Can Video Help You Land Your Next Job?

SONY Pictures recently announced the Grand Prize winners of "PURSUE IT" - The Ultimate Internship Contest on its website. Applicants were asked to submit videos of 5 minutes or less, which share their personal motto (or words to live by) and demonstrate how it makes them uniquely qualified for their chosen company.

Sound familiar? Remember Aleksey Vayner's video to UBS?

We've talked before about the pros and cons of electronic portfolios as a job search strategy in general, and his in particular. In this case, 7 lucky winners have earned internships with companies such as Gap Inc., NBC and Yahoo! One winner will even work at Morgan Stanley, which challenges my earlier premise that investment banking firms wouldn't see videos as a viable job search technique.

Of course, these video submissions focus on the applicants' personal philosophies, giving them a chance to articulate how their philosophy gives them a competent advantage over their peers -- which is what you want to do with any of the tools in your career portfolio. I'm sure this won't be the last time we see videos as a search technique.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! What would you say?

Meet Komal Gulzar -- Intern with InStep Consulting

As I mentioned in my last post, InStep Consulting has an intern from Brooklyn College. I asked Komal to share some initial thoughts on her internship experience. Read on ... I think we ALL can gain some career tips from Komal!

CE: Why did you decide to do an internship this summer?
KG: I wanted to explore a new field in business management and learn about what this industry has to offer me once I graduate with a bachelor’s degree. I had the opportunity to get insight into the accounting and finance fields last year. So, I chose Business Consulting this summer. I was curious about what role a consultant plays and how he/she helps businesses. So far, I have learned that a consultant helps the employer and the employees bond to improve communication and effectiveness on both sides.

CE: What do you hope to gain from your internship?
KG: In the end, it’s all about the experience. Experience helps us make better choices and decide which career to pick. Why would we choose one career and not the other? It all depends on the quality of experience we have.
In my opinion, there are two types of internship experiences: one where we just "kill time" to fulfill the program requirements. We play a passive role and just expect the internship to be a good experience.
The second type makes all the difference. This is when we really put a lot of effort into it. We’re curious and ask a lot of questions. We want to know every little detail about every thing at the host site. We not only ask how something is done, but also why not do it some other way. Even if we’re not really interested in this field, we take it as a challenge and try to meet our goals.

CE: What advice would you give your fellow JFEW interns? (Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women)
KG: In short, we should treat our internships as if they were our first jobs. We should clarify that what we do in an internship is not for the supervisor or somebody else, but for ourselves.
Yes, we do help the company in the process; but the goal is to learn. And, if we don’t put our hearts into it, we’re not helping anybody, but wasting everybody’s time. Think of it as if it were for your own business or company. Wear what you do.

CE: Tell us what YOU think!
KG: Your answers to these questions might be different – maybe you want to explore a new field or to discover something new about an industry you’re already interested in. Don't take my word for it; experience it for yourself and then share your thoughts with the rest of us. We would love to hear from you!

InStep Consulting has a Summer Intern!

I'm excited to report that my company, InStep Consulting, is benefiting from a young woman who is taking advantage of the summer to develop her skills and advance her career.

Komal Gulzar, a senior at Brooklyn College, is helping out with market research and business development activities. She comes to InStep via the College's Magner Center for Career Development and Internships. It's been great working with her and sharing some insight into the world of consulting.

I've invited her to share her perspective on the internship and her career goals with this community. So, keep an eye out for her postings over the next few weeks!