Rolling with the Riptide: submissions for 10th volume open…

Image credit: Riptide Journal

Tucked away at the top of Queen’s building is an office that is home to a little known creative gem. Riptide Journal was founded in 2006 by Dr Sally Flint and Dr Ginny Baily who were, at the time, completing their MA degrees. Originally created to fill a gap in the publishing opportunities for short story writers, Riptide is now accepting submissions for its tenth volume, and has also become increasingly involved in collaborations with other local creative ventures.

As a student looking to gain entry into the elusive world of publishing, however, what Riptide offers is that all important industry experience. After a second year creative writing lecture last year given by Dr Flint, I took a chance and stopped behind afterwards to ask her about volunteering with the journal. A couple of weeks and one informal meeting later, and I was officially a volunteer intern, although I still didn’t really know what to expect.

I was thrown in at the deep end, as the Riptide team were in the midst of publishing the eighth and ninth volumes of the journal, for the first time publishing short stories and poetry simultaneously. Luckily, the existing interns were lovely and I was able to learn from their guidance and experiences whilst finding my feet. One of my first tasks was to assist with the planning and running of an activity at the Children in Need event at the university last year, and I quickly discovered just how much work goes into such an event.

I’ve been volunteering with Riptide for just over a year now, and I have had the opportunity to get involved with all sorts of tasks; from proofreading to ebook conversion, creating publicity materials to playing welcome committee for guest authors and speakers at numerous events. I have had the unique experience of seeing what goes on behind the scenes of a small independent publication from both an editorial and marketing perspective. By the time I leave I will have seen every stage of the publication process, an insight that I would never have gained from a couple of weeks work experience.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience that stands above all else, however, it’s that it’s always worth asking for what you want, because sometimes people might just say yes.

Teresa Gale

Leave a comment below or write to Books at the Facebook Group or on Twitter! For those interested in getting involved in Riptide, find information on an exciting new opportunity below:

Canto Poetry Online Launch: 

Canto is an online poetry sister journal of Riptide being launched next term at 19:30 on 31st of January. We are having a Google Hangout with a panel of professional writers as well as the editors of Canto. We want as many people as possible to tune in because we believe this is what the future of publishing looks like (I know – just go with it). There will also be an opportunity to win a 1:1 workshop with either Sally Flint or Ginny Bailey, both published authors which is an invaluable resource for any budding writer/poet.

Intern-al Affairs

Image credit: IntelFreePress

Alex Thomas examines the making or the breaking of your career…

I’m sure that the majority of you are not worried at all, or haven’t even thought about getting a graduate job. We are, after all, studying at the University of The Year. Employers love that stuff, right? Having gone through the process myself this year, I too started off with a similar attitude. It didn’t take me long, though, before I realised it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but more like a walk around campus; an uphill effort to get to your destination.

We are constantly bombarded with stories of unemployed graduates and high applications to job ratios (56 applicants for every graduate job) which highlight the fact that a good degree alone is not enough.

One way of securing a job upon graduation is by getting a summer internship. High Fliers’ annual review of the graduate market said 75% of graduate vacancies advertised by City investment banks and half the training contracts offered by leading law firms are likely to be filled by graduates who have already completed experience with the employer. Many recruiters are warning graduates who have no previous work experience that they have little chance of receiving a job offer.

Can you afford not to get a summer internship? Having secured myself an accountancy internship this summer, here’s a guide to getting that golden opportunity:

1. Start early and prepare; update your CV and start to think about what industries or careers interest you. Sectors range from marketing and journalism, to engineering and finance, so starting to explore all of your options is a good way to start.

2. Don’t leave your applications too late, they can be time consuming and many companies will fill up before their closing dates, which makes it much harder to get jobs later on. Don’t lose out to the early birds.

3. There are lots of resources for internships or graduate jobs. I found The Times and RateMyPlacement were the best, but other good sources include Target jobs and Milkround. Don’t apply to any old scheme, as there are so many out there. Find schemes that interest you, make a list of potential companies and rank them in order of preference.

4. The application forms can be time consuming and tend to ask similar questions. I found it handy to have a word document with all the questions and my answers, so I could work on them at my own leisure. It’s also handy for the repeated questions that inevitably blight the application process. If the time that you saved a cat from a tree was when you reacted quickly to a bad situation, then why do you need to constantly write up other examples?

5. Apply to at least 12 companies, although for very competitive markets such as investment banking, apply for more. Making a note of the deadlines and the stages you have reached is a good idea so you don’t get confused.

6. Prepare for rejections. If conservation work on the beaches of Costa Rica or conquering your fears with the largest bungee jump in the world didn’t impress employers enough, they were probably just jealous.

7. You may be asked to perform psychometric tests, which include numeracy, verbal and non-verbal reasoning assessments. It is well worth practicing before; you can even buy practice kits if you fancy. It is amazing how many companies use the same testing software with similar questions and answers, so if you practice enough it really does pay off.

8. When you get that interview don’t put too much pressure on it. The key is to be well prepared but also be relaxed and confident in your abilities. It might help you to organise a mock interview so you know what to expect; helpful housemates can be invaluable. Be yourself, because they don’t want someone reeling off standard answers; they want someone who would add something to the company. Glassdoor.co.uk is a really good web-site for finding out what others have been asked in interviews. It may not sound much, but if you are prepared to be asked what their share price is or who the CEO is then you stand a much better chance of getting the gig. Think of it like The Apprentice, but much more friendly. Good luck!

Alex Thomas