Virtual Guest Speakers

As a professional, you have so much career knowledge and industry expertise you can share with young people who are beginning to explore their career options. We invite you to share your unique insight virtually with high school students (13 to 18-year-olds) to open doors to the working world and to inspire the next generation of industry leaders.

It’s easy. From the comfort of your own home or office, simply record yourself answering questions that speak to students about your career and how you got there. We will share* the videos with our students via YouTube, emails to our academies, social media, and naf.org.

Here’s how to get started:

Record Your 5-10 Minute Video

Grab your phone and follow the instructions below to record your video.

Step 1. Introduce Yourself

Say hello! Start your video by sharing your first and last name, the company you work for, and your job title.

Step 2. Answer Questions

From the questions below, answer the first three then select three additional questions to answer in your video. Remember, some students may not be familiar with your profession. It’s important you paint a clear image of your job, industry, and how you got to where you are today.

Answer these questions first:

What does your company do and can you describe your role and responsibilities?
What education and general skills are needed for your profession?
Many NAF students will be participating in virtual internships this summer. What advice can you share for a successful work from home experience?

Answer career questions from high school students:

Pick 3

What career advice would you give your high school self?
How did you discover the career you wanted to pursue and how can NAF students find the career that’s best for them?
What’s one challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
How do you think your industry will evolve in the next 5-10 years?
If you could go back and re-do your first entry-level job, what would you do differently?

Step 3. That’s a Wrap!

Close out your video. Share any last piece of advice and wisdom with students. Thank them for watching your video and sign off. Once you’ve finished recording, you can upload your video to Google Drive, DropBox, YouTube, or your favorite video sharing site and send the link to Stefani Falkowski, Digital Marketing Manager at sfalkowski@naf.org.

By emailing your video to NAF, you agree that NAF can reproduce, publish, transmit, and/or otherwise use such recordings, in whole or in part, on a perpetual, royalty-free basis in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter developed, in connection with NAF-related academy communication, websites, social media, and/or other materials, including, without limitation, for the promotion of NAF and its affiliates and members

Tips For Your Video

Your video should be between 5 to 10 minutes.
Record your video horizontally (16:9).
Make sure you are sitting facing your light source so that you are well-lit. Do not sit with your light source behind you—that will cause your background to be bright and you—in the foreground—will be difficult to see.
Use a phone stand to record your video or find somewhere you can securely prop your phone so it stays put.
Position yourself slightly off-center to the camera (either left of center or right of center). That way we have room to add our captions.
Wear something that you would normally wear to work.
Record one video. We would like this to feel as close to an in-class guest speaker experience as possible. By recording one continuous video, instead of one video clip per question, the experience will be more genuine.
Choose a quiet location to record your video to reduce background noise.
Let your passion shine through. We encourage you to approach your video with enthusiasm and excitement.
Make it your own. Be authentic and let your personality come through.
You do not need to edit your own video or add any captioning.

*If your company does not allow you to have the video posted publicly, but you are allowed to share a video if it is only shared with academies via email, please let us know when you email your video submission and we will flag your video for email only.