MTV and your job search

I don’t know about you, but I love music videos.

The sets, the effects, the choreographed dancing, and sometimes the music, are great.  It’s like watching the last few minutes of a Bollywood movie without all that plot.  Plus, it can be very funny to watch some musicians “act” in them.

And I must admit, I was a fan of TRL back in the late 90s, though I stopped watching once I realized that most of the music I liked wouldn’t be played during that show.  But even still, it was nice to turn on MTV or one of its relatives, like MTV2 or VH1, or even an imitator like MuchMusic (now Fuse) and be able to listen to music whilst watching a video.

I turned on MTV the other week and was a bit surprised.

There was some sort of reality show thing playing during a peak time when there should have been some spray tanned, overly enthusiastic thirty-something host talking about pop records to an audience of screaming tweens and teens.  I mean, sure, I knew about Jackass and Viva La Bam and those shows in California and the rides being pimped and the spoiled little rich girl birthday party shows, but I always figured that there would still be music.

Apparently, I’ve been out of the loop for so long that the “M” of MTV no longer stands for anything.  But when I thought about it, that might be a good thing.

After all, the channel set itself up as the zeitgeist, the epicenter of pop culture, and the pulse of the youth of America (or something like it).  So in order to stay competitive and keep up with the trends, the channel had to evolve to changing tastes and trends.

I think you know where I’m going with this.

As was discussed in the last theme week, you need to change and adapt to the different audiences that your materials will go out to.  But you also need to adapt to the job market as a whole.

If you’re a younger person, you are now faced with competition from older, more experienced workers who are suddenly in the job pool, applying for the same positions that you are with much more refined resumes.  Like we discussed yesterday, a way you can circumvent this is to craft a specialty that sets you apart from others.  You may need to reinvent and reinvigorate your personal brand several times over to find what works best, but a strong competitive advantage WILL put you far ahead of the pack.

Similarly, older candidates will need something to set themselves apart besides experience.  Whether it’s showing that that experience comes with reinvigorating one’s knowledge by continuing education or certifications or by displaying a list of transferable and desirable skills, keeping current is a must.  It is unnecessary, however, to get plastic surgery.

So even though I’m apparently past my prime for the MTV crowd, I can appreciate what they’re doing.  And I can always watch VH1 classic.