Starting on a Positive Note!

So, what are your plans after graduation? Have you started thinking about your plan for next year? What are you going to do with your degree?

Some of the many, daunting but ever exciting questions spiralling around my head the past few months, as the reality of my final semester begins to sink in. The simulated interviews were for me, a perfect opportunity to dissect these looming questions, and to, on reflection, take a few huge leaps down my career path, which now doesn’t seem just as daunting. My career path has been started on a positive note!

My degree in Music and Audio Production has opened the career possibilities of many production related jobs, with my search for a job description bringing one exciting position to my attention. I was delighted to come across a paid job opportunity scheme of Advanced Production Training offered by the BBC beginning in September, which presented itself with a perfect job description for both the simulated interviews and real life, offering key preparation for my future.

Given the nature of my degree and its’ performative aspects, speaking in front of my peers didn’t present fear, although being able to speak cohesively and effectively about my recent work-related experiences and skills was a new venture. I consulted Judi James’ book, ‘You’re Hired. Interview.’ which helped to organise my skill set and relevant experiences in my head by using the ‘Shield’ method (James, 2009). I was able to create a focused list of my hard skills, soft skills, achievements and personality traits, of which acted as a direct ‘pic n mix’ of relevant qualities that I could offer to any employer, and mentally draw upon during the interview. Additionally, in order to appropriately apply my shield, I conducted some research on the BBC as influenced by Joanna Hayden’s book ‘Marketing Yourself’, where she states the importance of researching the organisation you will be interviewing with (Hayden, 2000). Upon researching the BBC, I came across their mission statement, which allowed me to add important key words to my shield such as, ‘educate’ ‘entertain’, ‘creative’ ‘diverse’ ‘engage’ and ‘high quality’ (BBC, 2022).

My first question, ‘What makes you think you would be a perfect fit for this job’, was ideal for drawing upon my shield. My first thought was the BBC mission statement and conning skills from my shield which applied, as well as drawing upon my relating placement experience and how this has helped me develop a broad and relevant skill set. Upon reflecting on my peer feedback, it is suggestive that I answered this question successfully and confidently. This has given me the confidence that I am now somewhat able to speak of relevant experience cohesively, which has been an invaluable addition to my real-life preparation for this job opportunity.

Additionally, I knew it would be useful from attending our lecture on interviews, to employ the STAR technique within my interview and so I was able to successfully apply this technique when answering the question, ‘Have you ever had to adapt to a changing environment’. On analysis of my peer feedback, it has been suggested that I could further relate my working examples to the given job description, and so I decided to further research the STAR technique and create an improved STAR structured answer to this question, with the hopes of being able to apply it within interview if my application where to be successful. I have highlighted key words of importance that I wish to remember of throughout. I found this article on employing the STAR technique particularly helpful- https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method. (K, Boogaaard, 2022).

The structure of my answer would now be as follows-

Job Setting- NIAVAC Audio Visual, Belfast Arts Council Live Stream

Situation– Important Team Member Calling in sick with Covid.

Task– Completing the Live Stream successfully with reduced team members.

Action– Taking initiative to learn on the spot, by engaging cohesively with team members and remaining calm under pressure. My role was to take on responsibility for new, never completed before tasks, but having confidence in my capabilities, so that other team members could trust me and concentrate on their own important tasks.

Result– A successful live stream of which the client was happy, and new increased positive rapport with myself and my colleagues of my capabilities within production environments. Also, a new improved understanding of production equipment, in particular the use of a mixing desk, setting up live stream in studio audio, use of Q Lab software and also graphic design software.

Reflecting on the entire activity, the most valuable for me has been being able to apply it in real life during the application process for this job. My preparation in my application for the job has been incomparable to what it may have been without this experience, particularly within the video interview submission section of the application, where I was asked to Wow! My interviewees on why I thought I was perfect for the scheme. Immediately I was able to shine through with the confidence of already having practice of answering this question, and I can gratefully say my answer has allowed me to progress to the next stage of the process!

No matter the outcome, I have been inspired to continually develop my interview skills as I carry them along my career path of which I am excited to continue along, having started on such a positive note!

References-

BBC (2022) Advanced Production Trainee Scheme [Online] Available at: ://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/trainee-schemes-and-apprenticeships/production/production-trainee (Accessed 01/02/22).

BBC (2022) ‘Mission, Values and Public Purposes’ [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/mission (Accessed 24/01/22)

Boogaard, K. (2022) ‘The STAR Method: The Secret to Acing Your Next Job Interview’ [online] Available at: https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method (Accessed 10/02/22)

Hayden, J., & Kumpf, P. (2000). Marketing Yourself, Part 3: The Interview. Health Promotion Practice, 1(4), 314–318. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26734179

James, J. (2009) ‘You’re Hired! Interview’ Trotman Publishing, Surrey, p.33-40.