Where to Find Video Work

Finding a job in this economy is not easy, especially when it comes to jobs within creative industries like videography.

With that in mind, it will take a certain amount of creativity and diligence to find videographer jobs or contract/freelance work.

Whether you’re looking for contract work or a staff job, the first thing you need to do is create your portfolio. This is the single most effective tool in your arsenal. The portfolio you use to apply to jobs or garner interest in your work should contain about three to five different videos tailored to the niche in which you are interested in working. For example, if you are interested in working for an agency that creates educational video, then your portfolio should contain three to five different educational videos that you have worked on in the past.

If your portfolio is lacking in high-quality pieces, your best bet is to look for volunteer work or complete an internship first. Websites like Idealist.org are a great resource because thousands of non-profits post their need for creative professionals daily, yet they do not often have the budget to pay.

The next thing you need to do is create an online presence by creating a website. This will act as your online portfolio, which you can use to archive and promote all of your past jobs or projects. Having a website is especially useful if you’re interested in freelance/contract work, because an online presence makes it easy for a potential client to find you. Not only can you use websites to promote your work, but you can also use free social media to promote your work as well. Upload your portfolio of videos to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, Vimeo and use Facebook and Twitter to promote new projects and make acquaintances within the industry. You may also want to consider starting a blog on your website or using a platform like Blogger, WordPress or Typepad to blog and promote your videos for free. Connect with other video bloggers in your profession and create a community around your videos, portfolio and content. Whether you are a freelance or staff professional, it is important to get and keep your name and your work out there for people to find you.

If you are looking for a job as a staff member, your job search will need to be multi-pronged and aggressive. Assuming your resume and portfolio are ready, the first step you should take is create accounts on job boards like Idealist.org, SimplyHired.com, JobFox.com and Indeed.com. By creating a account, you can customize your job search alert to your preferences. Specify your job search to a specific area, with minimum/maximum salary requirements and whether you want a full-time or a part-time job.

If you are interested in working for the city, state or federal government, you can expand your search to those and create job search alerts on those sites as well. If you have a degree in videography or a training/professional certificate, do not forget to use your school’s career resources. There are many companies who recruit interns or employees who have recently graduated.

Here is a list of job boards to get your started:

• Creative Jobs Central: Not many listings for videography jobs, but has an excellent resources to help you with your resume, cover letter, networking advice, etc.
• Creative Central: An employment site for creative professionals with a fair amount of listings for videography jobs. You can post your resume, but not your portfolio.
• Creative Hot List: Job listings include Film and Video Production, Music/Sound Studio. You can upload your portfolio here and utilize their career resources.
• Entertainment Careers: Companies like HBO, MTV and Walt Disney post jobs on this board. Includes many job listings for Crew Jobs, Video Production and Post Production
• The Creative Group: A recruiting agency that helps match talent with companies. You can upload your portfolio here and utilize their career resources.
• JobFox.com: A general listings site that tailors job recommendations to your resume.