Rory Cullen, Kaizen Software Developer

Last week, I asked for your feedback on my Elevator Pitch.  I received a lot of feedback, both in the comments, and via private emails.

Most common responses:

• I looked stiff
• Didn’t smile at all (or the smile looked forced at the end)
• Tried to say too much
• Clearly reading the teleprompter, should have memorized the speech
• Didn’t seem like the person they know (“engaging and humorous”, I swear it’s a quote!)

Over 60% of Voters felt the production and content were good, while the remaining 40% felt either production or content needed work. That said, since there were only seven votes cast out of 37 viewers (59 total views of the blog post), I feel those numbers may not be statistically significant (my Six Sigma Black Belt days coming out for a visit!) Any way you slice it, I am thrilled with the feedback from so many sources. It also confirms my feelings about the video.

In my humble opinion, it was flat out awful. The awfulness was a true team effort. My eyes kept darting to the teleprompter, but then I’d been guaranteed that no one would notice. I looked like a professional athlete doing a local furniture ad. Stiff as a board, and just reading my lines. Post-production, the video was cut off too quickly at the end, resulting in a smarmy smirk instead of my genuine smile.

In addition, the text added to the top of the video did not accurately describe what I want to do.  It says “Process Improvement Specialist”, whereas I am a Software Developer.  It was like saying you are a real estate lawyer, and being labeled a realtor…or a dentist.  This was just poor marketing, top to bottom, and exactly the opposite of what I wanted.

Mistakes were made:

I stumbled into the filming of my pitch with very little forethought.  I was called the day before filming because a TV station was going to be there that day, and they did not have enough people filming pitches.  As a favor, and with the hope that I might get on TV (non cable-access), I practiced my pitch and showed up.  I admit, the TV angle was intriguing, and I hadn’t thought of the branding control issues I might face.  This was a mistake.

I have a brand.  My brand is “Kaizen Software Developer”.  Conceptually, it is meant to express both my software development focus, and my process improvement ability.  Although I talk about both in the video, I think process improvement was overemphasized as I use those words first.  I did not get across my message. Mistake #2.

I had no control over the release of the final cut.  I would have never released this video to the public, for all of the reasons given.  This isn’t 1909.  Film/Video is not a rare item nowadays, savored despite low quality.  Everyone with a camera or a phone can make a video of himself, so quality DOES matter.  This video is just not quality content that I would consider releasable.  Mistake.

I do not own the video.  For all I know, it could be sold off some day when I’m famous.  I keep a low, but focused, internet profile on purpose.  I try to maintain the highest standards across all of my public personas.  This does not meet those standards. #4.

The Pitch I used is designed for networking events, not for potential employers.  I think the speech itself is not awful, but it’s not made for this type of presentation.  I did not recognize that at the time, but it seems suddenly obvious to me.  I also tried to fit 60 seconds of material in 30 seconds.  Five.

As always, Learnings!

1. Control your brand!  Never let someone else have final cut on something in the public eye.  This is an absolute no-no.
2. Medium matters.  Things that work in person do not necessarily work on video.
3. If you make a mistake, correct it.  When Coke made the mistake of coming out with New Coke, they fixed the mistake (Coke Classic).

Final cut:

I am fixing my mistake.  I have asked them to remove the video from YouTube.  I don’t think it is representative of my best work, and I think it does not advance my interests.  In the end, that is all that matters.

If you need your fix on videos of me that are representative, please see these links to stories from earlier this spring:
NECN: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/2009/04/14/Job-seekers-turn-to-television/1239750266.html
WMUR: http://www.wmur.com/money/19075441/detail.html

Note: For the record, I volunteer with the NE Job Show, and do not wish to cast aspersions on the great work they are doing.  This blog is a reflection on my video only, and mostly on my own performance.  Many volunteers put time into this video, and I do not want to put their efforts down.  A camera person, technical guy entering speeches into the teleprompter, a person in the booth, two people to help with your delivery, an interviewer for a long-form segment, countless other organizers, plus post-production work.  Lots of people helped, which unfortunately makes me feel even worse about the result.  Please check out the full episodes of the NE Job Show online to see what they do.