cambridge by learning about the different parts of the sector and different business forms, and “show your love of the media by trying out different things”, Sonita advised, adding: “don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s your turn now, or to pick you out of the crowd…”
A career in the media is a series of stepping stones
Learning and progressing
Running through the different types of work and organisations she has been involved with, Sonita highlighted experiences including being a radio presenter at Festival FM, followed by BBC Radio London, where she had two weekly shows. She also did some reporting for Radio 4 and 5, alongside journalism and writing for a jazz publication. “A career in the media is a series of stepping stones, where you are constantly thinking about what you need to do next, and that is why it is always good to seek out moments of truth from other people”, she said, emphasising the importance of continuously learning and talking to people to gain insights, keeping up-to-date, and receiving any feedback on how you can improve and move forward.
Never fearing failure
With regards to pitching ideas, whether it is individually or part of a collective project, you will always be putting yourself in a position where you could fail. Sonita commented, “don’t worry about that, it’s part of the territory in media”. If you keep moving towards your goal and continue learning and improving, people will begin to know who you are.
The key point to take away from this session is to gain as much experience as you can, acquire new skills, continue to learn, and use this to get yourself noticed. Sonita admitted that during her time at Cambridge she didn’t fully investigate the different career options out there, which is something she would go back and change if she could.