Careers
Prepare for a successful job interview
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CAREER SERVICES
Polk State College Career Services hosts and coordinates a Career Expo every semester. Employers come to campus to recruit for positions and talk to students about their industry and the skills and qualities they seek in employees. Get started by setting up an appointment for assistance with various career-related topics by emailing careerservices@polk.edu.
- Register for JoinHANDSHAKE
- Post your resume with contact information
- Review employment opportunities
Below you will find information about the career opportunities available to digital media students:
- Contact the Program Director of Digital Media to discuss career options:
- Dr. Gregory Johnson
Phone: 863-669-2839
Email: gjohnson@polk.edu - Go to the Digital Media Lab to prepare your documents
- Lakeland campus, LTB 1307B – Ms. Casey Chung
Phone: 863-669-4987
Email: digitalmedia@polk.edu - Create an account with JoinHANDSHAKE.com
- Go to JoinHANDSHAKE.com
- Create an account
- Browse local jobs that fit your skillset
- Select a few jobs that meet your requirements
- Prepare application documents
- Create a resume
- Go to Canva
- Create a free account with a username and unique password
- Search for “resume” and browse the options available
- Pick a template and edit it to fit your needs. Use the template as inspiration and create your resume with Adobe InDesign or Affinity Studio.
- Export the resume to PDF format
- Prepare your cover letter
- Go to Canva
- Login with your username and password
- Search for “cover letter” and browse the options available
- Pick a template and edit it to fit your needs. Use the template as inspiration and create your resume with Adobe InDesign or Affinity Studio.
- Export the cover letter to PDF format
- Follow accepted guidelines about preparing your resume
- Personalize the resume and cover letter to specific jobs
- Research the job offered and the company
- Visit their website; learn about them
- Edit application documents to emphasize skills fit for the selected job
- Review application documents
- Remove all spelling and grammar errors
- Show a copy to the Digital Media lab staff for review and feedback
- Revise the resume and cover letter as recommended
- Apply for the job(s)
- Consult the program director for help on document submission
- Apply through JoinHandShake.com
- Submit to the employer via email (Be professional in your email communication)
NOTES
- Avoid using photos on your resume/cover letter
- Do not start paragraphs with “I”
- Ensure margins are 0.5 inches or greater
- Ensure your name and contact information are easy to locate on the page
- Avoid “To whom it may concern” or “Sir/Madam” in your greeting
- Refer to the hiring manager(s) by name, if possible
- Do not use skill sliders (the ones where designers add a skill such as Photoshop, then add a line overlaid with a different color to indicate their proficiency level)
- Use design software such as Adobe InDesign. Microsoft PowerPoint can also work well. Avoid Microsoft Word or similar word-processing programs
- Don’t overdo or over-design your resume. Keep it simple and visually attractive.
VIDEO PRODUCTION JOBS
An A.S. degree in video production from Polk State, along with a strong portfolio, will help you qualify for an entry-level position as:
| Videographer | Film & Video Editor |
| Cinematographer | Screenwriter |
| Video Producer | Filmmaker |
| Camera operator | Television studio assistant |
Video production opportunities
For current advertised jobs in video production, please select one of the links below:
GRAPHIC DESIGN JOBS
An A.S. degree in graphic design from Polk State along with a strong design portfolio will help you qualify for an entry-level position as:
| Graphic Designer | Print Designer |
| Photographer | Logo Designer |
| Branding Associate | Print/Advertising Specialist |
| Illustrator | Digital Artist |
Graphic design jobs
Please select the links below to explore current jobs in graphic design:
WEB DEVELOPER JOBS
Digital Media A.S. degrees offer courses in HTML, CSS, WordPress CMS, and interface design. Select links below for current jobs:
| Web developer | Interface designer |
| Freelance web designer | WordPress developer |
Web design jobs are in great demand.
For current jobs in web development, please explore the links below:
Additional resources
- Resume writing tips at Storydoc.com
- Career options at National Association of Black Journalists (www.nabj.org)
- Career options at National Association of Hispanic Journalists (www.nahj.org)
- Digital Media blog for Journalists of Color (NABJDigital Blog)
