Every morning when I come into work, I look forward to logging on to see if we received any new entries for the The New York Job Project. The creativity, drive, and energy of this year’s contestants have been inspiring! I truly can’t wait to see who ends up taking the top six spots, the top three and eventually, who I will get to work with as a fellow employee. It’s anyone’s game at this point – all of the contestants are more than capable of winning this competition!
Voting closes on Friday at 3 PM ET, so there’s still time to enter! Although it’s not as much time to get votes as the contestant who entered the first day, you’ll quickly see that the power of social media and a creative entry could quickly get you to the top spot. Here are some tips on how to create that winning entry.
Display confidence. Know that you have the experience to win this competition, and determine the best way to show that to the judges. Even if you don’t have as much experience in PR or social media as some of the other contestants, tell us that you’re up for the challenge and share similar experiences to show you have what it takes.
Show your creative side. We love seeing these one-of-a-kind videos, but if you’re going to do a photo, make it something eye catching. It might be corny for me to throw in the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but it’s really true in this case. Weaving in your personality in these pictures will set you apart. This is definitely a different type of job application than submitting your resume and a cover letter, so take advantage of the opportunity to stand out!
Proofread your entry. Proofing and editing will be a day-to-day task for you at Affect, whether it is an internal email, or a document to send to a client. By sharing a well-written and polished entry, you’re showing us that you’re detail-oriented, which is a characteristic of team members at Affect.
Do your homework. Acknowledge that you’ve researched our agency and want to learn as much as you can. Incorporate this into your entry to get that extra gold star. If you’ve worked with similar clients, share that. If you’ve worked on a project that relates to us, by all means tell us about it. If you have a passion for the industry our clients are in but don’t have the professional experience yet, write about it. Show you’ve done your research.
Understand the power of the judges. I’m sure you all have read the contest requirements front to back, but in case you forgot, the judges have 200 votes to allocate to their favorite entries. This could easily change the entire competition and put a new face in the top six. Keep this in mind when you’re putting together that stellar entry!
I can’t stress enough the importance of sharing with your network. If you think you’ve run out of people to share it with, now is the time to reconnect with old friends, teachers, friends of siblings, friends of friends, anyone to get a few votes! Hand out flyers at school, do a flash mob on the campus green, do anything (that is appropriate, of course!) to turn a few heads to get people to support your entry. It’s crunch time now, so every vote counts.
We can’t wait to see where the last full day of the competition takes us. If you feel you have what it takes to be Affect’s newest employee, now is your chance.
Do you have any questions regarding these contest tips or the NYJP in general? Leave a comment, we’re happy to help you out!
