International student Sunguk Cho recently produced an introductory video marketing himself to internship employers
Thoughts on Sunguk Cho’s Introductory Video
Joe Burke, Office Manager, Office of Experiential Learning
It’s no secret that the music industry is restructuring. But with the added pressure of a global economy still recovering from a recession- one quickly understands that interns and recent grads are entering a very challenging job market. Videos like Sunguk’s are a great example of how ambitious students are getting recognized among employers. As a public relations professional in a former life, I liked Sunguk’s video for several reasons:
1) Many international students work to improve their English skills while studying full time. It can be easy for employers to overlook a very qualified candidate who has difficulty communicating their value in a second language- and frustrating for the candidate who knows they are right for the job, especially in the creative arts. This video showcases skills, rather then just tells about them- which is great for an international student still polishing their English.
2) Much of Sunguk’s value as a candidate is expressed through his video. The video is well produced for a novice, showing he clearly has the vision and editing skills to do creative work. Besides him telling us this fact (tastefully) in his narration, the video itself communicates ambition simply because he took the time, thought and effort to so carefully create this unique message.
3) Most importantly, Sunguk mentions that he is interested in marketing. If you were hiring someone to do music marketing, wouldn’t you hire someone who uses video, a marketing tool, to not only introduce themselves, but to visually and artistically show you they understand how to market? Would you hire someone you feel familiar with because you’ve seen him playing with his family and practicing his music, with recommendations from his teacher? Or would you hire a faceless name from a dull pile of resumes?
After watching Sunguk’s video, I’d hire him over those “paper” candidates because he’s already soothed my fears as an employer: I know he’s passionate, I know he’s skilled, and after seeing him play with his family, talk about his dreams and hear a recommendation from his teacher, he feels more familiar (read: safe) to me.
It’s the same reason I buy Campbell’s soup over the store brand: because it’s more familiar and I know what to expect. The way employers select employees and interns isn’t much different.
Evidently, the video also had an impact on Pazz Productions, an artist management company. We’re proud to say that Sunguk is currently helping them work on some video productions as an intern this summer. Way to go Sunguk!
I’d like to ask our readers:
What are other unique forms of media are they or others are using to stand out in job searches? Feel free to leave a comment.
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Brian Curr
One more way to stand out! Good for him!