Tuning in to production industries’ annual recruitment cycles is a seasonal spring endeavor for students searching for the perfect media production position. Thousands will apply for internship opportunities and several candidates will be evaluated simultaneously. In all probability, most of the applicants will do the job well. So what will set your student apart from the other candidates? Passion, enthusiasm, impeccable work ethic, and integrity – prospective employers want to know what drives an individual everyday. What is the challenge, that unique trigger, that makes your student want to excel in the media production industry? Prior to submitting an application, suggest that your students self-evaluate with these prompts:

• Describe your level of proficiency with productivity suites and/or editing applications you have used.
  Apple Pro Apps, Adobe Creative Cloud Apps, Avid Media Composer
• Self-assess the skills you have to offer to a prospective employer.
  Knowledge-based skills, transferable or portable skills, personal traits
• Describe a project that you took on from conception to completion. What was rewarding and challenging about the project?
  Satisfaction of initiating and creating a quality product, accolades from viewers, time and budget constraints, scheduling debacles, equipment failure, difficult clients
• Talk about experiences you have had working individually on a media production and working collaboratively as a group member. What do you find rewarding and challenging in both scenarios?
  Autonomy of creative decision-making, long hours, division of labor, different perspectives
• Describe your ideal day while working in a production facility.
  Setting my own schedule and priorities, experimenting with new techniques, working collaboratively with other creative people
• Describe what steps you take to make your productions accessible.
  Embedded metadata, closed captioning, transcripts, eBooks, pdfs
• Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
  Demo reel channels, national award contests, industry websites
• What are your favorite online resources for stock footage, images, and audio?
  Adobe Stock Images, Shutterstock, Pond5, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
• What steps do you take to ensure the legality of all materials used in your productions?
  Copyright, creative commons, fair use, licensing, model release forms
• What emerging media production technologies are you interested in and how are you staying current with these developing tools?
  Drones, 360 video, virtual reality; workshops, online tutorials, manufacturer manuals, experts
• List the ways you share productions.
  Vimeo, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, PodOmatic, various file formats (mp4, mov, mp3, wav)
• Describe a unique experience that shaped your production career thus far.
  Foreign travel, community service and leadership opportunities, local nonprofits, career programs

Encourage your students to prep for potential interview and application questions by organizing their thoughts, evaluating their skills, and highlighting their unique abilities and experiences.

Written by Kate Lee, Smith College Senior Media Producer