Archive for May, 2010

Film And Tv Production Jobs – At A Glance

Film and TV production jobs
are highly creative and versatile in nature.The more time you spend behind entertainment and media jobs the more you find yourself doing something different from your previous works.Every movie is different from the other with a different storysetsgraphicslocation and a whole new set of people.

With new concepts and ideas getting popular television programs have undergone a lot of changes with the time.Working for a reality show or TV soap is far different from designing a program on current affairs or news broadcast.Perhapsthis sheer diversity that the media people find quite challenging keeps them going despite long hours of hard workerratic schedule and stress that come with TV jobs.With the satellite revolution increasing number of television channels has created good demand for television professionals.Fortunatelythe money the industry offers is satisfactory to a great extent.

An interesting feature of television industry is that it keeps its door open not only for trained media professionals but also for energetic and enthusiast people who have no specific training for media jobs.Here are some television job descriptions that might help aspiring TV professionals.

Director

Director is the actual creative controller who gives life to a program blue print with cast and crew.Music selection graphics designing as well as supervising camera workssound dubbing and editing are the jobs of the director.Under his/her direction and supervision the whole process of shooting an entire program takes place.Thereforecreative bent of mind and good perception are essential qualities for a TV director.

Music Composer

Regardless of its type and subject matter every program on television requires background music to create an impact.Those who have a flair for music and can compose music on their own are appropriate for this job.Being a part of established orchestra or music band can open up multiple avenues for wannabe music composers.

Production Manager

Managing logistics and supervising the technical aspects of a television program during production are the tasks of a TV Production Manager.He makes arrangement for acquiring all the equipment and books studio for shooting and fixes schedule for postproduction jobs like editing and sound dubbing.Only a quickwittedenergetic and practical person can deal with the huge responsibility and pressure of this position.

Floor Manager

The floor manager is responsible for safety and security of the people on the set.He plays the link between the producer/director and the crew.Checking everything is in right place at the right time is also the duty of a floor manager. High level of energy and leadership skill is required to break into this job.

Script Writer

Script writing is again a highly creative job.A script writer is one who writes scripts for television serialsdocumentary daily soap operas.These scripts may be original or sometimes adaptation of some novel or stories. Along with talent the job calls for a lot of hard work and aptitude and promises good fortune in return.A formal training always helps but you can also work under a senior and enrich yourself.

Cameraperson

The success of a television program depends a lot on camera works.Camerapersonlike an artistcaptures various moods and emotions with the lens and translates the array of images into some meaningful visual sequence.Good camerawork is a blend of acute perception and artistic sense with immense technical knowledge.Those who possess this rare combination of artistic and technical sense are welcome in this arena.

Apart from all thesethere are positions such as visual mixervideotape editorproduction assistant and many more.To keep yourself one step ahead in the competition you can join a course related to media jobs.A number of intuitions are out there to offer courses on mass communicationcinematographysound recording and production jobs in radio television and film.Since only a few of them are recognized candidates need a good research before enrolling in any of these institutes.

About the writer:  Steve McMains is a media professional and writes for different online publications on advertising and media jobs. For more information on TV production jobs he recommends you to visit http://www.mediajobmarket.com.

Competency Interview How To Succeed At Competency Interviews

With competency interviews becoming increasingly common among interviewers across the world its a good idea to be prepared for when you have yours.

In this article you’ll find out:

• What competency interviews are
• What interviewers look for
• How you can prepare
• Where to go for typical competency questions

After this youll quickly start to feel more confident be able to deliver a great competency interview performance and land the job!

Competency Interviews What Are They?

Competency interviews are designed to find out how well you performed in given situations in the past. Research shows that how you did perform in the past is a more accurate predictor of how you will perform in the future compared to asking you how you would perform.

Heres an example:

Rather than asking: “How would you cope if you were given too much work to do interviewers might ask you: “Tell me about the last time you had too much work to do in a day. You see your interviewers want to know what you did in that scenario why you did it and what the result was.

Before the interview the recruiters study the job description and pick out the key skills attributes etc.. that they think a successful candidate needs. They simply draft interview questions designed to find out if you are have these skills and attributes. The evidence is in what you did in the past.

Heres what we mean: Suppose the job calls for a person who can deal with difficult customers in a complaints department lets say. The interviewers will devise questions designed to find out how well you dealt with difficult customers before. The sort of things they will want to know are how you felt what decisions/actions you took and the outcome of those actions. Some might even want to know what you would change about what you did.

What Do Interviewers Want In Competency Interview Answers?

On the whole interviewers look for positive indicators that you are competent at the things they consider important in the job. But they also look for negative factors which will reduce the effectiveness of your answer. Negative indicators include not asking for help when appropriate seeing changes or challenges as obstacles and reacting to things personally.

To fully understand how you behaved before interviewers often want answers to the following 4 key components often called STAR.

Situation or Task
Did the candidate explain the task or situation that they were involved in?

Action
Did they explain what they did exactly in relation to the task or situation?

Result
Did they explain the results of their actions?

If your answers dont give enough information some interviewers will follow up with additional questions like:

• What was your particular role in this?
• What obstacles did you overcome?
• Why exactly did you take that action?
• What made you reach that decision?
• How did you feel about that?
• Who came up with that idea?
• What precisely was the outcome/result?
• What feedback did you get?
• How would you behave differently if it happened again?

Competency Interviews How To Prepare

To help you get ready for competency based interviews here are 5 things you should do:

1. Review the job ad
2. Note down the knowledge skills and attributes the employer is looking for. Are they looking for a good communicator someone with initiative or someone with excellent customer service skills and so on
3. Come up with at least 1 example of where youve demonstrated each of the things you noted down in step 2
4. Write about the example/s in step 3. For every one describe the circumstances how you were feeling what action your took why you took it and the results
5. Read your notes back to yourself or someone else. Think of extra questions your interviewers might ask about each example. Very often your interviewers want to know more than you expect!

Here are some example competency interview questions.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Catherine Jones is a leading authority on recruitment and has written a ‘how to land your dream job’ website in which she and others share their secrets on getting hired.Catherine works as a senior manager for a large retail organisation and recruits new employees on a regular basis. Learn from the experts and snag the job you want your dream job!

Fear Of Job Interviews

Your heart is beating faster than usual your hands feel clammy your mouth is so dry it feels like you have cotton inside and your supposed to feel confident. Are you going to an interview or a torture session? The answer is “it’s all in your perspective.”

Ideally you would sit poised thumbing through a magazine feeling relaxed as you wait your turn to have a conversation with the interviewer for the company. Think about it what do you have to lose here? What’s the worst thing that can happen? What if you don’t get this job is the world going to stop turning? I realize of course that bills must be paid but you are taking the wrong approach if you are going to come across as desperate “Please please hire me.” Interviewers smell fear.

A change in thinking

The first and most important step is to change the way that you view the interview. This is not an appointment with the dentist who may inflict pain. It is a conversation with another person. What is the worst thing that can happen as a result of the interview? You won’t get the job which may not have been the right job for you anyway.

Secondly this is a conversation a twoway process. You will be interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Is there a good fit here both ways? What looks good on paper may not be what it appears for either party. It will be part of your job during the interview to investigate whether this a good place for you and whether you want to invest a significant part of your life here. When you are not checking them out and what they have to offer you are missing an opportunity that you may regret later.

Calming techniques

One of the best techniques to handle stress is through breathing. Take deliberate shallow breaths. Take air in through the nostrils and exhale quietly through your mouth. This is a technique that should be practiced as a relaxation technique before the interview so that your body gets used to slowing down the breathing process and relaxing.

Relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation classes are recommended for anyone who has an extreme case of “interview fright.” The interview can cause panic attacks if the fear is strong enough. Preconditioning will do wonders for this type of anxiety.

Preparation before the interview

These are competitive times and you should steel yourself to expect some rejection. Think about it this way “Did you get a marriage proposal after every date?” Well you probably aren’t going to get a job offer after every interview.
For every job you apply for there are more than likely three to four equally qualified candidates in line for the same job. Whether you stand out from “the crowd” will depend on your preparation and ability to show confidence in yourself believing that you are the “best candidate for this job.” How can you possibly sell anyone anything if you don’t believe in it yourself?

Preparation will make you feel more confident and less anxious. Can you imagine giving a performance without some practice and preparation? “Winging” the interview in today’s market is a big mistake.

Fear of Rejection

You may have had a number of interviews with no offer. You may be feeling defeated and it’s beginning to affect yourself esteem.

This would be true of anyone. But it is a mistake to take it personally. There are so many factors that could be affecting the offer that it is impossible to say what is happening. There may be internal candidates relatives promised jobs a competitor who is a perfect match for the job a lack of chemistry between you and the new boss a mismatch in salary needs etc. etc.

Let it go

Give yourself credit for getting an interview only a small percentage of people get this far in the process. Give yourself credit for going out there and putting yourself on the line even though it is painful for you. Give yourself permission to not get job offers. Believe that an offer will come through when it is the right offer the right fit for the company and for you. Take the control back and reject the feeling of fear.

When you have done everything to prepare for the interview and you are satisfied that you can present yourself in the best light possible the next step is for you to let it go. You can learn something from each interview. Learn to enjoy meeting new people and having new experiences. Who knows you may even grow to like interviewing.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Carole Martin is a celebrated author trainer and mentor. Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy of her FREE 9part 8221;Interview Success Tips8221; report by visiting Carole on the web at http://www.interviewcoach.com