Music Banter - Your Day

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart (Post 2226094)

Wow, that is one tough situation, ISB. Why do you go to the extreme trouble of making videos for job applications that are unlikely to yield any results? Is that not overdoing it, the old "if the CV is leather bound with gilt lettering throw it in the bin without even reading it"? Does anyone else make videos? I wish there was some advice I could give you, but I'm unfamiliar with your situation. Have you considered dropping in on the local radio stations to see if they're hiring? I bet you'd make a fascinating radio DJ. Sorry, all I can think of at the moment. Keep the hopes up I guess.

Thanks, TH. The hiring manager for this particular job requested a video of my answering a few questions she fielded to help me further-differentiate myself from the other applicants. That's why I put so much into it. But I put that level of effort into every job I apply for - researching the company's history, working their required skill sets and mission statements into my cover letters, etc. I thought that was a bare-bones requirement to be considered for any job.

The radio gig is a really nice thought. I'd recently explored hosting a podcast as I prefer to be able to revise and edit my content rather than be on the spot in real-time. And radio is a dying media so I doubt I could find a career in that field. Especially given my specialization. No one needs another ambient podcast in 2023. But I appreciate the sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ribbons (Post 2226108)

ISB, I'm sorry that you are facing this very difficult situation, especially on the heels of the brutal winter weather there - which would depress anyone to begin with. I don't mean to pry, but I wonder what type of work you might be seeking? Are you creating the videos because you are applying for a media position of some kind? I agree with Trollheart here: you undoubtedly would be a superb as a DJ or presenter.

However, I realize that media positions are few and far between and there is high demand for those positions. Even if you are extremely talented, it's often a matter of "who you know".

I wonder if, in the meantime, you have considered contacting any temp agencies in your area? You are very versatile, so I imagine you could go in many directions for temp employment - just to stabilize things and gain quick income for the time being, until you find permanent employment.

Again, so sorry you are going through this really difficult period.

Thanks for asking, ribbons. I'll summarize my methodology as briefly as I'm able. For the past 24 years, I worked as a prepress designer, book editor and designer, technical support analyst, and app publisher.

I developed a paperless workflow automation system for a law firm and trained their team on how to utilize the software. I also created a rebrandable mobile time card app and payroll system. But I have no coding knowledge and having been out of the design field for the last 6 years, I am no longer sufficiently competent to work in those areas, so I'm seeking entry level work for a new career at the age of 41. I don't want to go through the stress of working temp work only to have to start from scratch again every few months, so it seems more important to focus on the more promising of the leads I find.

Below are a few highlights of my more prestigious efforts which I incorporate into various cover letters:

As a graphic designer I created an array of materials ranging from trade show displays to digital vehicle wraps and managed workflows to automate book publication. And as a media archivist I generated infographics, published quarterly reports, and created materials to highlight features of the archive. From 2013 to 2022 I authored, designed, and published a multi-volume interdisciplinary ethnomusicological treatise spanning 20th century analog classicism to contemporary digital modernity for the private archive I manage. My most recent accomplishment was to conceive and produce a cloud-based wiki for a Help Desk team which was 600 pages at launch and has grown considerably since then. I also managed a media project in collaboration with The Internet Archive to make years of independent analog radio broadcast recordings from a regional college station accessible to the entire world.

Working as an educator, I’ve developed manuals, guides, visual graphics, video, and other training materials as well as having worked directly with staff and clients to ensure rapid acclimation to newly-implemented technologies. I am detail oriented, organized, self-motivated, adept at multitasking, and love new challenges. Increasing knowledge and understanding is one of my greatest passions and I’ve worked independently to develop and deliver lectures and informational graphics to share cost and time-saving technology solutions with the community. I’m hopeful that I can use these skills to benefit your team.

Stress and anxiety were major issues at my last IT job, so I'm strictly seeking fully-remote work for what I hope will be my final career for the next 20 years until retirement. My email-notified automated search queries on Indeed and LinkedIn are for fully-remote entry-level data entry and similar jobs. But as I mentioned yesterday most of the results are identical cubicle farm postings.

The greatest challenge when I target remote work is that I'm competing with hundreds of applicants from around the country so I really need to differentiate myself with each application.

If anyone has any suggestions for how to change my plan of attack, I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks!