This is a tough year to be starting out in the creative industries. With the majority of people working from home, internships are thin on the ground. So how do you get ‘out’ there, build a network and learn about the fundamentals of pitching and talking about money?
Ok Mentor is a brilliant new initiative that has just launched with the simple goal of getting more women into top positions. All free, with no barriers to entry, they offer one-off digital seminars at least monthly (on subjects such as 'Landing the job you want' and 'How to sell your ideas with confidence’), as well as online mentoring sessions.
Aimed primarily at young women in their first job, the free digital sessions would be just as useful for any woman who has reassessed her priorities over lockdown and wants to go freelance or switch to a more creative career - so don’t let age put your off - these sessions could change your life!
Their just-announced November programme will give women the tools they need to break into the creative industries, build resilience, confidence and maintain a strong network. Guest speakers include: Caroline Pay, Chief Creative Officer at Headspace; Tiwa Ogunlesi, Founder of Confident and Killing it; Khyati Chauhan, Head of Strategic Planning at BBC Studios Creative; and Sally Keane, Head of Sales, Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn.
Founded by Stef Stanley of LinkedIn and Liz Stone, CEO of creative agency OK COOL, Ok Mentor is led entirely by female volunteers from companies including Google, Amazon, Bumble and diptyque. Its mission is to give young women the tools to succeed faster, influence the global economy and close the gender pay gap.
‘The new hiring process is taking a toll on graduates who, instead of feeling excited about kicking off their career, are now experiencing anxiety and much more self-doubt than they anticipated,’ says Stef Stanley. ‘Standing out is key during these times, as well as leveraging all the free resources now available as a means to upskill in parallel with applying for jobs. This helps graduates carry interviews better and have a wider array of skills from the get-go.’
BBC Studios Creative and Headspace have partnered with Ok Mentor on the November programme. As part of the partnership, BBC Studios Creative are offering one attendee the opportunity to win a 1:1 mentoring session with Khyati Chauhan, Head of Strategic Planning at BBC Studios Creative. Headspace is also giving away 150 free subscriptions to its meditation app for women who join the programme.
For more information, visit https://www.okmentor.me/programs