Monday, March 10, 2008

WHY WE USE LAPTOP MUSIC FOR MAGIC

In yesterday’s article, I wrote a paean to the attributes of the iPod.

I also wrote that Filipino magicians and Pinoy party hosts are using this nifty little device not only for status symbol but also for something useful.

Ironically, when we staged Magic ‘To (The Next Level) at the Philamlife theater last September 8, we used a laptop, not an iPod, as our main music player. Another laptop with all our pre-programmed music was on standby in case something unexpected happened to the first. The iPod was only our third back-up. Two DVD/CD players were also on hand as our quadruple and quintuple back-ups.

If you think we are a bunch of paranoid nutcases for having lined up all those back-ups, you are right. But that’s another story for another time.

Let me, instead, explain why we opted for the laptop as our main music player.

The concept of our full-evening show required that we did away with the MCs. (That’s correct. The two Magic ‘To shows had no MCs, a concept we have the distinction of introducing first in Philippine magic.)

We moved the show forward, bridged acts, got performers/props/sets into and out of the stage without an MC killing the time. Precision music/lights/curtains manipulations did all this for us. The script took weeks to write, since we could not get the most ideal flow of acts right away. About six hours before the show, I was still re-writing the script.

Now, you understand why we in the creative team were all nervous wrecks 30 minutes before the show. That also is another story for another time.

All the acts in the 2 1/2-hour Magic ‘To (The Next Level) were musically scored, both the silent and the talking parts. Some acts had multiple-selection scoring that required us to skip from one song to another and then back again.

Our finale number, for example, needed five songs. Because audience members were brought on stage to participate in the act, the music could not be pre-cut. We found it impossible to fit a pre-cut selection to the performance in a way that would have the last note strike at the moment of the re-appearance of the eight vanished girls. We had to edit (stop/cue/loop/skip) music live as we went along.

That being the case, we realized that the show would stand and fall on how well we cued and played the music.

Luckily, on the week we started rehearsals, my sister-in-law (who was working abroad) gifted me with an 80Gb/1Gb laptop. Everyone at IMC, even the married members, wanted to marry my sister-in-law for giving me a laptop that we could use in our show.

The program we used was Windows Media Player. It allowed us to input the entire show’s musical score, edit, reload or loop music, and jump from one selection to another (a feature difficult to accomplish in iPod) with nary an obtrusive audible sign of live editing.

While I have high praises for the laptop for theater performances, I don’t recommend its use for birthday party shows. I tried using it in one birthday party and saw the risk of using it in that type of venue. With children running around, it’s just a matter of time before a kid would accidentally topple the table and bring the laptop crashing on the floor.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Key to success

The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs

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by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

There are many types of job and career fairs -- from ones scheduled during Spring Break for college students to industry-specific ones for professionals -- but they all have one common theme: it's a chance for a company to meet and screen a large volume of potential job candidates. Whether you're a college student new to the job-hunting process or a seasoned professional, these ten strategies will improve your odds of not being screened out and should lead to a deeper level of satisfaction with your efforts and increase your chances of obtaining a second interview.

Keep in mind that career fairs should be just one small part of your entire job search process; however, they can be a successful part. Will these ten strategies guarantee you success? Of course not, but by following these strategies, you will be in position to strategically place yourself above many of the other job-seekers who are attending the fair.

The Ten Keys to Success:

  1. Pre-register. Some career fairs allow job-seekers to pre-register for the event, which usually includes submitting a resume or summary resume. With more fairs going to the Web, pre-registration will most likely become even more common. The idea behind pre-registering, of course, is that employers get a chance to prescreen applicants and possibly make note of applicants they want to meet at the fair. Does pre-registration guarantee that you will get noticed or that employers will even look at the registrations? No, but why would you not take advantage of such an easy step?
  2. Research. Many job-seekers go to fairs to "see the sights" and are not prepared to interview. You can get a huge jump on the competition by getting a list of the companies attending the fair and doing some research on each of the companies you want to interview with; don't waste time with companies that do not interest you. While all of the recruiters will have company literature at their booths at the fair, you often can't access those until after the interview. With so much information about companies on the Web, there is no excuse not to do your homework. A great site to help you with this strategy is our Guide to Researching Companies.
  3. Resumes. Bring lots of resumes to the fair -- at least two for each company for which you have an interest. If you have multiple interests or job objectives, make sure you bring enough of each version of your resume. For tips on writing a traditional resume, visit these resume resources. You should also bring scannable versions of your resumes. More and more recruiters are simply bringing these collected stacks of resumes back to the corporate office and scanning them into a database. Need assistance with developing a scannable resume? Then visit these scannable resume fundamentals.
  4. Portfolios. More and more career experts are emphasizing the importance of career portfolios. These portfolios should include copies of your resumes, a list of references, and samples of your best work. While most career fair interviews are fairly short, there may be opportunities for discussing your portfolio with a recruiter -- either over a short break or meal or during a second interview on-site. It is best to always be prepared no matter what happens. Read our article, Your Job Skills Portfolio: Giving You an Edge in the Marketplace.
  5. Attire. Conservative business attire is essential, even for those Spring Break beachside career fairs because image and first impressions are critical. Know what is the expected attire of your profession and dress accordingly. It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Read more in our Dress for Success section of Quintessential Careers.
  6. Strategy. You need to devise a strategy or plan of attack for the fair. You've already done the first step by researching the companies you are interested in. The second step is seeing if any new companies have registered when you arrive at the fair. The third step is surveying the layout of the fair and determining an order of interviewing. Some experts suggest meeting with your top choices first thing in the morning, interviewing with your other choices in the middle of the day, and returning to your top choices at the end of the day to thank them again for their time. But remember to stay flexible as your top choices may be the top choices of many, creating long lines that you may wish to avoid.
  7. Interviewing. You may only have two to five minutes to market yourself and protect yourself from being screened out, thus you need to make the most of your time. Many experts suggest that you develop a one-minute "commercial" that highlights the key benefits that you can offer the organization -- and then use it at the beginning of the interview. Also remember the three keys to all interviews: make eye contact, offer a firm handshake, and show enthusiasm. You should also prepare answers to interview questions just as you would any employment interview. The most common question you will face is something along the lines of "what are you here for today?" Seems like an easy question to answer, especially if you've done your homework and can tailor your answer to your interests and the company's interests, thereby marketing yourself. Make sure you also have some questions ready to ask the interviewer. A great concluding question for you to ask is, "What do I need to do to obtain a second interview with your firm?" Finally, make sure to avoid poor communication bad habits, such as fidgeting, rocking, chewing gum, etc. Follow this link for more interviewing tips and resources.
  8. Intangibles. There are several other things you can do to help make your career fair experience a success. First, don't waste your time interviewing with companies you have no desire to work for; do make sure to interview with all the companies you do want to work for. Second, if you did not prepare for a company you want to interview for, try eavesdropping on several of the interviews ahead of you so you can better prepare; do also try to get some company literature from the booth before getting in line so you can read about the company while waiting; don't just stand in line doing nothing. Third, do extend common courtesies, such as offering to get the recruiter a beverage or snack; don't be upset if the recruiter has to take a break before your interview. Fourth, if your ideal company is hiring computer technicians and you want to work in accounting, do still interview with the company at the fair, being sure to leave the interview with the contact information of the person responsible for hiring in that area; don't be discouraged and walk away.
  9. Networking. Career fairs are all about networking. Of course, you are building a network with the recruiters -- this task is your most vital. However, you can also network with your fellow job-seekers in terms of sharing information about job leads, companies, and their recruiting strategies and styles. There may also be professional organizations or employment agencies on hand at the fair, which are also good sources for networking. Learn more by visiting: The Art of Networking.
  10. Follow-up. Don't take the order of this key to mean it to be the least important; in fact, some would say it is one of the most important. You would be surprised at how few job-seekers actually take the time to follow-up their career fair interviews, thus when you do it, you will get an edge over the many others who do not. There are two main methods of follow-up. Some experts suggest actually calling the recruiter the evening of the fair and leaving a voicemail message thanking the recruiter again for his/her time that day. A more concrete and traditional method is to write a thank you note and mail it the next day to the address on the recruiter's business card. In the letter, thank the recruiter for his/her time, restate your interest and qualifications for the position, reiterate your interest in a second interview, and make a promise to follow-up the letter with a phone call (and then make sure you do in fact call). You probably should enclose another copy of your resume to be sure. What should the letter look like? Here's a sample thank you letter to a career fair recruiter.

Looking for more details or other strategies? Follow this link for more Job Expo and Career Fair Resources.


Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Dr. Randall Hansen is Founder of Quintessential Careers, as well as publisher of its electronic newsletter, QuintZine. He writes a biweekly career advice column under the name, The Career Doctor. He is also a tenured, professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He can be reached at randall@quintcareers.com. Read more about Dr. Hansen.


How to become a blogger

Become a Blogger

A Families.com Blogger is someone who writes in a "Blog". A Blog is like a journal on a specific topic. This is sometimes personal and sometimes topical, but always informative. A Families.com Blogger writes daily articles with a minimum of 300 words. Families.com Bloggers work one, two and sometimes three to a topic. A Families.com Blogger must be versatile, creative, experienced and well informed on their chosen topic. They must have a solid grasp of the English language and be able to edit their own work.

Families.com is growing every day and that will be reflected in the number of bloggers we employ. We will continue to take blogger applications on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in a topic already being covered by a blogger, we may just need an additional blogger on that topic or will keep your application on file in the event that blogger should resign their position or need additional assistance covering that topic. If there is a topic that you are qualified to write about, but feel isn't being covered and would add value to Families.com, then we welcome you to suggest that topic and provide us with your application to be the blogger for that topic.

Families.com is the blog network for family topics. We currently have more than 40 blogs on topics such as parenting, marriage, family fun, fugal living, and home & garden. For a full list of topics, visit http://blogs.families.com/. Incomplete applications will not be considered, so please see below for exactly what should be included in your application package.

What Do You Get by Writing for Families.com?

  1. The opportunity to share your passion, to be published and to have your voice heard by large numbers of readers.
  2. We take care of the technology, hosting, graphic design and marketing. There are no fees to you.
  3. We will cross-promote your blog on Families.com.
  4. We pay you $4 per blog entry ($3 during 90 day training period). 2-3 posts per day would be about 75 posts and $300 per month.
  5. We will also pay our bloggers approximately 5% of profits from the blogs so that the revenue of our bloggers can grow with the site. This revenue will be divided up between the bloggers based on a formula that includes factors such as the number of page views your articles/entries receive.

What is Required of Families.com Bloggers?

  1. The Families.com blogs will only be as good as our bloggers. We're looking for amazing bloggers who can write passionate, high-quality, interesting, thought-provoking articles.
  2. A minimum of five blog posts per week and a maximum of three blog posts per day. Blog entries don't have to be full articles. Entries should be at least 300 words, but will often be much longer. A blog can be as simple as a website link with your comments or a photo with a description. The entries could also be full articles. They could include a tip or idea, a top 10 list, a story or quote, "how-to's", demos, photo, essays, or a product or entertainment review. The important thing is that whatever material you write is informative and/or entertaining for our readers.
  3. Review comments to your blog entries, delete inappropriate comments and respond to comments where appropriate.
  4. Avoid topics that are not appropriate for the Families.com family-values centric audience, such as drug and alcohol abuse, profanity, gambling, pornography, extramarital sex, and nudity, except in the context of helping families to overcome these issues. There is definitely a place in the blogs for PG-rated discussions of intimacy and sexuality in marriage, however, these blogs are not the appropriate place for sensualized sexuality. Do not use the blog to advocate for a specific political party, religion, alternative lifestyle, abortion, etc. Please see us if you feel an exception needs to be made to this rule. It is appropriate to talk about faith and spirituality without advocating for a specific religion, or to talk about advocating for families without endorsing specific political candidates and parties.
  5. Successfully complete Families.com Blogger Training and a 90 day probationary period. Then, continue to maintain a high quality of blog posts and work well with the Families.com team.
  6. Post regularly on the families.com forum that corresponds to your topic to build a connection between the online community and your blog. Post links in your blog to other Families.com blogs and content sections.
  7. We're looking for bloggers who are self-motivated, who can keep a good balance between hard work and lots of fun, who have expertise in their topic, and who can add personality to their blog.

How Do I Apply to Be a Families.com Blogger?

  1. Select a Topic - Select 1-3 topics either from our list of current topics or topics you feel would add value to our community for which you would like to write.
  2. Outline - Please provide an outline of the sub-topics that you would like to cover in your blog. (i.e. Food would include subtopics such as Menus, Recipes, Restaurants, Preparation Tips, etc.)
  3. Samples - Please send three sample blog entries or articles with varying styles related to each of the proposed topics you are applying for.
  4. About You - Please provide us with a short bio about you and your family, including your name and city or location. Please also send your resume, your qualifications and your experience in the topic area(s) you are applying for.
  5. Email Us - To apply, send your completed application with all of the information described above to blogs@families.com with the topic(s) you intend to apply for as the subject line.

Other Issues

  1. Because of the cultural writing issues surrounding our target audience, the writer must have been raised and educated in the US (including military bases abroad), Canada, Australia or UK.
  2. Once you are accepted, our lawyer will provide you with the full legal agreement with all of the terms and conditions.
  3. We reserve the right to have more than one blogger on a topic, to sub-divide topics into more than one blog, or to change the terms of the agreement.
  4. All content is owned by Families.com.
  5. We will receive many more applications than we could possibly accept. If you are not accepted immediately, we will keep your information for consideration at a later date.
For additional comments and questions, please email blogs@families.com. We look forward to having the opportunity to work with you.