In a tough and competitive working world, students are increasingly struggling to find employment after graduating from university. A student that was seeking employment has taken a different route with her CV and wowed potential employers with a billboard in the middle of busy Birmingham, with the help of a print firm.

In 2017, Quinns The Printers launched a competition that would allow one student to look for a job using the world of print. This billboard would allow the winner to show businesses and employers in their chosen industry what they were capable of.

Keighley Hand was the winner out of five finalists, voted for by the public. Her final design was showcased on the billboard in her home town of Birmingham. Hand comments: “I was inspired to enter because it was the most apparent and public way to get my name out in the design community. But that’s the biggest challenge for any designer, getting yourself noticed. I think Quinn’s hit it on the head, a billboard is the ultimate way of getting noticed.”

Many students struggle after graduating from university because of the limited opportunities available in the current work climate. An out of the box way of advertising yourself to potential employers can help students stand out, and as Hand mentions, she struggled with finding opportunities that were not based in Manchester or London.

Hand continues: “A lot of the junior designer positions I applied for when I first graduated usually asked for experience. How can graduates be expected to gain experience when only just graduating?”

Despite those setbacks, the billboard stunt did the trick, and Hand says: “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from my former classmates and tutors, asking where or how did I get it. As well as having the typical embarrassing parent scenario, with my mum and dad sending me photos of them with it.

Keighley Hand was the winner of the competition run by Quinns The Printers

“I’ve had some interest through social media, with art directors and agencies retweeting it, and some have reached out to me through Linked In asking about freelancing and other employment opportunities. I’ve also noticed the analytics on my website have tripled in views, so it’s been a very positive reaction all around.”

Managing director, Peter Bradley, adds: “It’s tough for students to find jobs they really want, which is exactly why we wanted to run this competition to show employers just how talented and ambitious they really are. We’re very pleased with our winner, Keighley and hope that this is just the start of a long, successful career for her.”

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