Three Things Your Video Resume Should Have

Making a video resume can be a lot of fun and it is indeed one of the best ways to break the clutter, stand out from a crowd and make an impression. However, there are so many things you need to consider, while creating a video resume that you can’t simply keep the camera on roll and start shooting. You have to plan your video resume and ensure that it meets the following three criteria.

1. Appeal: Before you start making your resume, you need to know who you are talking to. Being conversant with the industry you wish to get into and also knowing the culture of the organizations you may be applying to could help make a stronger impression. If you are applying to a media company, you could get a little more creative and have some fun. Whereas, if you are applying to a software development company you may have to focus on highlighting your skills better.

2. Strengths: Showcasing your skills in an engaging manner could help your employers decide if you are good for the job. Identify the skill set that you require for the job, and if those skills are your strengths, make sure that they do not go unnoticed.

3. Design: Today, even basic editing software can help you create a unique video resume. Use a template that matches your style and personality, but at the same time looks professional. Use title to highlight certain skills and qualifications. Use titles to differentiate one segment from another. Have a pilot track playing the background, but make sure that it does not overpower your words.

Compelling work habits for fresh graduates

A positive attitude can help you win over the world. And when you are simply looking at being accepted well in the workspace a positive attitude can take you a long way. There are a number of ways in which you can prove to your employers that you are indeed a team player and hold respect for the people you work with. A few work habits that graduates should inculcate in order to be accepted at the workplace are listed below:

Volunteer for assignments: At the very start of the career, you have to be open to taking up challenges. Your superiors may have not been able to gauge your strengths and weaknesses and therefore you should volunteer for assignments so that they can gauge your potential and consider you for more important projects in the future.

Prioritize Your Work: Always prioritize your work. If you want to meet the deadlines that you have before you, you have to learn the art of prioritization. Along with knowing what task is more important that the other, you should also learn how to manage time effectively so as to build productivity.
 

Be nice to everyone: As mentioned earlier, a positive attitude can help you face absolutely any challenge. When you have a positive mindset it is easier to be nice to everyone. However, it’s not just your colleagues and your superiors that you should be nice towards; even the staff deserves to be treated with warmth.

When you do inculcate these basic but winning habits you will notice that you enjoy your job the environment and people will appreciate you and your work as well. And do not forget the most important rule – It is nice to be important, but it is also important to be nice.

Make the Best use of Summers

When you are in school you may spend your summers by the pool if you are in town, or you may get out of the city with your family for a vacation to beat the heat. However, as you grow older, you will have to make every summer count and you should. You can do this by taking up a summer job that will help preparing you for your real job after you graduate.

Don’t deliver pizzas: A lot of students often take up jobs that are labour intensive and do not really need them to use their acumen. These months are never going to come back, so use them to get a job in a company that you may want to work with in the future. The company will probably not pay you anything, but you will learn a lot about the industry and about the job profile you may be interested in.

Turn travel into research: If you are travelling during the summers, you could turn what you have learnt into an avenue for making money. Well, there are a number of websites who constantly look for articles on various destinations. You could put your experiences down and have them publish it on their websites for money.

There are indeed so many other things that you can do during the summer months. Especially today, with the internet being the prime source of thousands of job opportunities. So, do not waste your summer months idling around the house, or shooting pool at the local games parlour, but work towards finding something you may enjoy doing for the rest of your life.

Picking the First Offer: A right or a wrong Step?

There is nothing wrong in saying yes to the first job offer that comes your way. However, before accepting the offer you should know that the job is going to provide you with job satisfaction and going to compensate you according to what you deserve. A lot of people make mistakes by accepting the first job offer due to the following reasons:

Career over salary: Students often get very competitive and in an effort to prove that they can make more money than their peer might take up the first job offer that offers them a large salary package. However, what they do not understand is that the industry they may be picking does not interest them at all, and they will get bored in a matter of may be a few months or few years and it may be too late to switch courses then. 

Pre application research: If you apply for the wrong first job, you may just get the offer. Therefore be sure that you have done the research that is needed to be sure that you will like the job you get accepted into. A few things that you should be sure of is whether you want to work in a certain industry, do you have the skill sets that the job requires and are you doing it only for the money. 

Desperation: Do not accept the first job out of desperation because your peers have already got offers, or because your parents are getting worried or even if you have to pay off the bank. Wait till a good offer comes your way, it may take some time, but you will find something that will make you happy.

The Importance of Having a Plan

If you want to succeed in life, you have to have a plan. A lot of people start planning their careers and what they want to do for the rest of their lives while they are in school itself, while others will wait until they graduate from college to figure out what they want to pursue as a career. However, it may be too late and skill that could have helped you in your career of choice could have been inculcated while you were studying in school and college.
However, it is not too late to start and you should remember the following when you start developing a plan that will help you succeed in life.

1) Be aware of who you are: If you take up a job that you do not like you will regret it for the rest of your life. Make sure that you know what kind of person you are and what skill, strengths and weaknesses you have so you can make an informed choice as far as your career is concerned.

2) Set your goals: Once you have analyzed yourself and made a list of careers you may want to pursue, start setting goals for yourself. The goals could be as small as identifying organizations you want to work with, sending in your resume to these companies, or if you think you want to study further you could set up a goal that involves you getting into a post graduate college of your choice. Make goals and dedicate yourself to meeting them.

Your career is the most important thing and you should pay more attention to choosing the right job that will benefit you in the long run that a high paying job that will not interest you in the long run. Be sure of what you want from your career and set goals to achieve them. Focus, determination and a positive attitude will help you become successful.