Get the skills you need, to get the job you want

Picture Courtesy of NYC Media Group

“If you’re not excited about something…what’s the point?”

As I sat down at the picnic table in the back of the office, to enjoy lunch, with one of my producers on a cold Monday, we got to talking about the endless possibilities in New York City, and all the things that you can see and do. She mentioned that she had read a blog entry of mine and discussed an intern she had met last year who did many of the same things that I am doing. We determined that this was called “interning within the internship.”

It inspired me to write my first essay in what felt like months. It was what I needed to get the fingers typing thoughtful ideas again. And that’s what every day here is—an inspiration to write down film ideas, television program ideas, documentaries, stories, narratives, essays—there is inspiration in every page of the city.

Last week, I was inspired as we wrapped on our last episode of the Job Hunt, which began airing last Tuesday night. On Friday, we shot our second to last episode of the series which focuses on my generation and the troubles we will find in the job market, and how to avoid those troubles. All the advice that was given was more than helpful, and as I sat at the teleprompter I took several notes:


- 1 page—2 page at most resume.

- Cater the resume to the job you are applying to.

- Remember you dream job, but remember that maybe right now isn’t the time
for your dream job. Baby steps.

- Network: Use Facebook as a means of impressing employers by posting other work experience, links to things that are
relevant to the job market you are pursuing, becoming a fan of their pages. Use Twitter to follow people in that
company, whether it is HR or the business department, follow the company, so that you know what is going on. Get
on LinkedIn, which is a bit more professional than either of the two forementioned. On here, you can see what
companies have browsed through your profile.

- Follow up on resumes. Don’t sit at home and think that just because you spent three hours sending resumes to the cyber
world that you are going to get a job. You need to be proactive.

- Never just walk into a business and expect a meeting. Follow-up with emails and phone calls.

- Dress to impress.

- Make sure that you are doing the job search well in advance.

- Take advantage of websites like www.urbaninterns.com, www.craigslist.com, and www.mandy.com.

- The more internships you have, the more experience you can put on your resume, the more likely an employer is to give
you a shot.


The job world may appear to be shrinking, but it’s not non-existent. In fact, new jobs, new titles, and new opportunities are opening up in novelty areas every day. A job that didn’t exist ten years ago, is now here—and in another two years, there will be jobs that we don’t have now. It's time, as "Gen Y" to throw ourselves out there: blog, network, follow-up, dress well, and take advantage of every opportunity; mold ourselves into a multi-talented workers--and attain the skills we need--to get the jobs we want.