- 1 day ago
Resume Rundown
Kenyatta Victoria, Essence GU Writer
Denise Stephanie Hewitt
Kenyatta Victoria, Essence GU Writer
Denise Stephanie Hewitt
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00All right, Shawna, Baroline, Brandra, and Ebony, everybody.
00:07Okay, they really shared so freely.
00:09Thank you, ladies, for sharing from your heart and sharing real things.
00:13You know, a lot of times when it comes down to the music industry,
00:16you always hear, whether you work in it or not, like,
00:18it's shysty, it's catty, it's this.
00:21It's always people gatekeeping.
00:23That's the buzzword.
00:24And when I hear that, I know for a fact there must be two sides
00:28because it's not like that when it comes to me and mine.
00:31And I also, in my daily work as an artist partnerships manager at YouTube Music,
00:37I have the pleasure of working with all of them.
00:39And they are just as sweet and genuine as they present it today.
00:44So can we just disrupt the room one more time for them?
00:46Those are my girls.
00:47I love them, and I wish them well.
00:49Thank you all so much.
00:52Don't tell me that now.
00:55Don't tell me.
00:56Let's do a live fit check.
00:58Okay.
00:58Thank you so much.
01:00Yes.
01:01Let me find out.
01:03Let me find out I can cut up in here for real, for real.
01:06Okay.
01:07Oh, yep.
01:08Come on, get it, girl.
01:11You know you got to do the Mariah Carey.
01:15Y'all are so silly.
01:16I love this room.
01:17Yeah, I'm at home now.
01:18I'm at home.
01:20Okay.
01:21So I'm going to segue us with a question.
01:23So just how we interact, we got to keep that same energy.
01:26Okay?
01:27Okay?
01:28All right.
01:29So where or who in here is getting ready to enter the workforce for the first time ever?
01:37Okay.
01:37To tell the truth, I'm about to get a job with benefits or get a check every two weeks that you can depend on the workforce.
01:45That.
01:45Okay.
01:46Okay, cool.
01:46So we got a few people there.
01:48Is anybody currently thinking about switching industries?
01:52We're pivoting.
01:53Pivoters.
01:53Hands.
01:54Okay, cool, cool, cool, cool.
01:56If you're watching on the live stream, just put me in the chat.
01:58If that's you, pop out.
01:59Okay, so this next conversation that's about to happen, and then again, we have questions at the end, so if you have any, just make your way when it's time, is called The Resume Rundown.
02:12And it's going to help you get better prepared for all of the things.
02:15Pivoting, getting ready to enter the workforce, and then just making your moves and doing it in the best way.
02:22So let's get straight into it.
02:24Please welcome to the stage Essence Girls United writer Kenyatta Victoria and strategist Denise Stephanie Hewitt.
02:45Hey, you guys.
02:48Hey, y'all.
02:53Hey, you guys.
02:54How y'all feeling?
02:55Feeling good?
02:56Feeling good?
02:56I love that.
02:57I love that.
02:57Well, first of all, my name is Kenyatta Victoria.
03:00I'm the lead writer at Essence Girls United, and I want you guys to give a big round of applause for Miss Denise.
03:07Yes, yes.
03:08Okay, so Denise has the resume of a lifetime, and she's all while still being a student.
03:13So she's a director, she's a photographer, she's a social strategist.
03:17She's a media girl.
03:18She does it all.
03:19So Denise, how are you feeling today?
03:21I'm doing so well.
03:22Thank you guys for having me.
03:23Awesome, awesome.
03:24So for Resume Rundown, we want to give you guys all the tea on just building your career as a young zillennial.
03:31So Denise, I want you to just get us started on how your journey began and how you knew you wanted to just be in the creative space.
03:38I was always a creative person.
03:39I was making, you know, dollhouses out of cardboard boxes for my dolls, like stuff like that.
03:46But my career really started when I saw a photography studio close to my high school.
03:51I interviewed for a summer program there, and that's really how I got started.
03:56I learned my love for portraiture in that space, and that's when I realized, like, this is something I really want to do.
04:01And so I had some mentorship there that really helped me to get started.
04:05Started off with the Barneys New York campaign, moved on to working with the WNBA, and then by my senior year in high school, I had a Marie Claire magazine cover with Emily Blunt on it.
04:15So that was...
04:17Clap it up, yeah.
04:17Yeah.
04:19Yes, yes.
04:20But, yeah, so that's how I started.
04:22And then going into college, you know, leaving that mentorship, that's really when I had to start creating and, you know, doing entrepreneurship on my own.
04:30So from there, I'm now a Vogue contributor doing Met Gala coverage.
04:34So Simone Biles, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Gunna all doing coverage for them as they get ready for their big moments on the carpet.
04:40Done some more campaigns in the meantime, and just really have been balancing that personal creative work, but also getting out there and shooting some amazing people.
04:51Beautiful, beautiful.
04:52And so, you know, we talk a lot about pivoting at GU.
04:55I would love to know, and do you just get started on just, like, how you realized you wanted to pivot into different avenues all while still being in school and still just juggling everyday life?
05:05I think that I knew that creativity comes in many different forms for me, and photography is one of those.
05:12But I still knew that there's so much in film and movie direction that I wanted to go into.
05:17I loved music videos as a kid.
05:19I still do.
05:20And so knowing that writing and combining music and film and all of that are different ways to express myself.
05:26So I made sure that in the positions that I would then apply to, I would diversify that.
05:31So one of the things I would do is go on LinkedIn, go and see what projects are coming out, and seeing who's actually working on those projects to then look at, okay, what actually are the roles that exist?
05:42How can I actually have a nine-to-five but still be creative?
05:45What are the different freelance roles I can take on, which led me into creative strategy and the different internships that I was able to take on?
05:53And so, yeah, for sure.
05:55And so, you know, when it comes to just the many things that you do, how do you determine, you know, the skill set for each job?
06:01And how would you advise, you know, our audience today, you know, how they can utilize each skill in different avenues they want to create in?
06:08For sure.
06:08One thing that I would recommend, especially when you're applying to jobs and also then tailoring your resume per job is I love LinkedIn.
06:17LinkedIn is like a social media to me.
06:20So get on your Zoom with LinkedIn.
06:22But for that, there is a resume builder tool that if you create your profile and as you're going out through the years, you put your experiences, the things you've done, links, et cetera, there's a resume builder tool that will take everything you put and make a resume exactly like that.
06:38And then you can go in and tailor it per the job.
06:41There's also a keyword search tool as well.
06:44So when you have a position you're particularly looking for, say, it's artist relations, you plug in artist relations under there and then it will show you a list of different keywords, some key skills that they're going to be looking for on that application.
06:57So you can make sure to keep that in your resume so that it pops out and stands out.
07:01A lot of, you know, when you are applying to jobs is that you want to make sure you're tailoring it to the company but also to the role.
07:08But make sure that, you know, the roles look very different depending on what company it is.
07:12So when you're looking at that job page or the career page, look into what you're actually responsible for so then you know what they're going to be looking for in that person that they want to hire, which hopefully and really should be you.
07:26Exactly.
07:26And so we'll get to that first step of, you know, we get our resume tailored, we get that down.
07:31Let's talk about the application process.
07:33What advice do you have for people who are kind of a little scared when it just comes to putting themselves out there and applying for that big job and those big roles?
07:44Girl, just do it.
07:45It's just like the college application process if you guys are in university or going into university soon.
07:51I always say just apply to everything and put yourself out there.
07:54I think especially with cold emails.
07:56That's how I got here, y'all.
07:57So I cold emailed and I said, I want to do this, I want to be a part of this scene, and that's really how you've got to let people know.
08:03A lot of it is just that people aren't aware of the vast talents that are out there.
08:08So just make sure that you do that, but make sure there's also a strategy behind it too.
08:11Make sure you're doing that research of what the responsibilities are.
08:14When it comes to, and I think you were just saying about putting yourself out there, it's really just then making sure that that research tailors to that resume.
08:25So as I mentioned before, the keyword search always do that.
08:28Absolutely.
08:29And so, you know, we get to applying, we get to pitching ourselves.
08:34I know for you, you do a lot of freelance work and you do a lot of contracting work.
08:38I would love for you to just discuss how you go into negotiating your rates and, you know, freelance payment, because that's way different from being on staff.
08:49That's such a loaded question.
08:52So when it comes to the rates, one thing I like to remember too is that no matter what your client is, you don't want to make your rates fluctuate per person.
09:03Make sure that you're really staying straight with what your numbers are for every single client.
09:07But let's also remember too that there are some small creators, there's some small artists out there, some small businesses that really are, you know, starting their vision from the ground up.
09:16So for me personally, it's not always about the money.
09:19It's also about the vision and like who I really am inspired by and want to be a part of creating that.
09:25Right now, I'm director and co-producer of a YouTube interview series called Talking to the Internet.
09:30And that I'm doing with one of my close friends who's a stylist who styled me today.
09:35Um, and yeah, um, and he had this vision of having this series where we get to really talk to and share insights about how to get started in the creative industry for people like you guys.
09:47And so I knew that that's just an important mission to me.
09:49So although we're not getting paid right now, I really, really believe in that.
09:54And I believe in the mission and the impact that it can have.
09:56So, you know, the money can come later on as we continue to build out, but that's something I'm willing to invest in.
10:02But you also should know when to stop and when you feel like you're ready to move on and take on something else.
10:08Going back to your last question as well, um, in terms of that career pivot and when you're applying to other things as well, um, definitely put yourself out there.
10:16Cause I'm remembering my most recent internship was at Hypebeast.
10:19I've been there for two years and my first internship did photography, which would make sense for me.
10:24But I actually applied to be an editorial intern this past summer and got that one because I put myself out there because I really was tailoring and thinking about that research.
10:33So, you know, different things, I really want y'all to just try out everything so that when you get to later on thirties, 35 and whatever, you can really settle down and say, you know what?
10:43I've tried everything and I feel comfortable with what my niche is now.
10:47Absolutely. Can we clap it up for that? That was a gem.
10:50Yes. And so, you know, not only are you doing so many things, you're also a student first.
10:55And so in this remote era and work from home era, how do you kind of juggle everything and, you know, prioritize what needs to be done on a day-to-day basis with, you know, so many different assignments?
11:09When I tell you Google Calendar is my best friend, my best friend.
11:15Okay. GCAL what? Yes.
11:17No, I'm telling you, I do Tetris with my Google Calendar every single day, every single week to make everything happen.
11:22It's a lot of sacrifices. It's a lot of, damn, I can't go to the movies tonight with y'all.
11:27I will definitely catch up with you on the weekend when my schedule is not full.
11:31Sorry, I have to run to a meeting right now before I go back up to Mark Hotel to shoot Gunna, to go back down to edit the photos, to then go back to my RA meeting on campus.
11:40Like, it's crazy, but it's a life I love to live.
11:44So, yeah, it's a lot of sacrifices, but I think you have to know what's right for you.
11:49You have to know what you're willing to sacrifice to make things happen.
11:52And it's a very personal journey.
11:53So I can tell you what I would do, but you really have to think about what fulfills me, what is the direction I need to take right now to get this particular position that's for you.
12:03So you've got to just do it, and it's a lot of organization.
12:07But when it comes to really that transition into, like, an in-person job versus at home, I would say that a lot of it is just proactivity, especially when you're working from home.
12:18You can definitely be cozy.
12:20You can be in your bed doing the emails and everything.
12:22But I think what I really love to do, especially with my internships that were mostly remote, was that once it was 9 a.m., 9.05 a.m., I hit my supervisor up, and I'd be like, good morning.
12:35How are you?
12:36Is there anything I can help with?
12:37Here's the status update on this particular project you had me working on.
12:41Here is what I'm working on right now and how you can help me if I'm needing some assistance.
12:47It's really about continuing that open line of communication so that they know you are actually working when you're at home.
12:53And it really gets you to kind of establish that relationship with your employer so that when you are ready to pivot and you are ready to move on to a different position or a different company, they still have something to say for you.
13:05They say, oh, yes, so-and-so was really proactive.
13:08They really are a team player.
13:09They're a problem solver.
13:11And when I needed help as a supervisor who, you know, has so many years ahead of me, they still were there and open to, you know, making things work.
13:19So you always want to make sure that whether you're in person or at home that there's still that same level of I'm engaged.
13:26Yes, for sure.
13:26And so when it comes to just keeping people engaged, I know a lot of people in the audience are, you know, pivoting or transitioning into new career spaces.
13:34When it comes to creating that digital portfolio, what would you say are like the do's and don'ts when it comes to just, you know, getting all your work together and presenting it to these brands and companies?
13:45I would say it does depend on the industry.
13:49But I would think that if you're looking for something very specific, be specific for it.
13:54A lot of the resume building and portfolio tips I have is about really refining it because I'm sure that whether it's me or anybody else, we have a lot of work to show for the years that we've put in and the time that we've put in.
14:07But we want to make sure that the projects that you do put on your portfolio and you put on your resume are really speaking to your work ethic and are telling a story.
14:16Sometimes some of those earlier projects might not be the best ones, but sometimes they actually do speak to a particular aspect of your creative process.
14:24So you really have to think about what is the story I'm telling in my portfolio and how are you telling that either over time or with the particular narratives that you're including in that.
14:34So for some photos of mine, I've done projects that were personal, but also client ones that were very narrative based.
14:41So I'll include the narratives rather than just saying, oh, yes, I've shot Gunna, I've shot Simone Biles, I've shot Emily Blunt.
14:48Those are high profile clients, but that doesn't really speak to who I am as an artist or who I am as a photographer.
14:54For sure. For sure. And so, you know, before we open it up for audience questions, my last question that I want to ask you is just, you know,
15:01with all of your different roles and things that you've learned, even within school, you know,
15:05what would you say are the kind of foundational skill sets that you picked up on that you're able to take into the corporate world
15:11and, you know, things that the audience members can take out into the corporate world when switching jobs?
15:18This was something, even when I was in high school, still like first starting out, writing an email right.
15:23And just like the politics of writing emails, that is something that I'm still like navigating and making sure that I'm like really pristine about.
15:33And thanks to my dad, I know he's watching now for helping me with those emails, because I definitely it was a learning process.
15:39But then, as I already mentioned before, that proactivity and open communication, a lot of people and a lot of jobs,
15:46they might want to be kind of on you a little bit to make sure that you're doing your job.
15:50But I think once you get to show them that independence through being proactive and through reaching out and consistently being present,
15:58then they can kind of trust you to then do a little bit more and give you some more responsibilities and then, you know,
16:03get a little promotion, you know, more responsibilities, a little higher paycheck.
16:07Yeah. So, yeah.
16:08Yes, for sure. Okay. So y'all hear that.
16:10So we got our, you know, our personal life resume of putting yourself out there, being responsible, prioritizing.
16:18So, you know, for those who have questions, we're about to take questions right now.
16:22So if you guys want to go ahead and ask Ms. Denise so she could drop some gems, I'm all for it.
16:29Hi. Hi, everyone.
16:30My name is Francesca and I'm an upcoming like designer, stylist, creative director.
16:35And I just had a question as far as for the people that are kind of occupying multiple roles in their life.
16:42Like you mentioned, I'm also about to graduate nursing school and like kind of trying to bridge the gap between the two.
16:48So do you have any advice of how to kind of combine both or maybe like take experiences from one aspect of your life
16:55in order to feel your creative dreams?
16:57I would say that especially, and again, I don't do the sciences.
17:05You would know better than me.
17:06But one thing, especially when it comes to the creative fields, especially as a photographer for me, is personal relationships.
17:12And so particularly with nursing or like with the sciences, I'm actually taking an intro to medical humanities class on this right now.
17:19But the way that you approach people and ask people questions, keep them engaged is something that I think really helps me to open up with my subjects as a photographer.
17:28But then also when you're working with other creatives, there's something about choosing the right teams and the right people together that makes a nice group chemistry.
17:37That when you're creating campaigns, it's just like it doesn't even feel like work.
17:41It feels like a vibe, like it's friends coming together and just like having art and making it for fun.
17:47And so I think that's something very, very subtle.
17:49But that on set, like vibe and chemistry is something that I think people will resonate with, especially when you work with clients and campaigns and larger projects that people will come back to you for because they feel like, wow, set usually is very, very tiring.
18:04It's a long nine to eight days sometimes.
18:06But this crew made it feel very fun.
18:09And I'd want to do that again.
18:10So I think that's one aspect that can feel kind of restorative in that way.
18:15Okay, great.
18:17Hello, my name is Brandy Roman.
18:23I'm a senior public relations student at Florida A&M University.
18:27And I'm actually heavily interested in creative brand strategy.
18:32And sometimes I feel as if when I'm creating my portfolio being that it's filled with not necessarily a lot of things that are strategy, but more so media-based.
18:41I work with a record label as a media director.
18:44I'm actually a publicist for a movie on campus as well as just doing a lot of other internships.
18:52But how do you feel when you're in interviews and sometimes they might not be as intentional with the position they're trying to place you in?
18:59How do you kind of pivot during it and kind of say, like, that's not really what I'm interested in.
19:05I'd rather do something else.
19:06So I actually had this, particularly with a fashion brand that I interned at, where I started out as a social media person.
19:15I could do it, I know how to do it, but I don't want to do it.
19:19But I made sure that in my time in that position, I worked hard, I was proactive, I did all the shoots, I was thinking about different concepts.
19:28I pitched out a lot of concepts and made sure that I could demonstrate that I can do this job.
19:33But then, after six months, I said, hey, I actually think that we should pivot this way.
19:39I think that we need a larger marketing team because social media is not just one person.
19:45And we need some more help and assistance.
19:47So I literally said, can I be a creative strategist and creative producer instead?
19:51I hired a digital marketing team of about four to five other people, photographer, videographer, graphic design, etc.
19:57And I had a marketing team that I ran for this fashion brand for a few months.
20:02So I think usually the first position you get might not be the last, but it's definitely the door in.
20:08So it might not be your favorite one, but you've got to work hard in that so you can just demonstrate, I mastered it, I got this.
20:14Now, this is the evidence for you to trust me to make a new jump and to listen to what I'm saying about this new position that I know that I can be stellar at as well.
20:29Hello, I'm Quatasha, and I'm currently getting into the content space.
20:37However, I feel that Atlanta no longer feeds me because I'm from here.
20:41So what advice do you have for me for someone who's looking to relocate, like far as doing a resume, trying to find a job in different states?
20:52So I'm from New York, so I came out here, hey, I'm from New York.
20:59So I haven't had to make that transition, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
21:04But I think that with regards to when you are applying to things, all the same things I already said about, you know, make sure that you're tailoring every specific skill to these roles.
21:15And remember that roles look very different at different companies.
21:17So make sure that when you are applying that you're just tailoring it very well, because, you know, I think you should be able to pursue these roles at any place in any location.
21:28The most of what you're going to be thinking about is really, how is this city, outside of the job, going to enhance my creativity and my space and my network?
21:39So think about the other creatives in the states that you're looking at.
21:42Think about the creative spaces and how you want to fulfill yourself in that way.
21:47So you can think about, all right, well, maybe New York is going to give me this part, but Boston might give me this part.
21:53And, you know, another state might do this for me.
21:55So it's about thinking, you know, how the outside world, outside of that nine to five, is going to push you forward, too.
22:04I receive it. Thank you.
22:05Yes. And can we clap it up for the audience?
22:07Thank you guys so much.
22:11Denise, thank you so much for just, like, you dropping gems, all your insightful perspective on just being a student and running this creative stuff.
22:19Like, congrats on everything.
22:21Before we leave out, let everybody know where they can follow you, because I know for sure everybody's going to want to connect, you know, get contacts, business, all of that.
22:29So where can we find you on socials?
22:30Please do.
22:31It's going to be at the Denise Stephanie, T-H-E-D-E-N-I-S-E-S-T-E-P-H-A-N-I-E.
22:39Yes.
22:40Well, I heard it here.
22:41So thank you guys so much for just being a part of Resume Rundown.
22:44Thank you so much for being at GU Disruptor Summit.
22:47And you guys sit tight.
22:48We'll be ready for the next segment in a couple minutes.
22:51And thank you guys so much.
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