The dos and don’ts of applying for a job with your showreel

Nowadays we expect a lot more from job applications, particularly in the creative sector, the usual CV and covering letter just won’t cut it, we want to see a portfolio of work if you are applying for a graphics based job and a show-reel if your applying for a video based job. To be honest this doesn’t seem so much to ask from someone when the job will be based on their video skills, however when I recently advertised for a video based position at my company I was surprised at just how many people got it horribly wrong. We all know to avoid the classic faux pas of making a spelling mistake on your CV, or listing your Girl Guide badges under your ‘achievements’ but it seems when sending off the equally (if not more) important show-reel all common sense goes out the window. After a promising well composed covering letter I was stunned to find someone who had applied for a position that involves video editing and encoding sending, with their application, a link to a 16:9 (widescreen) video compressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio so that everything appeared squashed. When questioned about this they claimed they hadn’t actually checked the video and had asked someone else to upload it to YouTube! They wouldn’t send off their CV without checking it, so why should this be the case for a showreel. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against sending a link to a showreel on YouTube but if doing so candidates should assume that I would also look at the other videos on their YouTube channel. After watching a rather impressive showreel from one applicant I went on to look at the rest of his channel only to find videos of him and his mates drunkenly doing a striptease! At least I should be grateful that he sent me a link that works – not so the case with every application I received or, just as bad, being send a working link which requires a password to which I have not been made privy. Candidates should remember the video industry is a small place, and make sure they have permission to use the clips and music on their show-reel. The chances are that the person looking to give them their next job will know the person who employed them in their last one and it won’t sit well with a future employer to use work from the last one without due credit. On the same note candidates should clearly state, either on screen or in explanatory text on the same webpage, what role they actually performed in creating the video – nothing is more disappointing after watching an excellent show-reel you assumed the candidate (applying for a director’s role) directed only to find out at interview they were displaying shots from films where they were just the runner! As a rule of thumb people should treat show-reels as they would a CV, don’t make it too long (realistically I am not going to want to watch more than 2-3 minutes) and make it easy for me to find what I’m looking for. A good show-reel can be the difference between getting the job or not so it’s worth investing a little time in getting it right.