On May 6, MTV will start airing the first season of "MTV: Hired," a new reality show that follows recent college graduates as they attempt to break into the field of their dreams. Each episode will follow a group of job seekers as they face the trials and tribulations of today's dismal economy, with the goal of teaching viewers the do's and don't's of the job market. Over the course of its 20-episode season, "Hired" will take a look at professions ranging from personal training to shoe designing to event coordinating.
The Dartmouth recently acquired an advance copy of the pilot episode of MTV's new series. The episode follows several recent college graduates as they attempt to land a $40,000 per year job as a junior account executive at American Rebel PR, an LA-based public relations firm.
"Hired" bears a tight resemblance to previous MTV reality docudramas. Think "True Life" mixed with "Made" and "Parental Control." The confessional style interviews are there, as are those title cards at the end of the show that serve as an epilogue for the show's events. While it's a little bit of a letdown to see the same thing churned out over and over, the formula has worked well in the past. If it's not broken, why fix it?
What will make or break "Hired," however, is not the style but the substance. Disregarding the instances when it invokes the "let's put a really stupid person on tape" gimmick, "Hired" is an intelligent and insightful show that allows viewers to follow the job hunting process through the eyes of both the employer and the prospective employee.
After the initial introduction of the episode's featured profession, "Hired" jumps right into the initial job interview. While the illusion that we are watching an actual job interview is occasionally shattered by the job interviewer breaking decorum to tell the applicant where he or she went wrong, the this first-hand look generally does well to inform the viewer about proper interview etiquette. Although some tips were obvious (remembering the name of the company you're applying to is always a plus), others, such as helpful hints for writing a cover letter, were truly valuable.
After the first round of interviews, "Hired" makes the wise move of narrowing the show's focus to a few, serious candidates, allowing viewers to better weigh the strength and weaknesses of each candidate. By giving both a personal and impersonal view of the job hunting process, "Hired" gives the viewer a top down look at the job market and an idea of the personal qualities needed to land a position in today's economy.
Borrowing a page from "Wife Swap" and other human interest reality shows, the last few moments of "Hired" give us a look at how the winning contestant has fared after some time spent at their new job. This effectively drives home the message that this is reality, and the people on this show are trying to make a living. Seeing what happens to the show's contestants is as interesting as the contest itself.
The big question is: In an age of shows like "The Hills" and "Jersey Shore" that actively kills brain cells, how will "Hired" fit in? MTV's decision to place it in its afternoon lineup shows that the top executives at the company don't expect such a show to make a splash on their network.
With the tried and true reality shows taking up the primetime slots, "Hired" will probably end up being a shows that become a one- or two-episode curiosity. It's a shame, because "Hired" has the potential to be one of those rare reality shows that speaks to the viewer's intelligence rather than his need to see hot young coeds rain destruction on a Friday night bar scene.
