Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm currently pursuing a career in Film/TV production, but am looking for P/T admin/office or customer service work to accompany my current internship. Perhaps it's because I've mostly limited my search to Craigslist, but I haven't caught any fish yet, which is really wrecking my morale. As my financial cushion drains by the day, I'm getting closer and closer to "panic mode". I've already re-tooled my resume as much as possible, and am now seeking external feedback as to what I could add or subtract. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
EDUCATION
CUNY Senior College 01/2013
Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies – GPA: 3.8
CUNY Community College 06/2010
Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts - GPA: 3.6
EXPERIENCE Post-Production Intern 09/13 - present
Media Arts Center
New York, NY
- Produce copies of center's film DVD's based on inventory and demand.
- Digitize tape-based films via Final Cut Pro.
- Transfer B-roll and interview footage to hard drive storage, verifying its quality in the process.
- Deliver and pick-up audiovisual equipment for repair and maintenance.
Contract Employee 05/13 - 08/13
Temp Agency
New York, NY
- Assigned to a client site as a Records Center assistant.
- Prepped, collated and photocopied hundreds of defined contribution, retirement savings and life insurance documents as part of several scanning projects.
- Located and delivered archival documents to other departments when requested.
Production Intern 08/12 - 12/12
ABC Daytime Talk Show
New York, NY
- Communicated and worked alongside a team of 3-6 interns.
- Assisted audience coordinators with ticket production, promotional giveaways and entering/exiting studio audiences.
- Aided control room staff by photocopying episode rundown sheets and proofreading chyrons.
- Collaborated on art projects for a Craft Corner segment.
- Transcribed food recipe segments into Microsoft Word documents.
- Stocked and maintained craft table and green rooms for the convenience of guests and crew.
- Ran various errands for office and TV studio when needed.
Work-Study Clerical Assistant 06/12 - 11/12
Senior College Office of the Registrar
New York, NY
- Collated and scanned student records as part of a long-term digitization project.
- Handled filing and alphabetizing of hard copy student documentation.
SKILLS
Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Strong written, interpersonal and organizational ability
Fluency in Spanish
1. You graduated in January. Are you looking for full time work? Getting part time work is going to be difficult and being a recent grad, some employers may question that.
2. Why are you limiting yourself to Craigslist? Try indeed.com. Have you thought about seeking FT employment at one of the local TV stations? Even doing admin work? For instance:
3. For your resume, I would put your "Professional Experience" first and then list your education. When you lead with your Education section, that tells the employer that is what you consider to be your strongest asset.
I would suggest you read a lot of job postings for administrative positions and take some of the things listed in the ads and use that to rework your resume. Your resume doesn't scream Admin or Cust Serv.
The associates listed... is that a stand alone 2 years or is it part of your 4 year bachelors?
Stand alone. I transferred over to my senior college upon completing it, which took care of my core requirements there.
@charlygal: Yes, I'd been looking for F/T work in Film/TV production ever since graduating but came up short, hence why I'm pursuing another internship: to bolster my skill-set and connections. The resume I send out for Film/TV positions contains an additional section with related coursework I took at my senior college, as well as my production and post-production skills under the "Skills" section. At the moment I'm looking for any P/T job because I can't do F/T with my internship (which is 2 days/week until mid-December). Thanks for the suggestions!
At the moment I'm looking for any P/T job because I can't do F/T with my internship (which is 2 days/week until mid-December). Thanks for the suggestions!
Just my opinion but you should be looking for FT work even if you are currently doing an internship. The FT job will add to your career long term. Just keep applying. Your internship place will understand that a FT job came along and you have to leave.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57821
I agree with the work before the education, but the bigger problem is the limited skills listed. Other than Spanish, which is only helpful in areas with a lot of Spanish speaking people, everyone has those skills out of high school now. What does interpersonal ability mean? I would reword that. Add some skills that set you apart from the other candidates and demonstrate that you learned something in your college education, work and internship.
What does your cover letter look like? With limited experience, a good cover letter that highlights your relevant experience maybe key.
I'd say my cover letters are solid. They all follow a general template, but are of course tailored for each position I apply for. Here's a sample of one I wrote for an office assistant position, which in its job duties mentioned:
Phones, forms, filing, copying, patient encounter, meet and greet patients, entering data into computer. Will work alongside front desk secretary
Dear Hiring Manager:
I am an [insert senior college] alumnus writing in application for [insert company's] Medical Office Assistant position as listed on [senior college's career services] website. The duties highlighted in your listing have captured my interest in this position. I see it as a great opportunity to contribute and expand on my office and customer service experience.
During my previous positions at [BLANK] and [senior college's Registrar], I was tasked with collating, copying and scanning confidential documentation, which required an attention to detail and accuracy. Whether it was through Word files, scanning software or old-fashioned filing and alphabetizing, I was able to perform these duties successfully. In addition, during my previous internship at [ABC daytime talk show], I assisted audience members with inquiries, VIP reservations and directions as they entered and exited the TV studio. As a result, I helped make their experience a pleasant and less confusing one, which I would look forward to doing so at your practice. My accompanying resume describes these positions in further detail.
I am certain that my prior experience will allow me to make a valuable contribution to [insert company] as a Medical Office Assistant. I am currently available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for up to 25 hours/week. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to hearing from you.
I agree with the work before the education, but the bigger problem is the limited skills listed. Other than Spanish, which is only helpful in areas with a lot of Spanish speaking people, everyone has those skills out of high school now. What does interpersonal ability mean? I would reword that. Add some skills that set you apart from the other candidates and demonstrate that you learned something in your college education, work and internship.
I took your suggestion, and re-worked my Skills section, how does this sound?
- Actively collaborated with co-workers and supervisors to achieve common goals and meet deadlines
- Communicated with clients and inter-company personnel in a courteous, helpful manner
- Accomplished assignments with attention to both detail and priority
- Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Fluent in Spanish
I don't like skills sections that are too wordy. Also, you're not listing all of your skills! Make sure to list all of the editing software you know how to use (you list Final Cut Pro in the resume, but not skills - and I suspect you probably learned other related programs in college), the cameras you are familiar with (if this is relevant - I'm not really familiar), any design programs you know (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc), and anything else you can think of. Make that part scannable - as in, hitting on keywords that prospective employers might use to filter applicants.
Another suggestion is to cut down your bullets significantly. Most of your bullets are honestly fluff. No one cares that you ran errands or that you did x, y, z expected task. It's important to frame what you can do around how it benefitted the organizations you worked for. If you can get a quantitative amount in there, great! If not, make your language as strong as possible.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
