From TV to Speech Writing

From TV to Speech Writing Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From TV to Speech Writing “I wanted to work from home, during hours of my choosing.” * From TV to Speech Writing Heidi Ellert McDermott enjoyed her work, but when a change in her life circumstances meant it was no longer an option, she looked for ways to use her skills elsewhere. It's been a hard slog, but she's finally reached a point where her new career is both fulfilling and in sync with her home life. Here's her story. What work were you doing previously? I'd worked in the TV industry for over 15 years, directing, producing and series-producing a variety of light entertainment shows. I worked on shows including The Sharon Osbourne Show and The One Show, and lots of nonsense in-between. What are you doing now? Most days, writing wedding speeches for grooms! Around four years ago I founded Speechy â€" a wedding speech writing service that uses the talents of TV scriptwriters to help people deliver great wedding speeches. The team works with grooms, brides, best men and women, dads and mums, crafting speeches that are modern, witty and memorable. We're helping people tear up the old etiquette guides to deliver something that's heartfelt and humorous. No clichés or Googled gags! How did you feel in your work before you decided to make the change? I enjoyed my job â€" it was interesting, challenging and creative. Yes, it depended on what show / TV company I worked for, but I'd grown in confidence over the years and was generally able to handle the stress and hours involved. Why did you change? I'd had my second child and knew that as a freelancer it would be hard to negotiate flexible hours. Sometimes necessity breeds creativity. I wanted to be able to have dinner with my children (even if they were throwing their fish fingers at me and arguing about the colour of their spoons). It's obviously extremely frustrating that a career change is often necessary after having children. Some mums manage to maintain a TV career after having kids, but there's so many of us who just don't see it as a viable option. When was the moment you decided to make the change? I started thinking about a change during my second maternity leave. I wanted to work from home, during hours of my choosing (a.k.a. the classic parent-dream). There was no big eureka moment, just lots of crazy thoughts swirling through my head whilst pushing the pram or squeezing my bottom through another ridiculously small tunnel at soft-play. How did you choose your new career? I started to think about what I was good at and how that could become marketable. I also wanted to be my own boss. I'd enjoyed the writing aspect of my TV career; plus,a couple of years earlier I'd given my own bride speech (and written most of my groom's!). A few friends had also asked me to help them with their wedding speeches, so I knew people were in need of help. I started to research the wedding speech market and discovered there was definitely a place for a more modern writing service. Are you happy with the change? If you'd asked me a couple of years ago, the answer would have been a definite no. But last year I finally started seeing the effort pay off, and my answer is now yes (with a few caveats). I wouldn't recommend setting up a new business to anyone who wants an easy life. It's been hard.It's involved a lot of stress, expense and uncertainty. No matter how good your idea is, running your own business is a lot more effort than you'd imagine. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I don't particularly miss anything about my old career. It simply wouldn't have worked for me with my two young children. How did you go about making the shift? I set about designing a website. I'm slightly tech-phobic (I didn't even have a Facebook account at this stage), but I knew the content and look I wanted. I worked with a great design company who took me through the back end of a site, and how I could technically upload and develop content. I naively thought that once I had a website, people would come knocking. Turns out that's not quite the case... What didn't go well? What wrong turns did you take? Loads! Probably the biggest 'mistake' was investing thousands of pounds exhibiting at a Wedding Fayre. It just wasn't the right marketing route for us. Writers need to sell themselves with words, not on a stall. (Also, the demographic was 90% female and there's still a reluctance to shake up the traditional lineup or for brides to think their groom might need help with his speech). On a more fundamental level, I seriously underestimated the hours and stress involved. Setting up your own business meant that as well as gaining credibility in my field, I also had to become a business person. I had to learn to make savvy choices (i.e. instead of just spending money in the hope that it 'might' help business). I had to understand my accounts, GDPR, marketing, social media, SEO, and so much more. How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible? I was in the fortunate position of having just enough money to set up the business and cover costs until we made a profit. Of course, the biggest financial challenge was that initial year, where I had all the major costs and yet limited business. There was plenty of soul-searching (and bank-statement-searching), wondering whether I'd done the right thing, and sometimes being convinced that, no, I hadn't! What was the most difficult thing about changing? I believed that being my own boss meant my working hours would be under my control. This seems a ridiculous idea now! When your business is online, it means being accessible 24/7. So, while I try to manage my workload into my 'working day', I often end up responding to emails in the evening or speaking to clients in the US at night. Even though I now have a team, it's still far from easy. What help did you get? A super supportive husband. Yes, he gets frustrated by my constant email-checking, but he appreciates that my career change has benefitted the whole family. He's more techie than me and has helped me with everything from SEO to Google Analytics. I think he rather enjoys getting involved and I know he's proud that I've made Speechy a success. I also feel we've been very lucky with our website design team. They've become trusted allies. What resources would you recommend to others? If you're setting up your own business I can recommend Westbrook Creative and People Per Hour. Also, Digital Mums are a great way of handling your social media. What have you learnt in the process? Whilst a good business relies on great services or products, making your business work is all about persistence and hard work. It's been a massive learning process, some days have felt painful and pointless, but eventually, those days have become rare. Doing something I believe in, and know that customers appreciate, has helped me keep going. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Think very carefully. There were probably easier part-time career options available to me if I'd taken the time to consider them. Having said that, running my own business, employing three fab writers and making clients around the world happier as a result of my business is extremely satisfying. And crucially, it's now working for my family. We're finally seeing the fruits of our labour. Speechy is getting great press attention (from The Observer to Radio 1), our web stats are great and our turnover is enough to keep me in my hot chocolate habit. Sometimes the effort is worth it. But be aware, it will involve a lot of blooming effort. To find out more about Heidi's business, visit www.speechy.co.uk. What lessons could you take from Heidi's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Two Times When You Should Let Your Ambition Rest

Two Times When You Should Let Your Ambition Rest So youve landed the dream job or at least the first step to your dream job, then what? As an individual who went from grad school to grad school drop out to intern to copywriter and now editor in the span of a year, I have finally entered the industry Ive wanted and yet Ambition, like an annoying monkey stuck on my back keeps me asking, Whats next? Ambition, passion, and drive are important, but sometimes its good to realize that getting where you want will take time. You might be in your early twenties envying the woman in her 30s who has your dream job or you might be out of college and just envying the employed. Wherever you are and wherever you want to end up, sometimes you need to remind yourself that its ok to rest for a while on the career ladder. 2 scenarios where you should step back and breathe: 1. I cannot figure out what I want to do with my life! When you leave college, a graduate program, or transition jobs, you might try and find that one special something which will help you get up in the morning, grab your cup of coffee and make you want to go to work. Finding your passion can happen overnight for some people while others take years exploring different passions. Sometimes its enough to be happy with where you are because you cant force inspiration, you have to explore different avenues and hopefully what you really want to do will come through. 2. I have my dream job but now what? Personally, I find myself grappling with this position all the time. I am finally on the career path and know where I want to make my living, but up until now there has always been another goal. You worry about the next assignment, succeeding on the next project, and wondering how long itll take before Im CEO (just kidding on that last one). One of the dangerous things about ambition is that once youve set out and achieved your short-term goals, the long-term goals take priority. If youre like me and youre not patient, waiting for the next step of success can be excruciating. Find the ability to be in the moment and enjoy the learning process, laugh at your mistakes, and remember, patience is an evil virtue which we all must alas, practice.

5+ Best Makeup Artist Interview Questions Answers - Algrim.co

5+ Best Makeup Artist Interview Questions Answers - Algrim.co Looking for makeup artist interview questions? We’ve compiled the absolute best interview questions and answers to help you with your upcoming interview. What is the role of a makeup artist A makeup artist can be someone who works within the theater, entertainment or movie business. As well as someone who works within a retail setting helping to greet customers and show them how to apply proper their makeup properly. In general, a makeup artist is someone who is proficient in the use of makeup for the various ways it is used in modern times. They are given challenges on how to achieve a particular look and choose a variety of materials, colors, makeups and other techniques to achieve the goal. Makeup artist interview questions & answers 1. What is foundation? Foundation is a base layer makeup used to create a smooth finish to the person's skin. It is used to help establish the initial setting for the other layers of makeup which will be applied. For instance, if the person has a small blemish or freckle, we may use the foundation to cover that up. 2. When would you use blue eye shadow? Blue eye shadow should always be used sparingly, it is not for everyone. For the most part, blue eye shadow is perfect for the those of a latin background or those with darker skin tones and darker eyes. When using blue eye shadow we need to be careful that the shade of blue is not bright and only assists in the other makeups. 3. How would you help a customer choose a foundation? The first thing we have to do is establish their skin tone. Without knowing what their natural skin tone and eye color is, it will be difficult to advise what style and type of foundation they should be using. We want the look to be natural. 4. What is the appropriate amount of makeup to wear? Most men and women choose to wear a little too much makeup. This can look unnatural. What we should be advising is that the makeup use is put on in a number of light layers versus large coats of makeup. This will look more natural. 5. How would you handle makeup for a Halloween costume? When using makeup for any theatrical setting we need to first establish what goal we have. In this instance, lets say it is for Dracula. In that case, we need to choose a very pale foundation for the face along with red lipstick and dark eye shadow to achieve an “undead” look to the client. We can then use red for fake blood if needed.

Why Am I The Best Candidate For The Position Your Answer Here - Algrim.co

Why Am I The Best Candidate For The Position Your Answer Here - Algrim.co Interviewers will ask you, “Why are you the best candidate for the position?” And you might be thinking to yourself, this is a difficult question to answer. Even though you feel confident you are the best candidate and they should proceed forward with you. How do you answer it in a way that doesn’t come across as arrogant? Or answering it in a way that comes across as though you lack confidence? Answering requires an understanding of what the interviewer is looking for as well as how to position your qualities in a way that is brief, impactful and simple for the interviewer to digest and be able to remember. Let’s go through the process of figuring out what qualities you might want to bring forward and how you might be able to express that in an effective way. Why Interviewers Ask You To Tell Them Why You’re The Best Candidate For The Position No matter what else you read, interviewers ask this question to gauge your confidence and ability to describe your skill sets in a simplified way. Most frequently, unprepared interviewers will answer with long, drawn-out responses because they weren’t prepared to be able to position themselves in such a manner. The interviewer is looking for three key factors: Your confidence Your communication ability What qualities you most identify with Those are the top three reasons why an interviewer would ask this question to you. Keep that in mind when thinking about how you might answer. What Qualities Make You An Ideal Or Good Candidate When thinking about your ideal qualities, you want to choose some that aren't necessarily skillsets but are words that best describe your work ethic. The way to do that is to think about a word that could apply to nearly any job function. If you can target a word to your job function, all the better. But you might not be able to do that. For example, communicative or personable would be great qualities for those in customer support or at a help desk. Here’s a list of qualities you can use to match yourself with: Enthusiastic Enlightened Innovative Empathetic Communicative Personable Problem-solver Quantitative Thinker Curious Passionate Moldable Transitional What Skills You Can Use To Answer Why You Are A Good Candidate When thinking about skills, you want to make sure you pick those that are most applicable to the job function you are applying for. But when you can’t do that, there are certain skills which are always going to be of value to your employer. Note that from the above list of qualities, skills are different. Be sure that when you are thinking about your answer, you pull qualities and skills into your response to “Why are you the best candidate for the position?” so that you can seem like your personality as well as your experience aligns with the job. Here’s a list of skills you can use to match yourself with: Decision Maker Conflict Reducer Adaptive Communicative Organized Adept In Delegation Critical Thinker Planner Coordinator Community Engager Team Builder Voice Of Reason Matching Your Skills With The Position When you start to match your skills with the position, think about what the position will value the most. We’ve already used the example of the help desk and how that might require communication and empathy as part of the qualities and skills that you might have. But what other positions are there and how would you match them up? Marketing Departments: Problem-solver, Passionate, Organized Sales Departments: Passionate, Moldable, Decision Maker Operations Departments: Communicative, Curious, Coordinator As you can see, those are three primary departments in a company and it’s fairly easy to pull from our lists above. But that’s not necessarily how you answer the question (with the three qualities and skills). So you might be wondering, how do I package up an answer that the interviewer is looking for? The way to package up your answer is to simplify your reasoning. For example, you might say, “I’m a perfect fit for this role because I identify myself as a decision-maker, with passion and the ability to stay organized. When you combine that with my prior experience and what you’ve told me the job requires, I’m a bullseye fit.” With that answer you can see we’ve exuded a slight bit of confidence but also gave constructive reasoning for the confidence. You can’t say “you’d be a fool not to hire me” to the interviewer. But you can, in this particular interview question, answer with confidence. What To Avoid In Your Answer To The Interviewer The biggest things you should avoid when answering this question is long, drawn-out answers. And answers that don’t actually describe why you are a true fit for the job. For instance, if you answer with a story about your prior work experience, that’s going to come across as though all that makes you a fit is your job history. And none of who you are. That’s not going to be as ideal as explaining you’re a great candidate because the job is in your DNA and that you’re particularly good at that job. Avoid answers that are: Long, drawn out Utilize your prior experience too much Don’t contain any qualities or skills that pertain to the job What If They Ask Why You Are Interested In The Position If the interviewer asks you why you are interested in the position, recognize this is a turning point. And that you should not answer with the above guide. It confuses most interviewers because it sounds like a very similar question, if not the same question. But it is not. If the interviewer asks you, “Why are you interested in this position?” be sure that you follow our guide here to answer correctly. Example Answers To “Why Are You The Best Candidate For The Job?” “Aside from my prior experience it sounds like the role requires a lot of collaboration between teams. I’m a great fit for that because I’m personable, moldable and find I can empathize with a lot of people. That makes me a great collaborator.” “The role you’ve described sounds like it requires a lot of people skills. From communicating with clients to creating soft sales pitches. I identify myself as a person who is organized, enthusiastic and personable. Because of that, I’ve been able to push forward client needs, make them satisfied and in return create more sales.”

Which Office Stereotype Are You

Which Office Stereotype Are You Regardless of what industry we work in, office culture is something which we all have to get used to.Sitting at the same desk from 9 till 5 is something that many people experience Monday to Friday, so it’s important we are able to get comfortable with our surroundings.Undoubtedly, one of the most difficult things about working in an office is making sure you can work with those around you.evalWe are all quick to label those around us being a ‘certain’ type of person, but we must work together regardless of personal differences.However, have you ever stopped to think about how everyone else in your workspace thinks of you?Thankfully, you can find out for yourself by following a new flowchart infographic created by silverdoor.co.uk.It’s called ‘Which Office Stereotype Are You?’ and serves up some very simple questions to help you find your stereotype. So, take a look below and find out for yourself!Infographic Credit â€" silverdoor.co.uk