A BA New Media graduate from The University of Wales Trinity Saint David has secured his dream job working for Virgin Media, after using his LinkedIn Learning account to help him apply for the job and to get noticed.
Tom Jenkins from South Wales graduated from UWTSD in 2017. Tom is now a video editor and animator with Virgin Media, working alongside Holly Branson on various projects.
During his time at the University, Tom decided to build up his contacts within the industry and was able to find relevant work experience. He worked for a television studio for 3 months and did some one-off media jobs with a few production companies and some friends, before starting working with another television company for three years.
Within his studies, Tom was also influenced to network and collaborate with brands and agencies after graduating, and one example of this was being present on LinkedIn and using the learning platform.
After graduating, Tom said: “There were a few video editing jobs going and so many people applying for them, it was hard to be seen in the crowd. I saw that LinkedIn had started offering tests to be able to show your skills if you passed. I took a Video Editor test and scored in the top 10%, which displayed on my LinkedIn profile for anyone to see.”
Not long after doing this, Tom applied for his current job, and had the chance to show his skills even further, before being offered the job. He stood out from the crowd by boosting his LinkedIn profile which got him noticed by Virgin.
Film and Media Lecturer Dr Brett Aggersberg said,
“We are very proud of Tom’s achievements since graduating from our course. He has gone from strength to strength, with a professional approach to his skills development within the creative industries. We encourage all film and media students on our Carmarthen based BA Adventure Filmmaking, BA Filmmaking, and our new BA Digital Media Production degrees to use Linked In from their first day of university. It is a brilliant method to show off your skills and experience. It is now an essential part of gaining employment, as many companies within the creative industries review your LinkedIn profile before inviting you to interview. It is also a much more interactive method of showing off your CV with skills ratings, previous experience, testimonials, and links to previous work all possible. We wish Tom the best of luck for the future and look forward to him coming back to provide a guest lecture one day.”
Tom feels that the LinkedIn Learning platform has helped him achieve his dream job and would advise current students to use it to its full potential.
“My advice for current students would be to build up their connections, build your portfolio, look into your favourite brands, and see what they do to attract people’s attention. Use LinkedIn to promote yourself and upskill yourself and gain certificates on LinkedIn Learning.”
Tamara Lewis, Digital Skills Advisor for the Institute of Management and Health at UWTSD said: “Tom’s achievements since completing his degree is a fantastic example of how a new graduate can really excel through continued professional development, commitment and upskilling. Therefore, as a university, we have decided to launch LinkedIn Learning for all of our students, giving them excellent opportunities and skillsets to enter the modern workplace. I would really like to use this opportunity to encourage all students to become present on LinkedIn, and thoroughly use LinkedIn’s learning platform to its fullest advantage, in order to excel in this modern digital world”
