Jess repeatedly faced the response of ‘not enough experience’ despite applying for postgraduate/junior roles
Covert is breaking the mould when it comes to hiring practices. Unlike many other studios in the industry, Covert doesn’t let age or lack of experience stop them from hiring post-graduates. This approach has led to a more diverse and inclusive work environment that benefits everyone involved.
They have recently welcomed Jessica Sabine to the team as a junior producer. After smashing her studies at Leicester University and finishing with a 1st in business management (with a year in industry), Jess struggled to find a role in the industry post-graduation.
Jess repeatedly faced the response of ‘not enough experience’ despite applying for postgraduate/junior roles. The Covert team didn’t let this stop them. After chatting with Jessica and sensing her enthusiasm (and humour), they knew she would be a perfect fit. Now over five months later, she is bossing her role and proving to be an asset to the team.
However, generally speaking, the fact that the industry relies so heavily on experience as a qualifying factor for employment is a catalyst to how notoriously complex this industry is to break. Perfect candidates face repeated rejection due to a lack of experience despite applying for junior/entry-level roles. Considering most people attending university have stayed in full-time education, where is this experience meant to come from?
While experience is essential for specific roles, hiring young creatives – who are fresh, keen, and ready to learn – can be a lifeline for a studio. The introduction into a team of someone young, enthusiastic and with a different perspective can help foster development and advances in creativity.
As well as age being a stickler for breaking the industry, starting salaries further hinder the accessibility to the industry. Many studios hire juniors on an entry-level ‘runner/internship’ role, at an underpaid lower salary. Recent studies show that many young people have stopped considering creative careers due to the affordability of living in London. This has created an incubation of who can accept these roles. People can only accept these roles if they have financial support elsewhere. The ability to infiltrate the creative sphere is becoming not dependent on your skills, personality, and enthusiasm but on your financial situation – fuelling an elitist industry.
Covert’s commitment to hiring based on attitude above anything else is just one part of their overall approach to creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace, where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. They believe that by nurturing talent and investing in people, they can continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the VFX industry. Managing director Max comments that ‘it’s exciting to see where Jess heads, both creatively and within the company”.
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