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Activity 4: Reflection on Mock Job Interview Experience

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Activity 4: Reflection on Mock Job Interview Experience

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How did you feel during the duration of the whole interview? Did it change from the beginning to the end?

I felt a little nervous throughout the interview, perhaps more so in the beginning than the end because of the fear of not properly delivering my introduction in the succession that I had practiced. I felt more relaxed and “in the moment” during the interview portion as I was paying close attention to the questions being asked of me, and worrying less if I mix up my prepared speech beforehand.

What is your significant learning and realization during and after the interview?

I think the most significant thing I learned was how important it is, as a visual creative person, or just a creative person in general, to be self-aware in your work and being aware of why you create the things you do. In the past, and perhaps even now, I feel as though some people look down on my work, and on me as a person in general, and feeling like my work and I will never be enough. My past experiences with bullying and unmotivating comments on my work made me realize that I need to stand up for myself, first and foremost, and that I can’t let people step on me like a doormat like they used to. I must present myself as someone who is aware and respectful, and ready to answer anything with grace. I think this significantly helped me in the interview portion.

What were the suggestions given to you? Do you agree with them? How are you going to adjust to them?

I’m grateful that there were no suggestions in the final interview, however I’m sure that I would cringe upon watching the playback of the interview and have many opinions on what I could do better. I try my best to be realistic in critiquing my own work and performance, both looking at the good points while constantly looking for improvements. I think I did decently given the circumstances, but I think I could be more personable in general. I think one technical thing I would like to improve is having a better lighting setup in my workspace so the webcam image is more pleasant.

With the suggestions and experience you had, what will you tell your past self to do for the interview?

This wasn’t a comment made during the mock interview, but a general comment that I heard about my recorded speaking voice that I heard before is that my cadence could use some improvement for a more pleasant, effortless experience for the listeners. I think I can tend to sound quite monotonous if I’m not careful or intentional with how I speak, so I think next time I could work on that so I can be more personable.

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Activity 3: Practice STAR Method Application

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Activity 3: Practice STAR Method Application

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Talk about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours.

A few years ago, I had to work closely with a colleague as an illustrator for a small local company in Qatar that teaches Arabic to young kids. Between my colleague and I, I was the more trusting in our relationship with our client, while my colleague was a lot more pragmatic.

During my time working for this small company, I would provide illustrations, while my colleague would be in charge of the graphic design.

Our difference in personality meant that my colleague and I often discussed the rates we would charge our client. My colleague often contested we charge more than I was comfortable with. We would propose rates until we reach a settlement.

Through working with someone who was significantly more unsentimental with our client and work, we were able to strike a work balance where I would often work earnestly to please our client, while my colleague closely guarded us to avoid getting exploited.

Describe a time when it was especially important to make a good impression on a client. How did you go about doing so?

Late last year, a member from a local band here in the Philippines approached me if I could possibly animate a music video for their next single.

Should I be hired by the band, the responsibilities I would need to shoulder include directing, animating, and editing.

To help myself secure the role and make a good impression, I created a couple of animated demos and sent it to the band for consideration.

The band was pleased with the demo, and I secured the job. 6 months later and after countless hours of work, the band successfully debuted their new music video on their YouTube channel.

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IDENTIFY WHO YOU ARE AND WHO I HELP:

Hi! I'm Mario Bermejo. I'm an illustrator and graphic designer helping creative groups tell their stories through visuals.

DEFINE MY WHY:

I'm a storyteller by heart. What I love about stories is that I believe that a single story can change a person's life; it's certainly been the case for mine.

WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE:

Being an illustrator and graphic designer, as well as a general multimedia artist, I can gather the skills and experiences from various disciplines into my work. For example, I directed, animated and edited an animated music video for a local band. By combining my experiences with various mediums, I was able to produce a video that helped a local band tell their story.

CALL TO ACTION:

You can find me through @mjanmarino everywhere on social media; please feel free to reach out to me and I'd love to know how I could help tell your story.
Thank you very much.

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Assignment 2: Week 1 Deliverables (Google Drive Link, Roadmap, Vision Board, Value Proposition)

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Assignment 2: Week 1 Deliverables (Google Drive Link, Roadmap, Vision Board, Value Proposition)

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VISION BOARD

How do you feel about thinking of your Goal and Vision?

Thinking about my goal and vision is both exciting and daunting.  It's exciting to consider that I could be pursuing my passion for art and design as a career and way of generating income. It is equally daunting, however, because the world is full of unknowns, and to be successful in any field, a person must be willing to make sacrifices and take risks.

How did you understand the Value Proposition?

The value proposition is my "X-factor". Everybody has unique backgrounds, experiences, skills and abilities, and by identifying these and understanding how they benefit myself and those around me, I can pitch myself to employees in a way that is engaging and unique.

Has your Goal and Vision changed in the last 1 year?

My goal and vision has significantly changed in the past year. I think over time and experience my confidence has grown and in turn, my goals. I never really considered pursuing a creative director role as a concrete goal because it is a position that may seem too high to attain, but it has now become something I want to achieve.

ROAD MAP

What are the things you think you need to do to reach your Career or Goal?

To reach my goal of being a creative director, I need to work on more creative projects, both for clients and my own personal projects. By being in positions where I need to make creative decisions, I can hone the skills that are required for my career goal, such as coming up with creative concepts and justifying them.

Are there new things you've discovered about yourself?

I think that I'm more confident and assertive than I was before. I discovered that I'm braver now in taking risks and sharing my work.

What are your action items to achieve your Goal and Vision?

To get started toward my goal and vision, I must create more outputs. They say experience is the best teacher, so by pursuing projects, both my own and work for clients, I can learn through my experiences and failures to become a better creative person.

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Scenario 1:

Expectation:
My assumption of the ideal, or expected, prepared items for a fresh graduate would be their CV, an application letter, a bank account, and other miscellaneous legal documents.

Reality:
With only a few months before searching for a full-time job becomes a reality, many of the items that I assume will be required, are mostly immaterial. Many interactions, including job interviews, are switching to online platforms because of covid-19 restrictions, so the unprecedented situation further adds to the feeling of disorientation.

Scenario 2:

Expectation:
Ideally, the first step to putting your best foot forward to an interview is making sure you get a full night's sleep before the day of the interview. Prior research to the company's mission, vision, and previous work and contributions to society are also essential. It is also important that you get a full breakfast, so the mind has its fuel.

Reality:
Prior research about the company, I believe, is indispensable, as well as personal preparation and anticipation of common interview questions. However, I doubt that in reality I could get a full night's sleep before the day of the interview, as well as eat a proper meal on the day prior to the interview. I would probably resort to eating only a bag of cashews and a cup of iced coffee. Although this doesn't sound ideal, I personally cannot eat a lot of food when I'm feeling particularly anxious.

Scenario 3:

Expectation:
The most sensible deciding factors in accepting a job would be the ethics of the presented job, the salary and work hours. Evaluating the ethics of a job is important to avoid possible future conflicts with personal beliefs or stances in the workplace. The salary and work hours, on the other hand, are important as they are essentially your compensation for the work a person does; it has to be worth it.

Reality:
As a people pleaser, I often want to take the losses to provide an easier situation for others around me. For example, I might accept a lower fee for a freelance gig to please my clients. Saying "yes" to most requests and suggestions is an easy way to avoid conflict, but can cost me compromising my personal ethics, being underpaid, and overworked. In job interview situations, I must learn to supress my people-pleasing nature, and learn to say the important word when the situation deems it necessary: NO.