Are you looking for retail management jobs? If so, keep reading on before you start your job search. Below, you’ll find a number of helpful dos and don’ts that can assist you in your quest to find a job in retail management.DO job search online. When we think of retail store jobs, many of us automatically think of applying for jobs in person. You can drop off your application to local retail stores, but the process for hiring managers is different than hiring store managers, team leaders, and department managers. You are more likely to see a manager job listing online than a sign in a store window. Moreover, when it comes to hiring say a retail store manager, a district manager is typically the individual in charge of hiring. District managers can go months without visiting a local store; therefore, your resume may sit untouched for months.DON’T be afraid to apply for jobs if, according to the retail management job listing, you don’t officially meet the job requirements. With that said, coming somewhat close is advised. Don’t expect to get hired for a management job if you have only been a cashier part-time for six months. On a personal note, I was a retail store manager for a small discount store for 3 years. At this time, I applied for a Merchandising Display Manager job with a national retail store. Although the listing stated 5 years prior management experience, I still applied for and was offered the job with my “meager” 3 years.DO know that many retailers now require managers to attend training. These training seminars may be a week long or a month long and they will likely take place in a different city or even state. Referring back to my experience as a retail store manager, the company I worked for had a small presence in my state. When I was hired, I was trained onsite (at my store) by a neighboring manager. Fast forward to 8 years later, all managers are required to attend a three-week training seminar three hours away. If an extended off-site training is required, it will typically be mentioned in the management job description, so be sure to read closely.DON’T wait too long to apply for management jobs. As soon as you see a job listing online, you should be ready to apply. If you haven’t already, now is the time to create a resume. Management jobs are in high demand, even in the retail industry. A company will likely let a job listing linger online for at least one week. This gives them the chance to obtain a number of resumes from qualified job seekers; however, the individuals who submit their resumes first are more likely to land a job interview.DO be friendly to all store employees. As mentioned above, you stand the best luck job searching online. There are cases however in which you are required to apply for jobs in person. Referring back to my personal experience, I would accept applications for new store managers in neighboring communities. My district manager would pickup the resume. When doing so, he’d always ask me or my assistant manager “what was this person like,” “did they have a positive attitude” and so forth. Even if you drop off a resume or application for a store in which you are not applying at, keep in mind that the individuals you encounter may have a small say in your ability to obtain a job interview.
Business Video Production: Selecting a Video Production Company Part 1: Planning Information
In this first article on the process of selecting a video production company, we are going to explain some of the “information you should have“ when making the call to a company because you’re thinking of doing a business video production. In subsequent parts, we’ll get into information you should know when; planning a presentation recording, training video, trade show video, and several other types of video for business projects. We’ll also cover what you need to know and ask about the video production company you are contacting.
We’ve found that often when a company calls or looks to meet with us about video production, a lot of times they’ve never been involved with the actual production process and aren’t quite sure what to ask or how to go about getting the answers they need. More often than not they haven’t really thought out what they want the video to do for them and/or what should be in it. We try to help people like this by leading them through a series of questions and giving information designed to crystallize their thoughts. We try to make the process as easy to understand and stress free as possible.
Hopefully information we are providing in this article will help.
With all the videos people see on YouTube some think that the way it works is that you show up, shoot, and a video is magically created. This can happen for some types of video projects, but for business video to be successful it requires a lot of planning both before and continuously throughout the process.
The three phases of video production are; pre-production, production, and post-production. They can and will differ depending on the type of project that you want.
Any legitimate and experienced video production company you call will want to ask you questions about your project. If they just say, “OK, we’ll show up and shoot your job”, that should raise a big red flag.
The same warning signal applies if the company can give you a price without knowing the details of your needs. Invariably, when this happens they won’t be able to do the job or there will be more charges later.
Doing a business video project is like doing any other business project in that you need to first decide what you want to do and then gather information and plan how to accomplish your goal. A video production company should start by asking potential clients questions to learn about what is needed.
Questions We Ask
A video production company should start by asking a client;
Why do they want a video?
Hopefully, this will uncover a reason where the video will satisfy some need. It could be that they need to show viewers why their product or service is better than the competition, publicize what they do, or train on something where they want the best practices taught in a correct, repeatable message. More often than not, today it is because a company needs to use video to explain something for marketing purposes on their website. They recognize that video gives them tremendous return with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value and can get their message to millions of people.
Sometimes it is to satisfy a requirement that is mandated on them. An example of this is that in certain states, when operating equipment is installed in buildings, the equipment manufacturer/installer must provide a training video as part of the bid.
Knowing the reason will shape the direction the video will take. So using the above state requirement example, whatever video is done must conform to the structure and directives that state gives, and anything else is a waste of time and money. If we didn’t know the reason it would be easy to go down the wrong path.
How do they want the video delivered to viewers?
A video made for a TV Commercial which is limited to less than 30 seconds and has to deal with broadcast specifications is different than a video which is designed to be on a website, where the exact length isn’t as critical.
Who is the audience?
Different demographics require different treatments. If the target is a Spanish speaking segment, then a video in English wouldn’t make much sense. If it is a certain category of workers, then the video needs to target what is important and use the jargon familiar to convey to that category. If it is to appeal to a customer base, it usually needs to be structured to give them either an appeal or reason to buy, or information they need to use.
What do you want the viewer to do after watching?
This is extremely important because the entire video has to be directed at this goal. If it is a sales video, we need to make the appeal to buy not only attractive, but that it is something they feel will really solve a need they have. If it is for training, we need to be certain it is designed to train and that we insert training theory such as repetition and summary throughout.
What collateral material do you have?
If a company has a particular image with graphics branding, that would usually need to be maintained. If they have successful marketing material that they feel can be used, we want to try to use it. If it is for training and they have practices they want us to develop into a script, we need that. If they have other videos they want to match in style, we need to know that. If they have an outline or rough script, we can start with that. If they have a PowerPoint presentation, that is often a start. Sometimes there will be specific company people, customer testimonials, company locations, or subject matter experts that need to be worked in. Going back to our state requirement example, we might need blueprints of the site, or operation and maintenance manuals to develop a script.
Often in this questioning vein, the company should ask the caller;
What makes you different from your competition?
Why do your customers say they like your company or product?
These questions must be asked in hopes to uncover what their competitive advantage really is. If they don’t know the answer, we’ll ask them to ask their customers. All this material and ideas gives a sense of the direction and what the video can be.
What is your budget range?
After the necessary information described above is covered, we can determine if the budget range the client wants is reasonable and discuss what can and maybe shouldn’t be done regarding their budget. We can work with any budget large or small, and what we ultimately design will be dictated by the budget.
I can’t tell you the number of calls we’ve gotten where people who really don’t know all that is involved with video production want months worth of work by multiple people and the use of hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, and they expect it for a few hundred dollars. In their defense, they’ve never been involved before and have no familiarity with the process so we try to help them understand. A video production project is variable, like choosing a car with the many brands and options available. Depending on what goes into it, the cost will vary. A web commercial can require a half day of shooting by a 2 person crew and a portion of a day editing, and ultimately may only be around $1000. Or, the same web commercial could require; a month of scripting, multiple locations, multiple shooting days, a 3 member video crew, a full 3 member lighting crew with a truck of equipment, a teleprompter and operator, a makeup technician, multiple cameras, a green screen studio, etc. Of course with all these added resources, the latter project will cost more.
5 Tips to Get Cheap Car Insurance
Getting a car insured today has become a matter that requires substantial research. For most people the main criterion of selecting or rejecting a car insurance company is price. Every body seems to be after ‘cheap’ car insurance. But how does one quantify cheap? To accurately compare quotes, you need to make sure the insurers you’re comparing are offering similar types and amounts of coverage, and also a similar deductible amount.Meanwhile, here are a few pointers on how to go about getting a car insurance that will be more affordable:Keeping all your eggs in the same basket may help you lower your car insurance costs. Some insurers give discounts if the applicant already has one or more insurances from the same company. For instance, if you already have homeowners insurance and another auto insurance plan from the company, chances are that you may have to pay less for insuring your new car. You can even ask them to give you a quote and compare it with that of other insurance companies.Keep your driving track record clean. Easier said than done, no doubt, but it really pays in the long run. If you have a couple of accidents to your credit, chances are that you may have to empty your pockets a little more to have your car insured. This is the auto insurers’ way of hedging the risk from your bad driving and safeguarding themselves from a possible claim in the near future.Increase your deductible amount. This is the amount that you agree to pay in the eventuality of a claim before the insurance company pays up. What this implies is that you are taking a risk of paying more if the need arises. But if you are a cautious driver and are confident that you are likely to be so in the future too, it will knock off a sizable chunk from your yearly payouts.Even the make of the car can determine how much you pay for the insurance of the car. Attractive and expensive cars are more theft prone and hence make the car insurance expensive. The inherent nature of the car and the likely profile of the user can also determine the insurance amount. ‘Volvo’, a symbol of safety, is likely to be driven responsibly but a Mustang is likely to be driven by a less cautious driver. Therefore if you are planning to buy a car in the near future, spare a thought on the insurance front too, since a ‘low-profile’ car can have a lower insurance cost.Take precautions to theft proof your car. This can affect your risk profile immensely, apart from giving you a general peace of mind. Cars equipped with anti-lock brakes, air bags and automatic seatbelts are also eligible for insurance discounts.Remember not to just go after the cheapest quote you get in the market. Do your homework, compare quotes and reimbursement track records of several insurance providers before you finalize your car insurance company.