Putting together an effective resume can seem like a difficult task, especially for recent graduates. Ross Monaghan and Yulia Zaytseva sat down with Sally Brownbill on Facebook Live to talk about the ‘Brownbill Effect’ and its impact on helping guide those wanting assistance with building character profiles, resumes and interview skills.
The Brownbill Effect
How it came about
Sally started life as a commercial photographer before soon moving into film and television overseas. From there she began to teach at universities before becoming an agent for commercial photographers. Soon she was working with art directors, graphic designers and illustrators to help them find work.
In 2002, Sally started doing new work. Photographers would come in and ask for help as to how they could be introduced to potential designers for employment. At this point she started looking at portfolios in a completely different way and helped design the layout of the photographers portfolios based on her previous knowledge. 19 years later, she is now designing portfolios for all creatives and helping them understand what to put in and what not to, the importance of order and sequencing and how to display different mediums of work.
The second part of the ‘Brownbill Effect’ happened in 2012 where she constructed a website, ‘The Creative Directory.’ It is a networking platform for people to have a profile in which other organisations, employers and individuals can come to the site to find them. ‘The Assistant Register’ was also created for young creatives looking for assisting work within the industry in fields such as production, videography and photography.
The final part of the ‘Brownbill Effect’ is Sally helping people find jobs, both full time and free lancing. It was opening up her work to allow for everyone to have the best chance of employment possible, in any stage of a person’s career not just entry-level, that helped the ‘Brownbill Effect’ to grow even further.
Why should we have such a strong focus on building our portfolios?
For Sally, it’s about connecting people, making things happen, joining the dots and inspiring people. You are left with a stronger sense of who you are and what your skillsets are. Sometimes when you are told you are not good at something you believe what you are told when it’s not true. It’s about filling in the blanks on a resume and being positive. Be the glass half full person.
“You don’t have to ever pretend to be someone you are not.”
Sally Brownbill
Don’t underestimate your LinkedIn profile. Sometimes your photo can make it or break it. All the small things make up who you are to show your work ethic, even if you thing it’s irrelevant. For example, a part time cashier job during school shows dedication and commitment.
What are some tips for updating my resume?
Sally created a list of points to help assist in creating and updating a resume.
- Have it well laid out and use bullet points. Make it easy to read.
- Make it personal. Have a personal introduction of who you are and what you enjoy. Include something that has a twist, it might even be humorous, because people love to connect.
- Don’t hide things, it helps to show who you are. Make sure there are no gaps in your resume, even if during that time you were out travelling or were a stay at home dad for example, make sure to include it. It builds a story of who you are.
- Don’t forget to add in your computer skills. For example, if you have strong knowledge of Microsoft Word or the Adobe Suite.
When applying for job positions, don’t be put off by the job description if what is required doesn’t match all of your skills. Some of those things can be trained. Also make sure your cover letter matches the job description and changes for each role you apply for, your resume usually does not have to change.
A resume will vary in length but should generally be around two pages long.
What are some tips for succeeding at interviews?
If there’s one thing to take away from advice about interviews, it is to be well prepared. Have your portfolio ready to show, as well as your resume. If it is an in person interview, confirm you know where the location is prior to the interview. Also make sure you are well presented, even on Zoom, and you dress respectively.
When preparing for your interview think, what sets you apart from the next person?
Before your interview, make sure to do some background research. In doing this, it will help you to engage with the interviewers, but remember, they are just regular people! It’s not all about them liking you, it’s also about you liking them. Make connections, it is what humans like doing.
“It shows you are not only interesting, you are interested.”
Sally Brownbill
What should be avoided in an interview or on a resume?
Sally has listed several things to steer clear from when entering the job market.
Forbidden in an interview:
- Don’t talk badly about anybody, from a university to a previous boss. Keep it polite!
- Don’t go half dressed. Even on Zoom!
- Don’t be early, don’t be late. Be on time
Forbidden on a resume:
- Don’t include an inappropriate photo of yourself
- Don’t overdesign it or put too many words in
- Don’t put a reference on your resume and not inform them
For references, you need to have superiors or clients on a resume, not just a close friend. There should also be 2 or 3 references from each category, from professional to character references.
Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate the job market but as Sally says, “Good people make bad choices, from every bad choice you make you learn something new.”
To watch the Facebook Live click here