This past weekend, the fourth annual Women In Media Conference was held at The People’s History Museum. Organised and run by an all-student team from the Manchester Media Group, the conference showcased influential women who have succeeded in careers in the media and gave attendees the opportunity to learn from them through a mixture of panels, workshops and speeches.
Women who attended this year’s conference told Her Campus at Manchester what they learnt.
Hannah Tarling, History and Politics
“Think outside the box. You’re not going to get a job in your preferred area straight away so try things that are a bit left field and build your experience. Look at smaller organisations where you have a better chance of getting a job and use it to build the skills that will get you the job in the area you want. Go for the opportunities which may not be the best immediately but will give you want you need to get to your end goal.”
Isabel Duffield, English Literature and Language
“During your time at a job you may not always feel like you’ve earnt the right to be there. The panelists referred to it as ‘imposters syndrome’ and it felt good to know that you’re not alone in feeling undeserving of a certain role. Most importantly, I learnt that feeling like an imposter isn’t okay. You got to the place you’re in because you’re intelligent and worked for it. You deserve to be where you are.”
Hana Kelly, Linguistics and Senior Editor at HC Manchester
“The conference taught me to always check, double check, a thousand times check my facts. It also taught me that this industry will not be easy and working hard is the only way to get what I want and move forward. However, most importantly, the conference taught me to not hold back. Being a woman is something to be proud of, it’s not something that should hold me back. I will be, I am, a woman in media.”
Bec Oakes, Editor-In-Chief at HC Manchester
“Have the confidence of a mediocre white man. Men and women typically have different approaches when it comes to navigating the working world. Men take a shot [at jobs, promotions, etc], whether they’re fully qualified for the position or not, whereas women often lack the confidence. Go for it. Put yourself and your talent out there. Best case scenario: you’ll be given opportunities you never thought were possible. Worst case scenario: they’ll say “no” and you’ll simply move on to your next opportunity to grow.”
And, the most important thing we learnt at Women in Media 2019 came from the Business Director of Creative Concern, Faye Bulleyment: KNOW YOUR WORTH!