Looking for a job in the music business is incredibly intimidating and can be a soul destroying process. Six Months into a colossal search I came across WEXO.

After applying to a Music syncing company I visited ‘WEXO Towers’ to have a good old fashioned informal chat with Robin. In my experience, the average recruitment consultant just wants his commission even if you end up in a tortuous role. Robin actually seemed more concerned that I followed my ‘dream’.

I went away with much more clarity and continued to crack on and whittle down my options.

Six months later I’m sitting in a cool, spacious office overlooking the Strand, working as Robin’s assistant. I’ve organised an album launch for Mano de Dios, am putting together a 2012 gig schedule and am overseeing the shooting of a music video. To add another string to my bow I’ve been helping recruit 90 Deputy Logistics Managers (most of them graduates) for UPS at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Sometimes talking to graduates and people looking to build their careers in something exciting and innovative is surreal – because it was me last year, and now I’m helping them (with the assistance of the WEXO team’s guidance and their vast network and knowledge).

There is never a dull moment, not with such variety. One day I can be in the office finding suitable candidates for fresh roles, the next I can be checking out a picking up a ham for our office lunch from shop a in Battersea. My favourite part is the learning and the company.

There are some incredible opportunities out there but you have to dig deep. Sometimes you have to take the ‘scenic route’ but there is nothing better than actually ending up somewhere you look forward to going to each day.

I’ll wrap it up there, I have some ham to eat.

Dominique Edmonds

If I learned one thing from interning as a marketing assistant at Abercrombie and Kent Travel, it was the pretty big difference between how new and well-established companies work. I realised after my first month that A&K wasn’t the same as the start-ups I’d interned for before, like Third Year Abroad and Extreme. It was not so free and easy. My managers were much older, more experienced and had their way of doing things: they expected nothing less than perfection! I left with some really useful contacts and experiences in terms of understanding what was expected in a solid, long-running multinational company like A&K.

For example there are things I took for granted when looking through role descriptions, such as

1. the importance of time keeping;
2. working to a deadline;
3. prioritising and organisation;
4. using one’s initiative and;
5. communicating efficiently with other people to achieve a result.

The advantage of work experience with reputable companies like A&K comes from understanding the importance of these skills, and also picking up others. On a practical level, I learned about editing images, using Excel beyond only spreadsheets, using new software like Common Spot Web Content Management as well as how to write press releases, and executive reports. This kind of know-how is what turns into loads of confidence when applying for jobs.

The final great thing about work experience is that you can discover what sort of work you enjoy doing, the kind of people you enjoy working with and what kind of things you want to get better at. And if it’s not going well then you know you can change direction when it’s over, no strings attached, having made some great contacts.

Alex Janson

Everyone’s telling you what a fantastic idea internships are – how you learn so much, build your CV and get your foot in the doors. All true, but once you’re sold on the idea, having cultivated that ‘can do’ attitude and bagged the internship(s), then making the leap from hungry intern to fully fledged employee can be troubling.

It strikes me the problem is it’s easy to be good value for money to a company when only being paid expenses – almost whatever positive contribution you make will be a help. But to become essential to everyday working life and worth good money, not to lose takes a different skill set than just being a good intern. I’ve done numerous internships whilst attempting to find a way into fashion journalism, and at times I’ve wondered whether I haven’t fallen into an ‘intern trap’ – forever a great intern, without ever being employed.

Sure I’d had great feedback, people were always sorry to see me go – but with the lack of budget allocated to editorial staff, no one was putting their money where their mouth was. Editorial positions are not advertised with ‘competitive salary’… just ‘salary’.

BUT, finally, I was offered my first paid editorial job – editorial assistant and fashion news writer for a well known website. It was temporary, but a huge validation, confirming months of hard work hadn’t been in vain. In taking my first step (which I was convinced I was overly ready for), despite all my work experience, I realised what a big one it actually was. With jobs so difficult to come by, everyone on the payroll has to pull more than their weight – especially newbies. Value for money will now mean more than an inquisitive nature and an exceptional cuppa. All the great ideas you had as an intern will now have to come more frequently, on demand and into fruition if you’re to meet steep expectations.

I say this not just to prepare you for the fact that dream jobs will be hard work even after you get them – I’m sure by the time you get there you’ll be willing to work hard enough to face those challenges. The experience has shone a bit of light for me on how I could have come across a more employable intern because as I now see it, giving an employer what they may want from an intern and what they need in an employee is often very different. Here are my tips on convincing employers you’re up to the job, not just the internship:

1. Take on responsibility wherever you can – think long term projects, e.g. redesigning any inefficient systems they use. Make their lives easier, but do it all yourself – don’t just have the idea, be prepared to see it through and manage the project from start to finish. Let them know when it’s done and how it makes life easier. If possible be the only one to know how the new system works!
2. When work loads are heavy, ask to do the low priority work of the paid staff – depending on your placement you might be doing this already, but use their state of panic as the opportunity to take on new tasks you haven’t yet been asked to do. This will have the effect of narrowing the psychological gap between them and you.
3. Write a list of everything great you’ve done since being in the placement (if you can, include one unfinished project) and have a list of ideas for the future. Request a meeting with whoever is responsible for your placement, present them with the list, your ideas for the future and say you would like to stay with the company and why. Explain why this would be cost effective for them (all the time you would save them, how much more work could be done overall, what impact this would have on the company etc). Most company budgets are strained at the moment – could they afford to take you on part time?

There are so many more ideas that could help with making the jump. If you think of one, post them below and help fellow impoverished graduates get employed. Or just tell other people your experiences – they really do help.

Ruth Gibbs

I think I originally thought it would all be very clear-cut. Finish university, have the summer off and then ‘Bang!’ – straight into the dream job I always wanted… Well it’s a year down the line and I’m afraid to say I’m still looking for it BUT I have spent the last 4 months doing something. Actually doing something every day, having something to get out of bed for and to make weekends feel like they are well-deserved! A friend of mine introduced me to WEXO and after a couple of interviews, I accepted a paid internship.

For the past 4 months, I have been working for new start-up, made.com, an online furniture company, backed by Brent Hoberman, that cuts out the middleman by ordering in bulk and thus delivers at affordable prices. Design or furniture was never something I thought I’d start having an interest in at all so it took a while for me to come round to the idea. My responsibilities here have been varied; I am first port of call for all customer and press enquiries (which can get pretty busy), I also write the design blog on our site and have started doing the copy for product pages. It is a varied role and although I am still trying to explore and pinpoint what I would ideally like to do as a career, it has been an enlightening experience. Working in a small start-up company is educational as you are exposed to all sorts of vocations and involved in many different decisions. Opinions count and working in a small team makes you feel like you’re really part of it.

Since starting here in April, our collection has tripled and we launch a new product every week. This means there is always something to do and with our first deliveries, lots of customers to deal with. This can be quite testing but it does teach you to be patient and deal with all sorts of angry, frustrated or sometimes even happy people!

Looking back over the past few months, this has been time well spent, as I had come to the end of my tether with temping agencies and tedious, unrewarding roles. I have now gained more hands-on experience, feel like a part of something and I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do but I’ve learnt a lot and it has undoubtedly been a good starting point.

Nicola Seagroatt

ANYONE read last Friday’s (26th) Guardian article jumping on the intern exploitation bandwagon? No no… don’t get us wrong, we think intern exploitation is out there and we don’t like it one bit, but seriously, the case study they used, ‘Jake’ – get some common sense!


Jake “ha[s] a master’s from Durham and this is what [he’s] reduced to.”


Everyone’s been talking about intern exploitation after it was highlighted by the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) concern that 1 in 3 are finding themselves in unpaid internships for long periods of time and still not gaining relevant experience. We here at Wexo always encourage companies offering internships on our site to pay their interns so you lucky members are already ahead of the curve in this department. Well done. With the news of 1 in 3 interns exploited here are a few tips to avoid becoming the unlucky one.

1) Make sure you know what you want to gain from your internship AND convey this to the company from the get go. BUT also be realistic. You will probably have to make more than one or two cups of coffee. If you feel the situation is becoming ridiculous, simply politely and intelligently having a conversation with your superior more often than not will resolve the situation.

2) Make sure you know your rights as an intern, a bit of homework in this department will go a long way to ensuring you don’t end up like Jake.

3) A good bit of enthusiasm on your part is going to play a big part in you getting what you want from your internship. If you are always asking questions and prepared to put in that extra bit of effort the people around you in the office are far more likely to get you involved with what they do. Remember: YOU got the internship for a reason, they wanted an intern and they liked something about you. With that in mind, don’t let anything get in the way of making the most of the opportunity.

Read the original article here and all about ‘poor old’ Jake.


Also this might come in handy!

When I first heard of WEXO in the winter of 2008 I was an unemployed ex-student whose decision to study Egyptian Archaeology at University had sorely damaged his hope of finding a job in a recession. It was not a happy time. This was a point when I had signed up to the huge array of job websites on the internet all promising the impossible and almost always resulting in jobs in sales and recruitment, not my idea of a future!

As I filled in my WEXO profile I was quietly pessimistic that it would be like all the others but how wrong I was to be…

Within a week I had three interviews for internships and three very different companies that all appealed to me. After being accepted by two I chose to work for SUPERchick, a women’s personal training and fitness company, which not only provided me with a great holistic approach to a start up company but also filled my CV with some great skills for future employers to mull over. I was once told by a highly influential CEO in London that unpaid work experience was one of the key qualities he looked for in candidates and so I valued it highly. SUPERchick is run by Sky Sports presenter Georgie Thompson and I met some very interesting people on the job. My time was largely spent helping out with day to day office duties.

After this very successful internship I actually went on to work for WEXO itself in Business Development. I spent 7 months involved in all aspects of the business which involved everything from developing a Client Relationship Management tool to helping market WEXO at The Guardian Graduate Career Fair. My time at WEXO has now inspired me to go it alone and build my own start-up. My company, Alexandria Bespoke Libraries (www.alexandria-bespoke.com), builds collections of literature as well as dealing in rare and antiquarian books. This is something I had always wanted to do and working with and through WEXO I not only gained some indispensible skills and contacts but also the inspiration to go it alone!

I am truly grateful to WEXO for everything they have done for me and would recommend them to anyone that was in a similar position to me after university!


Elliott Rampley
thelibrary@alexandria-bespoke.com
www.alexandria-bespoke.com