2017-2018 United States Senate Youth Program

2017-2018 United States Senate Youth Program

Video Resume for DoDEA Candidates

The video resume is your opportunity to elaborate upon many of the key points mentioned in the brief student descriptions on the application. The video allows you to present your involvement in student or local government and politics, community service, service learning initiatives, etc. The presentation allows the selection committee to see beyond your application and provides a glimpse of your interest in government and your engagement and participation in civic and community affairs.

What to Include in a Video Resume

Be professional: Dress as you would for an interview, and maintain a professional demeanor. Avoid cursing and slang. Pay attention, too, to the background of shots, and make sure it looks tidy.

Prepare a script: Don't ad lib your video completely. You want to seem natural and off-the-cuff, but should have a sense of what you want to say, and how you want to phrase it. Do not read directly from a script, or from your resume, since that leads to a dull video. The main points to express in the video are what you'll provide to the United States Senate Youth Program, and your major goals, skills, and accomplishments. Think of the video as being a pitch for why you should represent DoDEA at the US Senate Youth Program.

Know your audience: As you plan your script and filming location, consider who will watch the video, and calibrate accordingly. A video prepared for a position at a bank might differ from a video prepared for a start-up.

Show, don't tell: Use visuals to illustrate what you're saying in the video script and showcase your talents and skills. For instance, if you're applying for a job where presentations are a major part of the role, you can film yourself assembling a PowerPoint. Or, if any of your presentations were recorded, use that footage in your video resume.

Keep it brief: Videos should be between 30 to 90 seconds. Anything longer than that is unlikely to be watched.

Share with friends and family: Getting feedback from others is an important step. Ask a few people to watch your video, and make edits and changes based on their comments.

Guidelines:

• 30 – 90 Seconds (videos exceeding 90 seconds will be stopped at 90 seconds)
• State your full name and grade.
• Upload your video to Google drive.
• Click the three dots in the upper right corner.
• Click on “Share”.
• Click on advanced in the lower right corner.
• Under “who has access” click “change”.
• Select “On- Anyone at Department of Defense Education Activity with the Link”.
• Click Save.
• Copy the link.
• Click done.
• Email the link to your district POC.

• The video resume begins memorably and engages the audience attention (includes name, grade)
• The speaker effectively communicates the events and their significance to participating in the US Senate Youth Program.
• Facts are smoothly incorporated into the narrative

• The speaker makes an insightful link between his/her past experience and the US Senate Youth Program
• Ideas and events progress in a logical order and are linked with effective transitions

• The narrative techniques effectively bring the experience to life.
• The speaker is easy to understand and voice and pace are appropriate for a video presentation.

• The video resume starts in a way that engages the audience (includes name, grade)
• The events and their significance are clear to the listener.
• The speaker has some supporting facts in the narrative.

• Past experience is linked to the US Senate Youth Program.
• The order of ideas is logical, and transitions are generally used.

• The speaker describes events and ideas using some narrative techniques
• The speaker is generally easy to understand and uses appropriate volume and pacing.

• The opening may not engage the audience (includes name, grade)
• What happened and how it is connected to the Senate Youth Program are vague at times/
• One or two facts are weakly connected to the event.

• Experiences are mentioned but the connection to the US Senate Youth Program is weak.
• Ideas and events seem disorganized and lacks needed transitions.

• The speaker does not incorporate narrative techniques to highlight events.
• The speaker is occasionally difficult to understand.

• The opening is not engaging (includes name, grade)
• The speaker fails to communicate the significance of an event to the Senate Youth Program.

• The speaker does not link his/her experience to the US Senate Youth Program.
• Ideas and events are presented in a disorganized way with no transitions.

• Descriptions of events and ideas are vague and fail to create an impression.
• The speaker is difficult to understand.