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Megan Murphy, Radio & Audio BA (Hons)

How did you get the job and what was the application process like?

I became an ITV News trainee in November 2021 after starting my application process shortly after graduating in July 2021. I had to go through several round of interviews and assessment days before being told I had been successful and would be starting the role of ITV News Trainee in the Jersey newsroom.

Can you tell us more about new role?

Since completing the traineeship in October 2022, I have since accepted a permanent staff contact as a Production Journalist, staying with the ITV Channel team in Jersey. The job in large remains the same to what I had been doing for the year previous. I plan a large role in our digital output, planning for the next days programme and producing our late and weekend bulletins. In the last couple weeks I have also been lucky to start reporting and presenting some of our bulletins. This has been a challenging task, but one that I’m really enjoying and learning a lot from - I’m excited to continue this!

How long has it been since you graduated?

I graduated in July 2021 but due to Covid, I wasn’t able to have a physical graduation. Thankfully, we were able to celebrate as a cohort in June 2022 and attended our graduation ceremony on the Luton campus. It was lovely to see my classmates again and celebrate together.

Are there any aspects of your course or university life that have helped you in your role now?

University life really allowed me to mature as a person, which I feel really helps me in my job today. But in terms of course content, what I learnt during my time at Beds has been invaluable in the world of work. Even though I studied Radio & Audio, the skills have been highly transferable for me moving into television. Moving to a new city, and essentially a new country, I really had to put myself out there and be confident when talking to new people. This is something I have to do every day in my job as I’m constantly dealing with contributors and people I haven’t met.

Did you attend any career workshops whilst at university?

I often attended the Beds Talks events during my time at university which really helped understand the industry better - and were a great place to network too!

What advice would you give to students who are graduating this year?

My advice to upcoming graduates would be to be patient and trust the process. I applied for a few jobs before I managed to land my dream job. Of course it was discouraging to receive knock backs, but I used them as learning opportunities to get better and improve for my next application. I would also say work experience is invaluable! I managed to get several freelance contracts for media outlets off the back of work experience there, and it was these freelance opportunities which allowed me to grow my skills set and in turn be more attractive to future employers.