Reflection Time...

I believe I have made slow progress in terms of finding my first placement, I thought I would be in Spain by September, already working within design. Even though, I sent out many applications I realised I focused too much on applying to studios in Spain, rather than focusing on a variety of different places such as London or Krakow where I could obtain other interesting opportunities within design. However, I managed to find my first placement now in November, which I was excited to finally begin.

This experience allowed me to develop strategies to solve these types of problems in the future and being prepared for further work opportunities. Having a lot of options rather than one specific idea will always be better in the long run. For my next set of applications, I will apply to a variety of different companies around Europe in order to still pursue my plan of going abroad yet still have a back up plan of staying in London, whether its working for a charity or another design company. I have learnt to send an equal amount of applications in order to be left with more possibilities.

One of the key problems I had was that I did not have prior experience within the industry and I believe this lead to many companies turning me down after interviews or simply rejecting me or not replying to emails. Therefore, now having my first job I do believe it will be easier to find my next placements. However, I also need to work on the way I present my work and myself. In order to gain a bigger interest in my applications I believe I need to display my skills upfront, this will make employers more intrigued. The strategy to solve this problem is to put some of my strongest works into my portfolio rather than everything at once as this may be too much for the employer to look at. Overall, I believe finding my first work placement was a difficult task, however I am glad Uncommonly has taken me in and is providing me with a variety of useful skills and a lot of responsibilities, in order for me to progress within my career and prepare me for my next placement.

Ewa Dykas
Graphic and Media Design 3
@_ewadesign

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