Career Networking in the Arts: An MU Student’s Experience

Feeling lost about where to go with your degree? The Careers and Employability Service at Maynooth University is here to help!

On the 18th of November, we took part in an event which had been expertly planned out by the Careers and Employability Service. The event allowed for all students to speak with ten former alumni of Maynooth University about the career paths they went on to pursue after they graduated. Spanning from authors to communication managers, to composers, and many more, the event allowed both undergraduate and postgraduate students to freely engage with the respective speakers at the event. The event was devised by Seamus O’Neill from the Careers and Employability Service in collaboration with the Development and Alumni Relations Office and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and it was funded by the THRIVE Initiative. The event offered students a chance to ask questions about careers in music, media, creative arts, and communications, along with complementary cake and sandwiches.

We attended this event alongside Adam Walsh, secretary of the Publication and Literary society. We spoke to many incredible people who pursued careers in the arts. They offered helpful advice on how to enter their career fields. The following are all the speakers who attended the event: 

Aislinn Ní Chuinneagain – A Unit Production Manager with Netflix, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Greek, and Roman Civilisation.  

Dean Fagan - A musician, composer and, royalties manager with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. 

Edie May Hand - A writer with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing. 

Jennifer Nyhan - An Internal Communications Manager at Grand Thomas Ireland, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. 

Mark O’Toole - A Communications Expert with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and English. 

Mike Gilmartin – A Communications Manager with An Garda Siochana, with a Masters degree in Media Studies.  

Rachel Raffer - A Communications Manager with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), with a Masters degree in Critical and Creative Media. 

Rút Ní Theimhneáin  - A Social Media Coordinator at TG4, who has a Bachelor’s in Nua-Ghaeilge and Spanish and Masters in Nua-Ghaeilge. 

Sharon Geoghegan – A journalist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies, History, Philosophy, and Politics.  

Tara Gilleece - A Public Relations and Marketing professional with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and English.

The event was quite casual and sociable, creating a relaxed space for students to speak openly with all the interesting speakers. Given that many of the speakers specialised in communications, to say they were approachable would be a drastic understatement. Despite being given only ten minutes with each speaker, we managed to receive many helpful resources and advice for progression. 

One speaker we conversed with was Edie May Hand, author of the incredible novel Dirt Pickers. When it comes to submitting your work to agents, she highly recommended doing extensive research to cater to the agents you feel best match you and your work. She further stated that you should be general in your approach, keeping in mind themes, goals for your work, as well as your competitors, meaning those you will be on a shelf with when your book comes out. She said it is important to know your inspirations, publishers particularly love to see Irish inspirations, and to stay open to all kinds of media sources for further inspirations. She also recommended novel fairs and researching publishers' websites, organisations like the Irish Writers Centre and poetry publisher Milkweed, and Maynooth University's own Creative Writing courses.

Speaker Tara Gilleece explained the variety of companies that required the work of public relations, having worked in this role at the Ballygowan firm. She stated that a postgraduate qualification would be quite necessary for the occupation. A public relations career allows for photography experience as well, and it is an industry that requires you to think on your feet and find the audience. Social media can also be effective ‘practice’ for this sector, as it is available to all and shows your portfolio, which Gilleece expressed the importance of.

Mike Gilmartin showed how his experience in his first career path, radio shows, eventually led him to work for the Gardaí, and a variety of other sectors. As a communications manager, he described his role as one that covers all forms of communication within the Gardaí, without being an officer himself. This includes internal communications, such as newsletters, and external communications, such as announcements. He is therefore something of a Public Relations Officer, and described his field of work as a “fast place to be,” emphasising the importance of learning quickly and being able to understand the reasons behind what you are doing. For resources to get involved in this form of work, he recommended the website publicjobs.ie as a great place to start. 

Similarly, Rachel Raffer did not have her job as a Communications Manager as her initial goal. In fact, she worked for RTÉ beforehand. One thing that stood out to us was her advice about networking. She encouraged students to always ask everyone they can for an opportunity to work in a specific sector and to never feel embarrassed or intruding when doing so. Even a simple email can make a huge difference! For graduate programmes, she recommended registering with production agencies, particularly for brand ambassador roles. Marrion Square often offers paid positions, therefore being great ways to gain experience.

Aislinn Ní Chuinneagain, who worked on set for Wednesday Season 2, equally acknowledged the importance of getting your name out there. She recommended getting into volunteer work on sets and to learn on the job. One job that struck our interest was a script reader, with Ní Chuinneagain describing it as a great experience and a way to intimately learn about the processes of TV production and scriptwriting. Similarly, she recommended continuity roles on set as a great way to earn money whilst writing, working well as a beginner-level job. These kinds of opportunities can be found at Screen Ireland, which she recommended due to them always looking for readers, and often run initiatives for first-time writers. These kinds of jobs are brilliant for both those who wish to travel the world or stay local. For those interested in being cast in shows, she highly recommends Celtic Casting as a resource.

As reporters, it would’ve been a waste to not meet someone involved in journalism. Sharon Geoghegan emphasised that the journalism path involves going out, reporting, and writing about events. She got her start from doing exactly that, attending musical events. These kinds of jobs are more likely to come about with a good portfolio, and Geoghegan said that participation in societies, such as the Publications and Literary Society, are very beneficial for creating a portfolio of your work, as they are an impressive manner of showcasing hands-on experience with this kind of work. It is something that is strongly sought after in job interviews and should therefore be kept record of.

We greatly appreciated the opportunity given by the Careers and Employability service, as it allowed students to gain more knowledge into these career sectors in an informal and engaging way. A huge thank you to everyone we got a chance to speak to, we deeply appreciated your insights and will treasure them as we progress.

For anyone reading this article who faces challenges in searching for areas of employment, The Careers and Employability Service are an incredibly high recommendation. To see how the service can support you, you can visit https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/careers and search for jobs, events, and book an appointment with a Careers Advisor on Careers Connect: https://careers.mufutureconnect.maynoothuniversity.ie/unauth/student/login.