Telling about the job search path of art students

Telling the job search path of art students. Everyone will start job hunting after graduation, and different people will encounter various kinds of job search on their job search journey. difficulties. On the road to job hunting, we move forward bravely. The following is about the job search path for art students! Talking about art students’ journey to find a job 1

“I was rejected again” This is Tan Weiwei’s recent status in school. Tan Weiwei, who is studying piano at a music conservatory in Beijing, is about to graduate, but she seems to be facing the dilemma of being unemployed upon graduation.

“I went to many orchestras and schools to apply for jobs, but there are too many people looking for jobs in our industry and too few people are needed.” It is difficult to find a job. It is even more difficult for art students to find a job. Not long ago, major music schools recruited This has kicked off the 2010 enrollment period, setting off another wave of applications for music conservatories.

On one hand, there is a heated situation with hundreds of people competing for an enrollment quota, but on the other hand, it is an embarrassing dilemma where it is difficult for music conservatory graduates to find employment. "When we first took the college entrance examination, our major only recruited 20 people, and it is said that nearly 400 people signed up for the exam.

When the results were released at the end, I saw my name behind No. 14. I jumped up immediately, feeling that I was not far away from my dream of being an 'artist'."

Recalling her success in the exam, Tan Weiwei's eyes flashed with light. In September last year, when her senior year had just begun, Tan Weiwei started to apply for jobs.

She thought that with her excellent grades and school background, she would receive good news soon, but to her disappointment, she has not yet found a job that satisfies her.

At first, Tan Weiwei wanted to stay in school, but was told that she had to be at least a graduate student to be eligible. Since she often takes piano lessons with primary and secondary school students in her spare time, she thought that since she couldn't be a university teacher, it would be good to be a middle school teacher, so she applied for a music teacher position in a high school in Beijing.

Unexpectedly, on the day of the interview, there was a long queue of hundreds of people in front of the examination room. The candidates all had similar backgrounds and conditions. The school originally had no work experience restrictions, but during the actual recruitment process it raised the requirement to have more than two years of teaching experience.

When asked about the recruitment situation of the orchestra, Tan Weiwei began to shake her head, "Not to mention the competition in the orchestra, all those who can be recruited are top talents. And the piano is not an instrument in the symphony orchestra. Yes, if you want to be in an orchestra, you can only be a solo performer.

Not everyone can be like Lang Lang and Yundi Li. "It's very difficult to find a job in this industry. In fact, many people have changed careers."

Many students in Tan Weiwei’s class feel helpless and confused when applying for jobs: Since they only studied music in college and do not know programming, multiple foreign languages, or international trade, they have no choice when it comes to finding a job. Compete with students majoring in other cultural majors;

To change careers, you must start from scratch, and you must constantly lower your salary requirements: from 6,000 yuan per month at the beginning to 4,000 yuan and 3,000 yuan later. "Another heavy price to pay for changing careers is to give up all the family's investment in us for nearly 20 years."

Tan Weiwei said. Stay or follow a path with unclear future. Liu Ziyu, who studied violin in Beijing, did not find an ideal job when she graduated, but she insisted on staying in Beijing. She firmly believes that as long as she stays here, she will one day realize her music dream.

Every week, Liu Ziyu will go to the music school to teach students, and can earn 3,000 yuan a month; on weekends, she finds opportunities to perform in hotels and restaurants, and when the pay is high, she can earn 3,000 yuan a month. You can also earn thousands of dollars by taking on some gigs.

Although they are all odd jobs, Liu Ziyu said that except for a few top talents, this is almost the best income that students in this major can currently get.

And the students who can achieve such an income are those with high professional standards, good appearance and good luck. Although she can earn nearly 8,000 yuan a month through hard work, Liu Ziyu still feels that she is getting further and further away from her original dream.

Eating packed lunches and catching the subway every day have become the main theme of her life. Because some jobs are temporary, they don’t even have medical insurance or social security, let alone buying a house to settle down.

Chen Bin, a 2007 graduate of the Orchestral Department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, also had a similar experience. After graduation, he insisted on staying in Shanghai and began a "career of odd jobs": he would go wherever there were performances.

Shopping malls, restaurants, plazas, recording studios... these performances can bring him an income of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan per month. "I share a one-bedroom apartment with a friend, and I have to share the rent of 1,300 yuan per month. I usually eat out, and I have to eat at least 1,500 yuan a month.

Transportation expenses are at least 1,500 yuan per month. I got 400 yuan.” Sometimes he had to take a taxi because he was in a hurry, and Chen Bin would regret it afterwards and blame himself for not leaving the house earlier.

In addition, there are also (continued from the content of the letter online) mobile phone bills, water, electricity, gas bills, Internet fees, musical instrument maintenance fees and other expenses. Even though he is busy running around every day, in the end he is still a homeless person. A moonlight clan with no savings and no entertainment life.

Although Chen Bin has worked very hard in the past two years, not only has he not recovered the nearly 500,000 yuan his parents invested in learning music for him, but he has also relied on his parents from time to time. Help life.

"I won't go back if I don't do well." One day, such an advertisement suddenly appeared on TV, and Chen Bin couldn't help feeling a little sad.

After a few years, the experience of working hard in a small house in Shanghai made him feel that his original enthusiasm for learning music was gradually worn away by life.

As for returning home to start a business, he now has no courage, which makes him often feel that he cannot see his future path clearly. It is easier to find a position in second-tier cities. "Actually, music conservatory graduates do not necessarily have to stay in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to make a difference." Zhang Bingbing, permanent conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Tianjin Conservatory of Music, believes this.

In 2003, Zhang Bingbing, who graduated from the Conducting Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, went to the Vienna State Opera to study opera conducting.

After returning to China in 2004, many orchestras invited him to serve as chief conductor with high salary, but he chose to go to Tianjin Conservatory of Music as the permanent conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Zhang Bingbing, who grew up in Beijing, said that the first reason for this choice is "considering that I am still young and can engage in art at the conservatory and further study";

The second reason is that "After Mr. Tan Lihua left the Tianjin Conservatory of Music in the mid-1980s, the college has been lacking a professional conductor where I can get better training."

Over the past few years, Zhang Bingbing has been traveling back and forth between Beijing and Tianjin. The salary Zhang Bingbing received from school was not enough for his travel expenses, but he gained great satisfaction in his career: in 2005, he successfully directed He also conducted the opera "The Magic Flute", achieving the "zero breakthrough" in complete opera rehearsal since the Tianjin Conservatory of Music was founded.

With the joint efforts of him and other teachers in the department, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Tianjin Conservatory of Music has now become the third largest student orchestra in the country after the Central Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Zhang Bingbing often uses her own experience to educate students: When seeking employment, you must consider your own abilities and the actual financial situation of your family. Sometimes you choose to go to second-tier cities for development, and you may be able to find your own place and study music. The fun part.

Zhang Bingbing has a student who is from Northeast China. His professional level was not very good when he first entered the school, but he was very diligent and hardworking. On the eve of graduation, this student set a goal for himself - to apply for the Beijing Central Opera House.

But because the competition was too fierce, he failed to pass the exam, so he decided to take the exam again the next year.

When he asked his teacher for advice, Zhang Bingbing suggested that he try the newly established Guizhou Symphony Orchestra.

After entering the Guizhou Symphony Orchestra, although the monthly salary was only about 4,000 yuan at the beginning, the employer attached great importance to this student and made him a regular student after one year. He was promoted to the position of deputy chief, and his salary was increased to more than 6,000 yuan per month.

As for the best China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, the general income of musicians is 6,000 to 8,000 yuan per month. Considering the performance opportunities and cost of living, the student believed that his original decision was the right one and was very grateful to Teacher Zhang.

“China’s symphony music is gradually emerging. Symphony orchestras in Hebei, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing and Shenzhen have been reorganized and their influence and activity are increasing. Conservatory of Music graduates may wish to apply for jobs. "Broaden your horizons and take a longer view," Zhang Bingbing suggested! Talking about art students’ journey to find a job 2

How unpopular is my major? For art, what you can think of might be design, painting, music, film, etc. But my major is more theoretical, which is art history.

I graduated from the Department of Art History, one of the eight major art academies in China. In fact, this major abroad is generally set up under the Department of Literature, not the Academy of Fine Arts.

When I was a junior in college, I determined that I was not suitable and unwilling to study art history or art theory all my life, so during my graduate school period I changed to a more practical major, namely Hong Kong. in Cultural Management from the Chinese University of China.

In addition to my educational background, my internship experience is mainly in two aspects:

1. Internships related to my major, such as cultural fairs, independent film festivals, cultural research, etc. To be honest, I don't want to call these internships, because most of them are just soy sauce.

2. Internet. This was the only internship I took seriously during my undergraduate studies and did more than two months of internships. During the summer vacation of my junior year, I worked in product operations at Sina, and this experience paved the way for me to later apply for a job at an Internet company.

However, the main purpose of this post is not only to share my job search path, but also to share and discuss my mental journey and future career choices with fellow art majors. These are also two parts of this post.

1. My job search path.

Let me talk about the results first, that is, so far I have not had any formal job offers, I have had an internship offer, and I have rejected an offer from an advertising company.

In fact, my job search period is very short, from mid-April to the end of May. But at the end of May, I received a three-month internship offer that I was very satisfied with, so I planned to find a formal job while doing the internship.

But this month and a half of job hunting has made me understand what I want to do and what kind of life I want.

And this internship offer is also a top organization in the industry I want to work in, so my career has a beginning, so I have this summary and reflection post.

1. Advertising

This offer was my earliest offer, and the position was AE. I got it in early April, but after thinking about it, I still rejected the company.

This company is not engaged in traditional advertising business, but in Internet advertising. It may be ranked among the top five domestic similar companies.

In fact, my knowledge about the advertising industry basically comes from the American TV series "Mad Men", and the background of "Mad Men" is the 1950s-1960s, which is obviously not very applicable to the Internet advertising industry.

However, the threshold for the advertising industry is relatively low, and my thinking is relatively active. During the interview, the interviewer asked me to think of an advertising slogan on the spot. She should be quite satisfied with my answer, so I quickly Offer received.

When considering whether to accept this position, I read several related books to supplement my advertising knowledge, such as "Becoming an AE from Scratch" and so on.

In the end, I rejected this company’s offer. The reason was not that being an AE was hard work or the threshold was low, but that after learning a little about the advertising industry, I knew it was not the industry I wanted to work in.

Even now, I feel that even though I got the offer, it was a failed attempt because I started acting rashly before I could figure out what I wanted to do.

2. Internet

Since I have only done an internship in product operations in the Internet industry, this part of my remarks may be biased.

Throughout mid-to-late April, I was busy with two interviews at the same time, one of which was Tencent’s summer intern interview. I applied for a product position in Shenzhen, and finally reached the end, but I also knelt at the end.

However, I have completely gone through Tencent’s interview process, so I will write it down here for reference by junior students in need.

First interview: Group interview, a group of 10 people. I remember whether it was 40 or 50 minutes, but I forgot. The topic of our group is that we as a team want to develop a new music product, list the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and then give a dozen functions that the product can do.

Due to limited conditions, we can only select three of them as the main functions. Our team must reach a consensus on which three to retain, and give our own explanations and justifications.

I am neither a leader nor a timekeeper in the group. I can advance to the next round of interviews because I was active in the discussion and put forward my own valuable opinions. I feel that there is no need to be eye-catching in the group appearance, it is enough to show your own thoughts and ideas.

Side 2: Professional side, 30 minutes. The interviewer was one of the group interviewers. She still remembered my performance during the group interview and asked some group interview-related questions, such as how I would rate my performance.

I suggest that future Internet students must pay attention to what the main business is in the area they report to.

Before the professional interview, I learned that this year’s product interns are mainly engaged in game operations, so I made some preparations for games, and 80% of these preparations were used in the interview.

For example, what games are you playing recently? What are their pros and cons? Recommend a game to the interviewer in only three sentences.

Write a promotional copy within 100 words for this game. How would you write it? During the 30-minute interview, I talked about games for about 20 minutes, so it is necessary to understand the business of the position you are applying for in advance.

Three sides: HR side, 30 minutes. This side is more formal. No professional questions are asked. The main thing is to explore your resume.

Therefore, the resume must be true and detailed, and each detail must have a story and experience. Otherwise, if you encounter someone like Tencent HR who is obsessed with details, you will really be dead.

Final interview: Interview with the director, 30 minutes. I knelt down in front of the director. The interview content is similar to the professional interview, but more stringent. The interviewer will press you step by step and constantly question you, making you feel that you are completely weak.

I was not surprised when I learned that I failed to pass the interview with the director, because I did not have enough professional reserves. In the final analysis, I was only a layman who had a little understanding of the Internet industry and Internet products.

The second reason for my failure, I think, is that I did not show enthusiasm and love for this industry, nor did I have a strong desire to join.

In fact, I am very grateful to Penguin for brushing me off at the last minute. It was precisely because of the final failure that I figured out that I originally applied for the Penguin position just because:

1. I had internship experience in product operations, so I had an advantage in applying for this position;

< p>　2. This industry is currently a popular industry with good prospects and salary. As early as when I was interning at Sina, I felt that although I didn't hate doing operations, I couldn't say I liked it. In my heart, I had no love for the Internet industry.

Penguin gave me a complete interview opportunity and allowed me to grow, but in the end it brushed me off and made me think about whether I really like this industry, so I am really grateful to Penguin.

However, Internet product positions are not limited to majors. The prospects and salaries are quite good, and it is also very training. If students are really interested, I still recommend that you submit your application and give it a try.

3. Media

Like the Internet, the media industry was also an attempt I made before I had figured out what I wanted to do with my career. The two interviews I prepared for in mid-to-late April were from a traditional media company and one of the three major newspaper groups in Guangdong Province, in addition to Tencent.

The position I applied for was a reporter. The process of this newspaper group was resume screening-group interview-written test-final interview. I finally died in the written test.

However, like Tencent, my failure in this media made me start to reflect on whether I really want to be a reporter?

If I were a reporter, would I be willing to do news that I didn’t like? Do I really want to work in media forever?

What if it is not traditional media, but new media? A friend of mine has been a reporter for three years. After witnessing her living conditions and combining it with my own interests and hobbies, I finally decided that media was not the industry I wanted to work in in the future.

4. Art museums and galleries

So, at the end of April, I received rejection letters from Tencent and this newspaper group. Then, in early May, I returned to Hong Kong to tackle the last semester of my student days.

Whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate student, there are basically no exams in my major. Instead, you have to complete papers, research reports, business plans, etc. During the final period, I did not submit my resume, but focused all my energy on my thesis.

The final assignment of one of my courses is to complete the planning of an exhibition. From exhibit selection, layout, operation schedule and process, etc., we need to do everything ourselves.

I spent a lot of time and energy completing this assignment and enjoyed it. While doing my homework, I also figured out one thing.

That is, I cannot give up my major. What I want to do most is art-related work, and I also want to develop my career in this field.

So, when I finished my homework, I also fully understood the next step for me to find a job, that is: art museum, gallery or auction house. As mentioned before, I know that I am not suitable for academic research, so I have not considered an academic path, at least not for the time being.

However, unlike other industries, such as FMCG, finance, or even the Internet and media that I have invested in, the art industry basically does not have large-scale recruitment for fresh graduates.

So I can only defeat them one by one. I listed every institution that interested me in the three categories of art museums, galleries and auction houses;

Then go to their official website or official Weibo to see if they have any recruitment plans in the near future, even if they don’t , I also sent emails to consult with them one by one if I could find their contact information, and recommended myself by the way.

At the same time, I also took help from school teachers and senior fellow students and told them that I wanted to work in this field. If there are job opportunities, I would be very grateful for their recommendations.

As of today, I have applied to 8 art museums, 3 galleries, and 2 auction houses, both for formal jobs and internships.

In terms of numbers, it is impossible for the art industry to invest overseas like other industries (and once the target industry is determined, I will not invest overseas again). Among them, 4 art museums and 2 galleries have given I replied and the auction house ignored me.

That’s right. The auction houses I invested in are all industry leaders, and there are state-owned enterprises with strong backgrounds like Poly Auction. How could they deal with me, an inexperienced fresh graduate like me? However, working in an art gallery or museum is more attractive to me than a commercial institution such as a gallery or auction house.

The reason is that art galleries or museums are not only a place to display artworks, but also have academic and public education functions. Working in an art gallery makes me feel that I am more beneficial to society. , can play a small role in the progress of society.

In comparison, galleries and auction houses are much more commercial. It’s not that I look down on commercialization or the art market, it’s just that non-profit institutions are more in line with my values.

At the end of May, I received an internship offer from the National Art Museum of China, and I was still waiting for an interview notice from an art museum in Guangzhou.

So my job search has come to an end for the time being. The next step is to go to Beijing to work and try my best to find a formal job during the few months of internship. My goal is still an art museum, gallery or auction house. .

2. Mental journey and reflection.

Writing down your job search process in detail is also a process of changing your mentality and psychology. The whole process seemed smooth.

However, I am actually a person who is very prone to anxiety. When I am extremely anxious, I will also experience physiological discomforts such as rapid heartbeat, trembling body, shortness of breath and other symptoms.

During this period, I experienced a lot of confusion, insomnia, stress and even collapse.

Fortunately, now I understand what I want to do and have a good start. Although I don’t have a formal job yet, at least I have something to do now and I’m not too anxious.

My advice to my fellow students who have similar unpopular majors to me (such as art history, history, museum studies, cultural industry management, etc.) is to think clearly about whether you want to give up. This major.

Yes, these liberal arts or art majors are relatively unpopular, and it is not easy to find corresponding jobs. Not only are there not a lot of recruitment, but the pay is not high when you first enter the industry.

As far as I know, some students in these majors were transferred, or for various reasons, studying these majors was not their original intention.

Some of my classmates gave up their majors after graduation and took common jobs such as civil servants and bank clerks. However, there are also many seniors who have been working hard in the art industry and have gradually grown into the backbone of the industry.

As for me, choosing this major was my own decision. I have loved painting since I was a child, and my childhood dream was to be a painter. Later, I read a lot of art-related books, but I never thought about getting into the Academy of Fine Arts.

When I was in my senior year of high school, I accidentally learned about the major of art history. I had the same aspirations in every aspect, so I tried to apply for it, but by accident, I got admitted, so I embarked on this path. road.

I myself hesitated for a long time whether I should do this or not. As mentioned before, I tried the media industry and the Internet industry, but in the end I found that what I really wanted in my heart was to follow the industry. Just like when I was a child, although it is no longer possible to become a painter, it seems that I will never be able to leave the art industry in my life.

If you decide to do this, it is best to get the support of your parents and lover (if you have one).

Due to the environment in mainland China, most parents still hope that their children can find a comfortable and stable job. If your parents are more conservative in their thinking, or your partner wants comfort and stability, then it is better to work in this field. A lot of pressure.

Fortunately, my boyfriend is the same as me, and my parents are very open-minded. Starting from high school, I made all the important decisions, such as choosing a major and where to study. The research and work lights are all made by myself.

I am from Sichuan, but during my studies I traveled to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. My parents also supported me unconditionally. My target cities for job hunting were also the four first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. city ??and hong kong. There is no way, if I go back to my hometown, I won't be able to find the job I want to do.

In recent years, I have also witnessed some conflicts of values ??between children and parents, such as a friend of mine, a girl with very excellent professional ability.

After working as a reporter in Beijing for half a year, her parents forcibly "kidnapped" her back to her hometown in Chengdu and arranged her to work as an office clerk in a state-owned enterprise with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. Now the girl has severed ties with her parents. Start preparing for graduate school exams.

I have never considered working in a state-owned enterprise or as a civil servant. Firstly, the professionalism is inconsistent with it, and secondly, the personality is inconsistent with it. To put it bluntly, I am a "bohemian and free-spirited" person.

So, what I want to say is that if you seek stability and comfort, or your values ??are more family-oriented, or your parents are conservative, then you may face greater pressure in this industry.

I was riding the subway not long ago and saw on the news program on subway TV that there were 7.5 million graduates this year and the employment pressure was very high. Graduates should change their employment concepts and not rely too much on it when looking for a job. My own interests and so on.

I don’t agree with this argument. If you really love something in your heart, there is nothing wrong with sticking to your own path.

Finally, I have a few words about the choice between working in Hong Kong and the Mainland. Many people have asked me, "Will you work in Hong Kong?" I feel helpless. I had no choice but to give up the job opportunity in Hong Kong. The main reason was the language.

Although companies and institutions in Hong Kong send emails and documents in English, except for a few industries such as finance and investment banking, most industries still use Cantonese when dealing with people.

Due to my lack of interest in learning Cantonese, I also have a relatively complicated attitude towards Hong Kong’s cultural environment (I love the things I love and hate the things I hate), so my Cantonese is really good. Oops. After comprehensive consideration, I still prefer to return to the mainland to work.

However, if you are fluent in Cantonese and want to experience the working environment and rhythm of Hong Kong, or stay for 7 years to obtain permanent residency, then Hong Kong is indeed a city worth experiencing.