Graduating students from the Faculty of Multimedia Creativity participated in a mock interview session with experts from Headshot Pictures on 2 and 3 November.
Headshot Pictures is a Malaysian-based company that provides videography and photography services. The company focuses on films, music videos, travelogues and documentaries. The industry panel consisted of a film director and two managing directors.
The 43 graduating students were completing their studies in BA (Hons) in Creative Multimedia, BA (Hons) in Animation, BA (Hons) in Game Art Development, BA (Hons) in Games Design and Diploma in Interactive & Multimedia Design.
The mock interview session aims to expose graduating students to industry practises while encouraging discussions between students and industry practitioners. These sessions enable students to experience real-world challenges in terms of employment and other corporate procedures.
These mock interview sessions are also aimed at enabling students to gain valuable insights from industry veterans about pursuing a career in the creative industry. These include expert advice on self-improvement and professional etiquette.
“Professional respect is important,” said Headshot Pictures Managing Director Md Fakhrurrazi Razif. “More importantly, having the right attitude can make a lot of difference in their career. Students must be proactive, disciplined, punctual and able to keep an open mind to learn new things.” he said.
He also explained that creative industries, especially film, requires various forms of talent and skills. He then emphasised the importance of graduates being able to experiment with various styles and methods of storytelling.
“Trial and error can help develop character and experience,” added Mohd Zyrul Hafizie, Headshot Pictures Film Director. “These experiences can help graduates face and overcome different challenges especially within the highly-competitive entertainment industry.”
Azerbaijan student Aida Amirova, who is studying Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Multimedia said that the experience enabled her to receive feedback that would help her improve her interview skills.
“I think it was very important for me as it gave me the chance to hear other people’s opinion about my interview skills,” she said. “It has helped me improve my communication skills and present my work to potential employers.”
“Now I know how to prepare myself for job interviews,” she said while adding that professional etiquette is a valuable skill for her.
For Kazakhstan student Liliya Raybik, who is studying Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Multimedia, the activity helped her learn how to conduct professional business etiquette during interviews in order to establish a positive first impression.
“I learned to present myself professionally and communicate clearly and with confidence when I show my work,” she said. “At first I was really nervous, but the experience would really help me for my future interviews.”
Limkokwing University collaborates with various studios, production houses and entertainment corporations. This fosters networking opportunities and industry exposure for graduates in preparation for their future careers.