While you’re searching and applying for a job in a media, you should be actively building your skillset and experience to make yourself the best possible candidate you can be for a potential employer. That might be obvious to almost everyone, however, the people who choose to put in the work when they’re not filling out applications can set themselves apart from the crowd. Here are four ways you can start producing content today, and in turn, separate yourself from the applications masses:
1. Blog
This is a simple one. On your personal website, add a “blog” page and start writing (at least) weekly. Stay away from political issues or inappropriate content topics, but give your take on everyday life, write articles about free festivals you can attend, review local restaurants, etc. Virtually every job in any form of media requires you to be able to write, so this is an opportunity for you to keep your skills up and also to showcase them consistently for potential employers.
2. Videos
The beauty of today’s technology is that if you have a DSLR, a digital camera, or even just an iPhone and a computer, you too can be an aspiring videographer or video editor! If you don’t know how to edit video, take some time to shoot some videos, watch a few tutorials online, and play around with the editing on your own. View the time that you spend on this as time and energy you’re investing in yourself and your own value. If you can put together a few nicely shot, edited video pieces on your website, you’re infinitely more attractive as a candidate.
3. Web Design
Speaking on being more attractive as a candidate and investing in yourself…build your own website! Don’t cop out and pay someone to do this for you, even if you think it will look much nicer. You can make it look that nice too, if you’re willing to put in the work and spend the time. Taking it a step further, once you’re a bit more comfortable building your site on a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Squarespace, ask your family or friends if they’d like you to build their personal or business website as well. It’s additional experience for you and portfolio material, and if you get good enough you could even make some extra side cash.
4. Social Media Management
No “social media management” doesn’t mean you have experience posting to social media. There’s a clear, distinct difference to potential employers between you posting random content to your personal social platforms and you gaining experience in social media brand management and representation for a business. Again, go to friends and family members who might have a small business or are trying to build their personal brand and ask for them to let you put together a content and social media management strategy and schedule for them. Maybe for experience sake you take the first client on for a small fee or for free, just be careful you don’t start providing free or inexpensive service without them knowing that it’s just for an introductory period and that won’t be the rate forever. The value and experience you gain out of building these strategies and managing these accounts coupled with the ability for you to put the business or company names on your resume are big-time victories for you on your job search.
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