Great Career Advice Never Grows Stale

By Mindy on March 31, 2010

Hey ThinkTalkers! To help get you through Hump Day, we pulled some of our favorite interviews from the vaults of the ThinkTalk archives. Grab some popcorn and Red Bull and kick back for some great career advice!

In this clip, sports journalist Mike Wise talks with ThinkTalk host Zack Sherwood about how he landed his first job out of college. After graduating from Fresno State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism, he snagged a sports writing job at The Sanger Herald, a 5,000 weekly newspaper. Now he's on staff at The Washington Post after 10 years of writing for the New York Times. He has has won eight Associated Press Sports awards.

Darren Arononfsky studied film at Harvard University and also received an M.F.A from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Aronofsky began to make his first feature film, Pi, which won the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Pi’s success led to the creation of Requiem for a Dream, a remake of the Japanese film series "Kozure okami," The Fountain, and 2008’s The Wrestler. In this clip, Aronofsky talks about the struggle to make his first film, Pi, the research that goes into his science-related films (including The Fountain) and why Rudy is his favorite movie.

F. Gary Gray sits down with ThinkTalk host Zack Sherwood for a great interview about the director's career in the film industry. Gray talks about his first film job, how he got into making music videos and his best advice for college students. While producing music videos, Gray worked with clients like Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, TLC, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige, and won several awards for his projects. His first two feature films, Friday, staring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, and Set If Off, staring Jada Pinkett Smith, were hits and established Gray as a filmmaker. He also directed A Man Apart, Be Cool, and award-winning films The Negotiator, The Italian Job and Law Abiding Citizen.

Come back tomorrow for some more great career advice!

Upcoming Guest: Documentary Filmmaker Robert Stone

By Mindy on March 30, 2010

Hey all! I wanted to give everyone a heads-up for an upcoming Director's Cut guest, Robert Stone. He'll be visiting the ThinkTalk studios next week to talk with our host Erika about his career in the film business and his advice for students, and you can submit a question for the interview at Stone's bio page.

Stone's latest documentary, Earth Days looks back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement, from its post-war rumblings in the 1950s to the first 1970 Earth Day celebration and the subsequent firestorm of political action. The 2-hour documentary is set to premiere on Monday, April 19, 2010 on PBS -- 40 years after the first Earth Day in 1970.

Stone's first project in 1987, Radio Bikini, earned him a nomination for Best Feature Documentary Academy Award, and the early success encouraged him to continue studying and making films about American history, pop-culture and the mass media. Filmmaker Magazine recently interviewed Stone about the making of Earth Days, and I thought this bit about Stone's approach to directing was really interesting:

Filmmaker: I want to talk about the stylistic approach you took with the film, for instance the lack of a narrator.

Stone: Well, I've never used narration. I feel as a filmmaker that it's cheating and I think it puts a distance between you and the audience, like you're lecturing at them rather than them discovering something themselves. My basic approach to documentary filmmaking is that I think all films basically function the same way, whether they're documentaries or dramatic feature films, in how they work on an audience. A film succeeds and is at its most satisfying when there's a process of discovery or a feeling that you've watched something and put two and two together and come up with a new way of thinking about something. Rather than been lectured to. With a subject as vast as this, I felt it was vital that it was firmly grounded in personal narrative so finding characters whose personal life journeys mirrored the journey of the film was step one. We set out to follow their trajectory from being kids and understanding the motivation that generation had coming out of the 50s to go out and remake the world, explaining the psychology behind it and then showing what happened and how it all fell apart.

If you want see Earth Days, tune into PBS on April 19 or you can watch it on April 11 at 8pm EST during a live social screening on Facebook. It should be a great interview, so submit your questions online by April 5th to get an answer from Stone!

The Power of the Score

By mikefox on March 29, 2010

Since the early days of cinema, there has always been a creative marriage between film and music. Before movies had built in sound or dialogue, live music was played in movie theaters to add atmosphere and emotion. When you watch a lot of the early post silent era movies from the 1930's, you'll still hear music but you won't hear it from beginning to end. It wasn't necessary because the viewers could now hear sounds coming from the mouths of the characters. Most of the music in those movies is played during the beginning, the end, and during transitions.

Even though the face of cinema keeps changing for better or for worse, film scores have not lost their power. In 1975, "Jaws" made a lot of people afraid to swim in the ocean. The "Jaws" score by John Williams definitely makes the appearance of that shark all the more frightening. Bernard Herrmann's score was very effective in the shower sequence from the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Psycho". The score for "Back to The Future" composed by Alan Silvestri added extra excitement to the time travel adventure that only had about 32 special effects. "Avatar" will not only be remembered for the lifelike 3D special effects but it will also be remembered for the powerful score by James Horner. Last year, my father introduced me to the classic "The Great Escape". Everytime I talk to him about the movie, he whistles that joyful score from that movie by Elmer Bernstein.

There are many TV shows from the past and present that are remembered for their theme songs. Certain products are remembered not only for their trademarks but also for their catchy jingles. Soap operas will always be remembered for their cheap and cheesy music. There are many movies that will always be remembered for their score.

If you are a filmmaker, or aspire to be one, remember how much impact your film's musical score can have.

"Fast musical notes on a music sheet" courtesy Horia Varlan via Flickr Creative Commons

When I Grow Up I Want to be...

By Monica on March 26, 2010

So you are halfway through college and you still don’t have the answer to what you want to be when you grow up? Well, do not fear, according to careerbuilder.com there are several college students who are currently declared “undecided” or have no idea what they want to do with their degrees. It can seem daunting the closer the graduation date comes and your friends all have their post-grad plans already laid out on the table. With a little help from careerbuilder.com I’ve discovered a short and simple way you can find out what it is exactly you want to do with your life after school.

After graduation, you will enter a new crossroad in your life. The possibilities are endless and if you take advantage of your school’s career fairs and networking events, it is very likely someone or something will catch your eye. But there is a much personal and more reliable method to help hone in on what career fits you best. Aside from taking an online aptitude test and narrowing your choices down, (which I personally would not advice taking too seriously – my high school aptitude test suggested I follow a career path in nature therapy or carpentry and I don’t even like being outdoors all that much), making a simple pros and cons list of careers that interest you can uncover your destiny!

So take out a sheet of paper and a pen, or if your feeling a little tech savvy, create a spread sheet on your computer and make a list of jobs, careers and topic areas that interest YOU. From astronaut to accountant, write it down! Of course, you must be realistic; writing down time traveler won’t benefit you when trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. However, most anything is possible if you work hard and if you are truly passionate about what you want out of life.

Next, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! If you are unable to meet with a career center advisor at your university, utilize the Internet and google as much information as you can about each career. The important thing is that you find a field that you are attracted to; careerbuilder.com suggests browsing your social and professional networks for people in the industries that interest you and ask them any questions you have.

This is your opportunity to be pro-active with your LinkedIn account! Try to find professionals or experts who are willing to discuss their careers and provide answers to any questions you have.

"After your interviews and research, list the pros and cons, skills and experience needed to be successful, and determine what careers or jobs match your interests, needs and wants,” says Simma Lieberman, a performance improvement consultant and coach.

You must be willing to not only be passionate about gaining experience in your field but you have to actually do it. Interning in various fields will provide you with experience that can be useful in determining where you see yourself working after graduation. Internships give you an idea as to what you are good at and what you may or may not enjoy doing. According to the site, “knowing what you won’t do is helpful to find out what you will do.”

So get started! Graduation will come sooner than you may think and if you take the initiative to research and explore your passions and interests that daunting feeling will transform into confidence when you stride across the stage and accept your diploma.

How to be ImPRESSive

By Morgan on March 26, 2010

Hey there! This is Morgan Noonan, junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Yes, I get asked "So what are you going to do with that?" quite a bit. I plan on becoming a medical illustrator. Booyah!

An essential part of actually being successful in your field is getting noticed. It can be by potential companies / future employers or by current coworkers / supervisors. It also involves the press. Dealing with media and news outlets is a necessary part of gaining recognition for your work. And to be among the who’s who of [insert career field here], your name has to mean something.

Anyone in an artsy major is doubtlessly familiar with press releases, or will be soon, as they are typically destined to live a life of tireless self-promotion.

(I have an assignment due next week to write one, but I’m not sure what event it will be about yet… any suggestions?)

Of course, not everyone is burdened with trying to convince the public to come to their solo art show featuring a series of oil paintings of their pet hamster. Perhaps you are part of a team or are just more of a behind-the-scenes type person. You will still want that special project that you worked so hard on to be seen and appreciated. Press coverage means opportunities for networking, which can lead to job offers!

They also play a large part in business promotion as a smart marketing strategy. According to Hubpages.com, Press releases can:

Add more traffic to your website

Help build a brand

Establish credibility

Acquire free publicity

They invite newspapers, radio stations and television outlets to learn more about you and your work. A successful press release can be rather tricky to write, though, especially if it is for your own event.

Make sure to be descriptive, objective, clear and concise. People want to know Who, What, When, Where and Why. Also, you need to make what you are doing sound new, different and interesting. No reporter or editor will think your work is worth writing about unless it sounds news-worthy.

Here are 2 different, but equally useful, ‘How To’ guides to use should you find yourself needing to promote something: eHow or WikiHow

I’ll let you decide which you prefer; I couldn’t choose.

(Image courtesy of Alex Barth via Flickr Creative Commons)

Network Network Network

By MollyMathews on March 26, 2010

Hey ThinkTalkers, my name is Molly and I am a senior English Major at CUA. As part of my internship for ThinkTalk, I will be blogging my epic search for a job in the D.C. area, giving you all my take on what has worked, what has failed miserably, and hopefully giving a splinter of insight to those of you who haven’t quite reached job hunting maturation yet in your young adult life.

Hello ThinkTalkers! When reading blog after blog about the job application process, you build immunity to their advice. You begin to think suggestions like joining LinkedIn, attending networking events, and sell-sell-selling yourself are unoriginal and implicit pieces of advice. I’m afraid I have to join their ranks by further encouraging you May grads to keep up the good work and continue to build a professional on-and-offline presence. I too experience moments of disillusionment in the job hunt, but last week’s Business Networking Event at my university gave me a dose of much needed inspiration.

I had very little expectations for the event’s turn out. After all, who would want to be pestered with questions and insignificant “elevator talk” after an eight hour day? I certainly wouldn’t be interested, even with the free t-shirt. I figured, even if there were four or five professional attendees, realistically, what could I take away from this “networking opportunity” other than a soda and a plateful of appetizers? I tugged awkwardly at my pants suit and complained about how useless and unnecessary this exercise would be while walking to the event.

Hopefully my enlightening experience at this Networking event will inspire you to get more involved in your University or community’s networking opportunities because it certainly taught me that you never know when you’ll meet that invaluable contact. A week before the Business Networking Event, I received an email from career services about a recently opened position. The job description read like hundreds of others. The responsibilities listed were vague and unexciting, but I figured I’d give it a try. The night of the event, I met the lovely woman who is leaving that position, and speaking with her changed my attitude towards the job completely. The job is fast-paced, deals with high profile political figures, and is staffed with other young professionals. A dream right? I never would have know, had a skipped the event, and took that nap instead. Our polite conversation turned into a mini interview, and then into a consultation on how to apply. This contact became an irreplaceable advocate.

The lesson here, ThinkTalkers is simple. The career search is in fact, like a box of chocolates- you never know what you’re going to get. And what happened next? I sent her a follow-up email the next day with my cover letter and resume attached for review. I thanked her for the illuminating information and advice and left the window of communication open. Every contact counts. Now iron that dress shirt and practice your handshake because you’re going to need it.

"Handshake" courtesy AndyRob via Flickr Creative Commons

How to Interview... And Get The Job!

By Jane Lovas on March 25, 2010

Guest Blogger Jane Lovas' weekly series called “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Life and Career” runs each Thursday

You’ve sent out a ton of resumes, gone to every career fair and you finally got the call to come in for an interview!

Now what do you do? This is your chance to sell yourself. Remember, a company wants to hire someone to solve problems. They are not hiring you because you’re smart, which no doubt you are. If they just wanted smart employees, they wouldn’t have to interview, they could get the list of GPA’s and hire from that. The good news is that being smart is not the only quality companies are looking for when they hire new employees.

The secret to getting hired is demonstrating that you are the one that can solve their problem. There are two simple ways to do this. The first one is to show up at the interview prepared answer questions and to ask a few questions.

Some questions you should be prepared to answer are:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Do you have any questions about our company?
• What skills do you have that will benefit our company?

Some questions you might want to consider asking are:

• What are some of the specific tasks and responsibilities you’ll have?
• What is the size of the team and how you will interact with team members?
• Ask about the person you’re replacing or if it’s a new position.
• Is there specific training available that will help you quickly get up to speed on the companies procedures?

The second way to prove that you can meet a company's needs is to show up for the interview in a professional manner that builds confidence in you as a responsible employee. This means:

• Showing up 5 – 10 minutes early.
• Talking respectfully to the receptionist or admin.
• Dressing professionally (even if they say it’s a casual dress environment, dress like you’re taking this seriously.)
• Brushing your teeth and spiting out your gum.
• Turning off your cell phone or taking out your Bluetooth earpiece.
• Remembering and using your interviewer’s name. (People like to hear their own name.)

Now that you know what to do, go do it. Interview with ease (practice interviewing if you don’t feel comfortable yet). Have fun and go get a job, and let me know how it goes!

Jane Lovas is a career specialist who is the creator of the life changing 12 week tele-seminar “Creating the Life of Your Dreams”. She is also our guest blogger, whose column will run every Thursday. If you would like to contact Jane, you can reach her here, here or here.

"Little Case" courtesy Banalities via Flickr Creative Commons

Who Cares About Health Care?

By Morgan on March 22, 2010

Hey there! This is Morgan Noonan, junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Yes, I get asked "So what are you going to do with that?" quite a bit. I plan on becoming a medical illustrator. Booyah!

We work to make money. However, a paycheck is not the only benefit of having a job. Many careers come with the added benefit of health insurance; and securing medical coverage is essential to becoming a real person. It is important to note that not only seasoned professionals with years of experience get the advantage of health care benefits. Some part-time jobs offer these important perks as well.

According to the Free Management Library, “Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee in return for their contribution to the organization, that is, for doing their job. Some benefits, such as unemployment and worker's compensation, are federally required.”

They go on to explain that “Prominent examples of benefits are insurance (medical, life, dental, disability, unemployment and worker's compensation), vacation pay, holiday pay, and maternity leave, contribution to retirement (pension pay), profit sharing, stock options, and bonuses.”

The FORTUNE 100 Best Companies To Work For list picks top employers based on an array of criteria. It is not surprising that a major factor they emphasize is health care. They even draw special attention to the fact that “14 companies on this year's list pay 100% of their employees' health-care premiums.”

I, like many young adults, still rely on my parents to take care of my visits to the dentist and the doctor. I still even make my mom come in with me when I get my teeth cleaned. (Not because I’m scared—just so the hygienist talks to her instead of making me try and answer questions about college with a mouth full of instruments!)

At some point, though, we do need to take control of our own health care. And with the recent passing of the new Health Care Reform Bill--which most people agree has been a long time coming--it can be a little daunting. Some especially pertinent new changes include:

Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions

Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until age 26

Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.

No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage

When hunting for that perfect job, think about the long term. If you plan on having a family, will your company cover your children? Maternity leave may be the last thing on your mind right now, but it could be very important indeed in a few years. An even scarier thought is retirement. Nobody wants to get to his or her golden years and then have to rely on Bingo Night winnings to pay for that trip to Japan they always wanted to take. In the mean time, this new legislation means we can all stay children until age 26? Awesome!

(Illustration courtesy of Jared Rodriguez via Flickr Creative Commons)

Social Media 101: Think Before You Tweet

By Monica on March 22, 2010

My name is Monica Karkhanis and I am currently a sophomore communication major with a focus in public relations at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is my first semester as an intern for Think Talk and I am really excited to blog about social media and how it can help your career. Find me on Twitter and be sure to continue following ThinkTalk!

Hey ThinkTalkers! I hope all is well in Internet land for all of you! This past week I spent my time at the Public Relations Student Society of America National Assembly in Austin, Texas. The field of public relations involves a great deal of social media and knowing how to implement these Internet tools to not only brand yourself, but to network with other students and professionals. At the assembly, students were required to attend three separate seminars. The one that stood out the most to me discussed how to affectively and appropriately use your social-networking tools to earn professional respect and to hopefully land a job. One of the presenters mentioned how Twitter can either make or break you—depending on WHO is following you and WHAT you are posting on your account.

It may not seem like a big deal to you to tweet about your night out on the town after a few drinks. It may not even seem like a big deal to insult your boss on Twitter. However, when you tweet about inappropriate things, it may actually ruin any prospects that are tracking your movements online or worse, get you fired. When using Twitter, it is beneficial to post tweets with some substance. I know, I know… How can a 140-character message have much value? At the seminar, I learned a great way to get your name out there in a productive and positive way is to post links to helpful or interesting blogs or sites you may have found while perusing the Internet. You should also follow professionals to see what types of tweets they are posting.

Ask yourself what you would find valuable in a tweet—and then tweet it! Be careful and make sure what you are saying is appropriate. No one wants to know when you’re “Tweet’n from the toilet” – a message like that can definitely ruin your chances of being hired. (That was the example the hiring manager who spoke with us used in deciding whether to hire one individual—you can guess what he decided).

What if one of your followers or someone you are following is the guilty of inappropriate tweets? Unfortunately, this can make you guilty by association. There is no escaping it—it’s like hanging out with the wrong kids at school. If you are following or being followed by an individual on Twitter that could potentially tarnish your personal brand or identity, I say UNFOLLOW!

For more ways to appreciate your following on Twitter and how to better use your Twitter as a personal marketing tool check out this article called, “How to Value Your Following on Twitter.” Here's a list of the best people to follow for more information on personal branding and using your Twitter! And if you too are trying to enter the world of public relations, feel free to follow me!

"Fun Twitter shirt seen at LIFT" courtesy Robert Scoble via Flickr Creative Commons

Why Every Filmmaker Should Own "I'll Be In My Trailer"

By mikefox on March 19, 2010

John Badham's "I'll Be in My Trailer: The Creative Way Between Directors and Actors", is a book every film maker should own. "I'll Be in My Trailer" was published in 2006. I came across the book when one of my teachers used it as a text book for my 'Directing With Actors' class at the Art Institute. This is one of the few text books that most students don't sell back after finals. In this book, film director John Badham discusses first hand directorial experiences including the bridge scene in "Saturday Night Fever". When John Travolta showed up for that scene, Badham had already filmed Travolta's stunt double crawling across a bridge to stop a friend from jumping. The stunt double had already gone home for the day but Travolta told Badham that his character would never crawl. After much heated discussion, Travolta told Badham, "I'll Be in My Trailer". Badham ended up filming the scene with Travolta walking and had to correct the continuity errors in post production.

"I'll Be in My Trailer" also includes interviews with other directors including John Frankenheimer discussing how Frank Sinatra's insisted on completing his performances in just one take on the set of "The Manchurian Candidate". Francis Ford Coppola also talks about living out every director's worst nightmare when he was directing "Apocalypse Now". If you're an actor, this book is especially useful because you get to read about actors being directed including Jenna Elfman, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Caine, Betty Thomas, and Martin Sheen.

Badham defines the language directors use when speaking with actors as "Actor-Speak". Otherwise, directors need to realize that actors are human beings whether they are multimillionaires or amateurs. It seems that there has to be a certain level of sensitivity when offering constructive criticism to the actor because a lot of actors tend to be very sensitive. Providing a healthy and comfortable environment is also essential. Being what Badham refers to as a "Stealth Director", or a passive aggressive director, creates a distance between the director and actor. That sounds like a shot in the foot for the director because if the actor doesn't remember their director on a certain project, how can the director's reputation flourish? Actors often mention in DVD interviews about certain directors making an impression on them. The more aggressive directors are Badham refers to as "War Horses". If I ever decided to be a director, I'd like to be in the middle ground between the "Stealth" and the "War Horse". Even though I've only done stage acting and directing, I can still see it from both sides. I would want to create an environment where I'm working with my actors and they are comfortable asking me for help.

Even if you don't want to direct or act, buy this book. A cinematographer or assistant director would also benefit from reading this book because they also work on the set when the actors are present. Being that I want to be an editor, I still have that actor inside that wants to come out and play every now and then. Directing a huge production sounds like the challenge of all challenges but I'm sure I would get some kind of satisfaction out of it. After all, the first line in the book is, "Making a movie can be a first-class blast most days." Find out what he says next when you buy it!

"HVR-V1P Front" courtesy Jaymis via Flickr Creative Commons