Video Applications for Employment / Jobs

[azizza]

Hey there!

I have had my eyes on this Business Trainee position in a big mainstream-fashion company for a while now.
One of the requirements for being an eligible applicant is to make a video application that does not focus so much on your direct qualifications for the position, but more on "who you really are".
That brings me in to a bit of a pickle...

Firstly, I am camera shy.

Secondly, I have no idea where to start with all of this.
Have any of you had to ever use video applications to land a job?
If not, how would you do it, if you were in a position to make a video application?

Any tips on editing, what to include, how to make it professional, but fun and original at the same time?

Any input and/or links would be very appreciated!

 

[BetteT]

Interesting topic ... and I bet that we see this sort of request more and more lately.

I have not done this and I know very little about video production sp I cannot help with that.


I can offer some ideas to think about:

Camera shy? Well, the whole video does not have to feature your face ... all of the time. In fact, that would be boring ... so let's see what else you can video that relates to you, your life and your interests.

First, let's start with your profile that you used right here on the Fashion Spot ... and see if some of that can inspire a scene or two.

Company or School
TEKO design and buisness

your favorite designers?
Karl Lagerfeld,John Galliano,Alexander McQueen,Christopher Bailey,Stella McCartney,Vivienne Westwood.

Resume/Bio
A fashion design student.Pretty much obsessed with fashion.

interests
Listening to music,drawing,partying,taking walks,meeting friends,swimming.Just the usual.

favorite bands
Aerosmith,A-Ha,AC/DC,ELO,Erasure,Guns N' Roses,Janis Joplin,James Blunt,Kings of Leon,KISS,Lenny Kra

Of course, you will introduce yourself in your video, and you will narrate some. But ... try to avoid saying "me" and "I" all the time. Sometimes less is more. If the video can show it without an explanation, maybe no words are needed.

Take the camera into places that are important to you to paint a picture of your life as it is now. Show what is important to you.

Here are some ideas:

Maybe a quick look around your campus, maybe showing your classes and (with permission) your classmates and instructors. Any labs or specialized departments that look interesting?

Perhaps have an instructor or someone of influence talk on camera about you ... not about qualifications exactly ... but more about your work ethic, your attitude, your curiosity to learn, your drive to get things accomplished, if you are a team player or a leader ... that sort of thing. Edit it down to just a few snippets and if they cant' get the words out right, don't use it.

Where do you like to hang out? Maybe your favorite coffee shop ... get someone to video you working on your school work there.

"Obsessed with fashion"? How can you show that? Surrounded by fashion magazines? Browsing the stores ... or store windows? Any museums in the area with fashion exhibitions right now? Show yourself going into one ... inside, if you can, if not then outside by the banners then walking in.

How can you show your favorite designers? This could be done in a creative way ... maybe creating a photo wall of their company logos and a few iconic images of looks that you love ... and you can talk about a few of them and why you like them so much.

Don't forget the business side ... how can you show that you have a business mind? That you understand profit and loss? That one might be difficult, but if you could convey that somehow, it would be good. Have you ever worked in a business, even as an intern or part time ... not necessarily fashion? Can you show the building ... or get inside the business to shoot a little bit? This you would have to narrate ... to explain what you did for them. Have you ever had your own little business? Even as a child, a lemonade stand or something? Do you have pics of that, which you could put in an album to share in the video?

What about family? Can they talk a bit about how you always loved fashion and/or business... as a child?






Don't forget other areas of your life ... I think they may want to learn about that too:

You like to draw ... how about showing you working on that? Maybe a shot over your shoulder, showing what you are working on rather than focusing on your face.
Love to take walks? ... film yourself walking in one of your favorite places and talk about how that makes you feel.
Show yourself meeting with friends at one of your usual spots.
Any old family videos showing what your family liked to do ... with you in them? Better yet, if they show you when you were very young ... and cute! Any ones showing you swimming? (You said you liked to do that.)


Food for thought .... just to sort of get you thinking about who you are and how you got here.

 

[azizza]

Thank you so much BetteT for all your input!
It's really good "food for thought".
I have started filming little clips of my day-to-day life and recorded some lines of me speaking, i'll definitely try and incorporate some of your ideas as well, so the video is not just me speaking in front of the camera, but something that actually shows who I am in an interesting way.

Thanks again and have a great week!

 

[BetteT]

Glad I helped some. Have fun doing it!!

 

[prosperk]

Very good advice from Bette T.

We've received a couple of videos from would-be interns so video-selfie culture is obviously exerting an influence. One guy showed himself doing Karaoke. Avoid gimmicky stuff like this.

You mentioned being camera-shy, which is a problem I can relate to as I used to be unable to relax when anyone pointed a lens at me. Set your camera or smartphone up and practice chatting to it. Develop an 'onscreen' persona you can switch on, much in the way that we switch on Personality A, B or C when in various professional or domestic situations. It's like developing a series of facial expressions for still photography.

Once you have mastered the lens fright, which doesn't take long, write your short movie. Because that's what you need to do. You need to script your video.

Decide how many scenes you will film, the purpose of these scenes (how they move you forward towards the conclusion, which is that you are reasonably normal, unlikely to commit suicide in the office loo and that you have what it takes to make efforts.

Unless you're a natural at improvising, don't improvise. Write down what you will say and keep your notes in sight. This isn't a documentary. It's a commercial. You are advertising yourself. Anyone speaking about you in your commercial should do the same.

Make it between three and four minutes long. Karaoke Kid's video was about seven minutes long. We watched it to the end but only because of our morbid fascination as he veered between wooden post and dancing bollard. We thought of suggesting that he apply for a job as Kim Jong-Un's double. He was actually from London, indicating that the haircut was also a problem.

Be yourself, keep it simple and don't try to be clever.

Good luck.