#laidoff: What our new industry report means for job-seeking graduates

Journalism graduates on the hunt for work face a difficult industry. A report by Journalism.co.uk and the University of Central Lancashire suggests the UK's population of mainstream working journalists has shrunk by approximately a third in the last ten years.

The report 'Laid Off: What Do UK Journalists Do Next?' was conducted between November 2009 and January 2010 and asked 144 respondents from across the industry about their experiences of redundancy and unemployment.

But what does this mean for those trying to get in for the first time? According to statistics from the NCTJ, the number of trainees registered in the industry has plummeted in recent years, from 633 in for the financial year of 2007/8 to 230 in 2008/9.

With competition rife, we spoke to experts in the industry, from recruitment agencies to media employers, to find out what their advice would be for those eager to break into the media. Contributing to the podcast are:

• Chris Devlin, head of editorial and creative sector at pfj recruitment;
• Margaret Holbrough, careers advisor for Prospects;
• Suzanne Kavanagh, publishing sector manager at Skillset;
• Ben Young, HR operations director for IPC Media;
• Naomi Blackbourn, account manager at GradPlus.com.

Listen using the player below and please feel free to share your own experiences of job hunting for the first time, or advice for others in the comments below.

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