Some people like being on camera more than others. It's just a simple fact of life.
And, for a long time, many could have successful careers without ever being on camera. But, that's just not the case in 2021.
Let's just take a look back at last year when COVID-19 made entire workforces virtual. Chances are that to effectively do their jobs, many professionals had to be on video to meet with colleagues and work on projects.
That's just a basic example. Folks, the world is changing and it's time to get comfortable being on camera. Here's why:
Being On Camera Is Going To Be Part Of The Professional Experience
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As I briefly referenced above, we know that COVID-19 drastically shifted the workforce to remote in 2020 and that shift will continue in the years to come. It may still be a few years before we get a good idea of the total impact of this shift, but it's safe to say that the way we all work is going to be drastically different.
Late last year, Flexjobs published information from multiple remote work surveys and a few numbers stood out to me. One survey said that 80% of company leaders plan to allow employees to work remotely at least part-time after the pandemic, and 47% will allow employees to work from home full-time. Another survey indicated that 78% of CEOs believe that remote collaboration is here to stay for the long term.
Couple those survey results with the fact that some big-name companies like Shopify, Zillow, Square, Facebook, and Twitter have already announced that their workforces are going to remain remote, and you can start to envision a scenario in 10 years where the majority of companies and job opportunities are remote.
This means that a professional's entire employee experience could be remote and in front of a camera.
Think about that for a second!
The process starts with multiple rounds of virtual job interviews. From there, professionals will onboard virtually and then need to communicate with co-workers, and sometimes clients, through video conferencing.
Suddenly, the way you handle yourself on camera becomes part of your core skill sets and the value you add to a company. Being on camera is essential to your career growth and ultimate success.There's Great Opportunity Being On Camera
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Yes, there are practical reasons why professionals should get comfortable being on camera, but beyond those reasons, I believe that all professionals should want to get on camera because video provides a whole new world of opportunities.
I built my business, Work It Daily, on video. In the early days of the business, it was YouTube and video courses that helped us provide the best online career advice. We grew the business more with live streams and live career coaching events, and now we're using short TikTok videos, the business and myself, to bring career advice to an even wider audience.
I don't know what the future holds, but I know the continued growth of my business will include my staff and myself in front of a camera as we continue to work remotely and build new content.
Look at it this way: Businesses use video to grow and reach a wider audience. Every professional is a business-of-one, therefore YOU can also use video to grow your personal brand and reach a wider audience.
How To Incorporate Video Into Your Personal Brand
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Some amazing video influencers have built business empires on their online content, and while we may not all be cut out to be the next great YouTube or TikTok influencers, we can still create content that matters and moves the needle on our careers.
I'm always telling people to focus on their personal brand because it's their chance to control how they want people to view them as professionals. Your brand goes with you during all steps of the career journey, whether you're looking to advance in your current career, find a new job, or make a career change.
One of the best ways to build your personal brand is to focus on a few areas of expertise and experience, build content around those experiences, and share that content online with your professional network and others.
This article is a small part of my personal brand, as I'm talking about the changing workforce and my take on it as a career coach. While I still love the written word, I can tell you from my personal experience that once you get used to being on camera, it allows you to create even more content at a faster pace.
You never know when a 60-second TikTok, two-minute Facebook post, or 10-minute YouTube video could go viral and reach the right person. You could have a recruiter calling to interview for the dream job that you didn't even know you wanted.
The Basics Of Being On Camera
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Since we've established the importance of being on camera and its potential impact on careers, here are some basic tips to help you get comfortable in front of the camera.
- 3-finger rule: Always make sure that there are three fingers between you and the camera to ensure that you're in the frame. It's not very professional in an interview or a meeting if others are speaking to your shoulder or half a face.
- Lots of light: You want to be in a room with a lot of light and a natural background. I recommend investing in a ring light. Things can sometimes come across extra dark on camera, so if you don't have enough lighting, it can make it look like you're working in a cave.
- Invest in a microphone: You have important things to say and people should hear you. Investing in a microphone ensures the best audio quality possible.
The more you're on camera, the better you'll get! The key for most professionals is to get over their initial nerves and embrace the challenge of being on camera. Not only can it be fun, but it opens up a new world of opportunities.
Need an additional push to get outside your comfort zone? Work It Daily can help!
By joining our career growth club, you'll get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!
Check out our FREE resources page and Live Events Calendar.
Need help finding the right job?
Check out Work It Daily's Incredible Companies page to see snapshots of companies hiring. Work It Daily also highlights job opportunities on a daily basis on TikTok.
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Related Articles Around the Web
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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