Monday, April 09, 2007

Great advice from a fellow Parkie....

This just in from Brooke Hundley....some interesting info about a professional conference and some exceptional advice about being successful (and it's some of the best advice you'll find anywhere....):

Dean Lynch,
I wanted to send you a quick note about an awesome opportunity I had over the past week. I was selected to attend the International Radio and Television Society's annual 2 day minority career workshop and job fair. The first day consisted of panel discussions by important people in the biz. We heard about the business of media from entrepreneurs and managers
working in advertising and design. We spend an hour with 48 hour and CBS news correspondent Troy Roberts learning about the challenges of reporting. We heard about the art of producing from VH1 and Bravo executives. And even a little about how to break into the industry with HR representatives from MTV to NBC. We were also invited to a real
industry luncheon with everyone, where I was seated at a table with HBO executives -- one of whom even had a husband that went to Ithaca! The day was an amazing opportunity and I wanted to pass on a few interesting words of advice I heard over and over again for your other students.

1. Networking is not sucking up. You never know who you will need help from further down the road or who might know someone who can open a new door, so be nice and get to know everybody.

2. Appearance matters - Everyone from NY1 executive producer to VH1's production manager to Ad executives at NBC noted that they only watch the first 15 seconds max of a reel. So put your best stuff first and make an impression that counts, it may ultimately determine a job offer.

3. Set yourself apart from the competition by working harder than everyone else. Also key to this is writing and learning how to write well. I can't tell you how many people restated the need for a strong ability to write. No matter what your field, you'll always need it. (Many execs even wished they had chosen writing as a degree over communications, so they could have developed their skills earlier.)

4. You only get one chance to shine, so make sure you're ready for it. If you're given an amazing opportunity and you fail, people will always refer back to the fact that they already gave you a chance. Follow those gut feelings if you not ready to tackle the new responsibilities, hold out until your skills are sharp and you can really attain success.

5. Stay up on knowledge of what you're applying for. If you want to work in television know your favorite shows and why you like them. If you want a news position in a new city make it a point to learn everything you can about the issues that city faces. It's important to pay attention at all times with what's going on in the industry especially with everyone clamoring with how to handle new media. Future hires need to know what's happening at all times.

And finally just be willing to apply to everything and work whenever and wherever you can. People are always looking for candidates who have shown they can hustle and will take on any tasks that come their way, even if it's just assistant work. Often times a strong background and involvement will make the requirements for the job a little looser to fit such an ideal candidate.

One proud Parkie,
Brooke Hundley

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