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Embracing cultural diversity
Embracing cultural diversity

Collaboration

Embracing cultural diversity
Embracing cultural diversity

Collaboration

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Audre Lorde

Working in multicultural environments is rewarding and exciting but it can also be challenging at times. Different customs, traditions and languages mean that a certain level of flexibility, diplomacy, patience and willingness to learn will be needed in order to collaborate fruitfully. Ready to show your prospective employer how well you work in multicultural environments? Highlight your skills by answering the questions below 👇

  • Briefly introduce your experience of working in multicultural environments
  • Have you ever faced any challenges while working in a multicultural environment? How did you deal with them?
  • Have you lived/studied abroad? If you have, tell us more about your experience.
  • How do you negotiate cross-cultural differences in order to accomplish your and common goals?
  • Are you eager to learn about the cultural practices and worldview of others?

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

“We all look at the same object in different ways.”

Kehinde Wiley

Listening and trying to understand different opinions and points of view are crucial to ensure effective teamwork. However, this requires a certain level of flexibility and willingness to compromise. Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you demonstrate this skill:

  • How do you keep an open mind in a workplace?
  • How do you take criticism?
  • Even if you disagree with your colleagues are you willing to (for instance) try out their suggestions?
  • Would you consider yourself tolerant? Why?
  • Do you consider yourself an fair-minded person? Why?
  • Are you curious to hear what other people think?

Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!
Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!

Creativity

Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!
Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!

Creativity

“I draw like other people bite their nails.”

Pablo Picasso

There is no better way to show your creativity than sharing your work and talking about your creative process… even if the creativity skill is not listed as one of the requirements for the position you’re applying for, it is a sought-after competence and could help you differentiate yourself from the competition. Remember you don’t have to be a professional painter, director, designer, photographer or artist to share the projects that you are passionate about with prospective employers. A Video CV is a great way to show off your personality and interests, and can be a great conversation starter. Wonder where to start?

    We’ve prepared a couple of questions that might give you some inspiration:
  • Do you draw, paint, perform, play a musical instrument, take photographs, write … mime? How long have you been doing this?
  • Could you show some examples of your creative projects? (presentation, video tour, etc…)
  • What did you learn from arts & crafts?
  • Have you developed any transversal skills?
  • Do you consider yourself creative? What incident made you think that?

Communication skills
Communication skills

Collaboration

Communication skills
Communication skills

Collaboration

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Mark Twain

Good communication skills are key to effective collaboration in the 21st century. If you can communicate your ideas clearly and concisely, you can reduce the likelihood of mistakes and misunderstandings. If effective communication is your strong suit – be sure to mention it! The question is how, right? Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you get the ball rolling:

  • Can you write emails, write blog posts and/or other types of messages that are clearly formatted, skimmable and get your point across?
  • Can you edit information and repurpose content and then adapt it to different platforms/channels?
  • Are you capable of evaluating your audience and tailoring communication accordingly?
  • What makes you think that you’re a good communicator?
  • Can you convey your ideas clearly and concisely?

Script writing and story boarding
Script writing and story boarding

Preparation

Script writing and story boarding
Script writing and story boarding

Preparation

“To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script.”

Alfred Hitchcock

So by now, you know already what you want to say, but here’s another question: how do you want to realise it in a video, with images and sound? This is the moment to imagine your story! Try to see and hear with your mind’s eyes and ears what you want the viewers to see and hear. Before getting cameras and phones out and recording your video CV, you better prepare. It’s good practice to write a script even if it’s just a simple outline. It will help you focus on what’s important and you won’t forget to mention anything. A script or storyboard should be clear to yourself, but also to the viewer. In fact, the viewer should be able to construct the video you have in mind on the basis of your script or storyboard.

Empathy
Empathy

Self-management

Empathy
Empathy

Self-management

“The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding.”

Plato

Claire Cain Miller from The New York Times draws attention to recent research which shows "that empathy makes people better managers and workers, and better family members and friends. But it’s bigger than just its personal effect. We’re all in this together, and researchers say that connection and compassion are crucial to a sustainable and humane future. ". The ability to understand and share the feelings of another is a sought-after skill in all work environments. How do you cultivate empathy? How can you show your prospective employer? Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you get started:

  • Would you consider yourself empathetic?
  • Do you find it easy to understand other people’s feelings, emotions and problems?
  • Do you actively seek to develop empathy? How?(volunteering, reading books …)

Filming
Filming

Execution

Filming
Filming

Execution

“Before you say ‘cut,’ wait five more seconds.”

Wim Wenders

Filming Checklist: audio

  • Film in a quiet place in order to avoid background noise and interruptions.
  • Make sure that you’re not talking too fast and that you’re making pauses after each sentence/section.
  • If you can, use an external microphone
Filming Checklist: video
  • Film in a bright room.
  • Avoid filming outdoors.
  • Put the camera between the source of light and the subject.
  • Place your subject in the center of the frame, looking directly into the camera, with the eyes on approximately ⅔ of the height of the image.
  • Leave a little bit of headroom above the top of the head but not too much.
  • Avoid cluttered backgrounds.
  • Place your camera at the eye level of the subject.
  • Use a tripod, or mount the camera to something stable.
  • Do NOT use the zoom of your mobile phone
  • Adjust resolution settings of your camera and record in Full HD (1080p)
  • Sit 0,6-1m away from the camera

Dealing with unwanted emotions
Dealing with unwanted emotions

Self-management

Dealing with unwanted emotions
Dealing with unwanted emotions

Self-management

“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.”

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

We all have bad days but not everyone deals with them in the same way. You can be sure that in any workplace, you will have to deal with other people’s unwanted emotions as well as your own. If you pride yourself on being able to manage your emotions and maintain a healthy and pleasant work environment, you can mention this in your video CV. How? Try answering these questions for starters:

  • How do you deal with unwanted emotions, do you let them get in the way or do you maybe have a strategy how to manage them?
  • How do you manage unwanted emotions?
  • How do you deal with angry/agitated colleagues? Do you let their emotions transfer onto you? Or maybe you have methods/strategies how to calm your colleagues and help them?