LinkedIn Webinar on Thursday 7th May

Steve Vasco

LinkedIn is an important resource for animation graduates; in recent years it has become one of the principal ways in which aspiring animators can get their work notice and - crucially - land that elusive first job in the industry.

Tomorrow Thursday 7 May at 5pm Steve Vasko from LinkedIn is giving a free webinar on personal branding.

Steve Vasko is the Manager of Customer Success at Linkedin and has over 20 years of experience in high tech industries. In this webinar Steve will explain how to build your personal brand at Linkedin - something we recommend all our students do.

About Steve Vasko

Prior to working at LinkedIn, Steve worked at Autodesk, focused on the Media and Entertainment industry in marketing and supporting products such as Maya, Flame and 3ds Max.

Linkedin

"Evening With..." Steve Vasko
For this new "Evening With..." event, the focus will be on how to build your personal brand with LinkedIn, how to make your profile attractive and useful to employers, and how to keep on learning throughout your career. You can see Steve's Linkedin profile here.

Where and when
Sign up at Zoom on Thursday 7th May at 5pm.

Sign up
Click here for free sign-up. You will need to set up a Zoom account.  

Linkedin profile of Escapee Laura Knight, animator at Jellyfish Pictures

The Importance of Linkedin
All our students and recent graduates should have a well-curated Linkedin profile. As one animation recruiter put it recently: "I live on Linkedin".   Linkedin is where recruiters go to find talent, and find out what talent is now available - or will be available soon.  Above all, Linkedin is "your brand".

Updated Your Profile Today
You should update your status regularly; for recruiters, availability of talent is key. Are you looking for work right now, in a month's time, or three months? If you are looking for work, make sure you say you are available. If you know you will be free in a couple of months, say so.

Recruiters are often looking for talent to begin work on a project a few months down the road. Your status at Linkedin should say that you are "available for work" or, if your contract is coming to an end, "available for work from [date]".

Linkedin profile of Martin Kamminga at Escape Studios

LinkedIn Checklist

• Be on LinkedIn. Sign up now!
• Make sure your latest demo reel is clearly visible at the top of your profile and easy to find. Remember, studios hire principally on the strength of your reel. 
• Connect to all the animation recruiters you can find. They will connect with you. 
• Make your LinkedIn profile attractive - design your own custom banner that brands you as an artist - don't use the default blue background. 
• If you are available for work, say so. Your profile should say "3D animator - available for work". Or "available for work from [date]".

To see how to embed your demo reel at LinkedIn, read this blog post.

For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days,  take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK.