The Media Mentor

Debbie Ford believes LinkedIn works best when it feels like a conversation, not a performance. She created The Chichester Social in 2016 to help companies make the most of the platform, because she felt too many treat it like a megaphone. On this episode we talk about how to avoid that and how to maximise the platform for your job search and networking. The key bit of advice? Be authentic.Debbie's full of more great advice, so give it a listen to help shape your LinkedIn strategy during the very boring job hunt and application process. You can read her blog on whether to pay for the premium service here.If you are finding the hunt for work frustrating and exhausting and want help to sharpen your applications, then mentoring sessions are available via the website.Also there are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share about job hunting, then please get in touch.

This week my guest is Andrea Fox, who presents the news on Absolute, as well as being a Continuity Announcer at ITV. Her career has also included voice-over work, teaching, presenting and being a Tech-op. We discuss what it is like to be freelance and the lessons Andrea has learnt. We find out about managing yourself well and being reliable and trustworthy and how building your brand that way is critical.If you are unsure about freelancing or are stuck in a job and want advice and support about the next career step, then mentoring sessions are available via the website.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

This week my guest is Jon Weeks, a freelance podcast producer, presenter and journalist who came to me for CV advice in 2021 and soon landed a job at the Evening Standard producing their daily podcast. Jon talks to me about the move from radio news into podcast, moving from a full-time role to being freelance and how the world of podcast is being transformed and shaken up by video.If you want advice and support about the next career step like Jon did, then mentoring sessions are available via the website.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

This week I take questions from Seong-Jae Kong who has moved from South Korea to the UK and is studying journalism at the University of Westminster.Seong-Jae wants to know how you develop newsroom skills without being in a newsroom, whether you should specialise or develop multiple skills and talks about his recent BBC interview and what he learned from the experience.If you have questions like Seong-Jae then drop me a line to take part in a future episode.If you want some advice and support about the next career step then mentoring sessions are available via the website.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

Apparently 2026 is the new 2016! So this week I chat to Emily Uchida Finch, who first came to me for advice in 2016. We find out how she's doing ten years later and what her journey has been like. Emily talks about working for an international broadcaster, moving into local journalism and how she broke into podcasting. There are many valuable lessons that she shares, from my initital advice to making herself available for work outside of her 9-5 job.If, like Emily did, you want some advice and support then mentoring sessions are available via the website.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

In this week's episode it's all about creating journalism in a world of changing consumption. Matt Capon is a freelance video journalist who lectures at City, St George’s University of London and the University of Northampton. He thinks a lot of content production by traditional outlets is missing the mark. Here we talk about why and the evolving dynamics between traditional media and new digital platforms.Mentoring advice and career guidance is available via the website.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

This week I chat to Sylvie Proffitt, who first came to me for advice in December 2020. Sylvie was struggling to navigate sports media after graduating from her degree course and was looking to expand her portfolio of work or find a full-time role. Within weeks she was working at BBC Sport and on this episode she talks about how I helped her prepare for interviews and shape her CV to demonstrate her skills and experience. Since then she has worked on a contract, freelance and in a full-time role and we talk about how her career path has not been what she expected - but how working in different roles has had great benefits.Personal and confidential advice, like Sylvie had, is available via the website.There you will also find blogs about CVs, cover letters and the January job hunt.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Media Mentor. I begin this series looking at the New Year job hunt. If you have vowed to find a new role in 2026, this episode covers some key tips. I look at how to layout your CV, the challenges of AI, what to write in a cover letter and how to handle panel interviews. Plus I look at the important things to consider when choosing a media course. More personal and confidential advice is available via the website.There you will also find blogs about CVs, cover letters and the January job hunt.Also on the website are 6 pages of media jobs to browse. There is also a WhatsApp channel for job alerts as I find the listings.If you have any questions about media careers or a story that you would like to share then please get in touch.