In the course of interviewing successful professionals in the entertainment industry, several have said at some point early in their careers, they were told, “If you can do something else, do it.” Meaning, your chances of breaking through and making a living at being a producer, director, writer, actor, comedian, singer, costume designer, editor, screenwriter, studio division president, etc., are so slim and the road there so difficult you should go another direction if you possibly can. How’s that for encouragement?
Of course, many of the people I’ve interviewed didn’t listen to that advice. Some actually did listen, and subsequently changed course away from one of those slim-to-none “dream” careers toward something with better odds. And some tried and tried to become an actor or director or singer, etc., and failed.
That’s right. They never achieved success in their dream job, the one they wished for as kids while blowing out the candles on every birthday cake and worked so diligently at for years.
I was thinking about that while I was listening to Andy Levine, the co-founder of Sixthman, being interviewed on the NPR show, From Scratch. I had first become aware of Sixthman when I did this post on three things we can learn from Kid Rock and Snoop Dog. One of the lessons was to diversify and the example I’d given was the cruise Kid Rock was on at the time, called the “Chillin’ the Most” cruise. Kid and supporting acts with a similar demographic were aboard performing for and hanging out with 100s of their most avid fans.
It wasn’t until after I put the post up and the comments started rolling in that I realized it wasn’t Kid Rock’s cruise. There was a company behind it which brings name acts onto ships to perform for, and interact with, their fans. Yes, he was actually traveling aboard ship for several days with fans willing to spend big bucks to have that semi-intimate and fully-once-in-a-lifetime fan experience. Brilliant, I thought at the time. A company called Sixthman.
While I was listening to the Andy Levine interview, two things struck me: one was how fulfilled he was by doing these events. He considers these journeys sacred experiences for the guests and clearly relishes providing that experience for both fans and artists, as well as creating a company culture made up of people with a similar evangelical attitude toward what they provide. The other was that this career was his “consolation” after not having made it as a performer.
From a young age, Andy loved music. He practiced guitar for hours, until his fingers bled. But, as he told the interviewer, the band he was in was so unimpressed by his playing they didn’t plug him into the sound system when they played. He didn’t realize this for over a year. He now understands that they kept him in the band because he booked all of their shows and made all of the logistical arrangements. So though it must’ve been deeply painful to give up his dreams of being a performer, especially in such a potentially-humiliating way (depending upon how he found out and what frame of mind he was in at the time), the love of music merged with his skills as a manager were a natural fit for a career he now has quasi-religious devotion to. And which is providing so much joy to so many people.
Another example of failure being a gift is what has happened with Marc Maron and the WTF Podcast, of which I am a rabid fan. (And you showbiz aspirants/newbies should be too - start here or here. You’ll be hooked, too.) His is not a story of failure, per se, as he is still a standup comic. But over the years, as the comics he came up with got opportunities and went onto other things (TV sitcoms, talk shows, movie careers, SNL stardom), he did not have a “big break.” He continued to perform at a certain level, but was not taken out of standup by something else.
It was that lack of being drawn away to a busier, more prosperous showbiz career that led to his creation of the WTF podcast, where he interviews stand-ups, former stand-ups, and other comedy professionals about their career paths, the good and the bad, their art and techniques, etc. It’s a genius show and I always learn something. And as for Marc, as a result of the popularity of the show, he is actually getting other showbiz opportunities. But he also speaks of the show as something more important and satisfying than a stepping stone on the way to something more. It feeds him in a way no other showbiz opportunity could, no matter how much money was attached.
For myself, I wrote screenplays for many years. And a novel, too. I got attention from them, sometimes close-but-no-cigar attention, but no money. And my day job involved hiring. Lots and lots of hiring. I did not break through in writing fiction and I have no interest in it anymore, but the day job and the storytelling merged in a way that for both personal and professional reasons is perfect for me. I work one-on-one with clients doing career consulting and writing targeted resume and bios, and through this website, I help people who want to make it in showbiz figure out the best path to their desired outcome (as well as helping them figure out if it really is the right desired outcome for them).
So if you are practicing until your fingers bleed and still the band is not plugging you in, or if you are doing 250 stand-up dates a year and still not getting any traction with the showbiz muckety-mucks, or if you are writing novels or screenplays that still don’t result in a paycheck, don’t despair. Not only is it not the end of the world; it may just be there is something else, something better and maybe even unimaginable at this point, out there for you.
Jenny Yerrick Martin, founder of YourIndustryInsider.com, has amassed 20+ years as an entertainment industry professional including almost 15 as a hiring executive and five as a career consultant. She's become an indispensable resource for people who want to break into entertainment, as well as those in entertainment looking to reach the next level or course-correct in their already-established careers.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertImage from iQoncept/Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
In the course of interviewing successful professionals in the entertainment industry, several have said at some point early in their careers, they were told, “If you can do something else, do it.” Meaning, your chances of breaking through and making a living at being a producer, director, writer, actor, comedian, singer, costume designer, editor, screenwriter, studio division president, etc., are so slim and the road there so difficult you should go another direction if you possibly can. How’s that for encouragement?
Of course, many of the people I’ve interviewed didn’t listen to that advice. Some actually did listen, and subsequently changed course away from one of those slim-to-none “dream” careers toward something with better odds. And some tried and tried to become an actor or director or singer, etc., and failed.
That’s right. They never achieved success in their dream job, the one they wished for as kids while blowing out the candles on every birthday cake and worked so diligently at for years.
I was thinking about that while I was listening to Andy Levine, the co-founder of Sixthman, being interviewed on the NPR show, From Scratch. I had first become aware of Sixthman when I did this post on three things we can learn from Kid Rock and Snoop Dog. One of the lessons was to diversify and the example I’d given was the cruise Kid Rock was on at the time, called the “Chillin’ the Most” cruise. Kid and supporting acts with a similar demographic were aboard performing for and hanging out with 100s of their most avid fans.
It wasn’t until after I put the post up and the comments started rolling in that I realized it wasn’t Kid Rock’s cruise. There was a company behind it which brings name acts onto ships to perform for, and interact with, their fans. Yes, he was actually traveling aboard ship for several days with fans willing to spend big bucks to have that semi-intimate and fully-once-in-a-lifetime fan experience. Brilliant, I thought at the time. A company called Sixthman.
While I was listening to the Andy Levine interview, two things struck me: one was how fulfilled he was by doing these events. He considers these journeys sacred experiences for the guests and clearly relishes providing that experience for both fans and artists, as well as creating a company culture made up of people with a similar evangelical attitude toward what they provide. The other was that this career was his “consolation” after not having made it as a performer.
From a young age, Andy loved music. He practiced guitar for hours, until his fingers bled. But, as he told the interviewer, the band he was in was so unimpressed by his playing they didn’t plug him into the sound system when they played. He didn’t realize this for over a year. He now understands that they kept him in the band because he booked all of their shows and made all of the logistical arrangements. So though it must’ve been deeply painful to give up his dreams of being a performer, especially in such a potentially-humiliating way (depending upon how he found out and what frame of mind he was in at the time), the love of music merged with his skills as a manager were a natural fit for a career he now has quasi-religious devotion to. And which is providing so much joy to so many people.
Another example of failure being a gift is what has happened with Marc Maron and the WTF Podcast, of which I am a rabid fan. (And you showbiz aspirants/newbies should be too - start here or here. You’ll be hooked, too.) His is not a story of failure, per se, as he is still a standup comic. But over the years, as the comics he came up with got opportunities and went onto other things (TV sitcoms, talk shows, movie careers, SNL stardom), he did not have a “big break.” He continued to perform at a certain level, but was not taken out of standup by something else.
It was that lack of being drawn away to a busier, more prosperous showbiz career that led to his creation of the WTF podcast, where he interviews stand-ups, former stand-ups, and other comedy professionals about their career paths, the good and the bad, their art and techniques, etc. It’s a genius show and I always learn something. And as for Marc, as a result of the popularity of the show, he is actually getting other showbiz opportunities. But he also speaks of the show as something more important and satisfying than a stepping stone on the way to something more. It feeds him in a way no other showbiz opportunity could, no matter how much money was attached.
For myself, I wrote screenplays for many years. And a novel, too. I got attention from them, sometimes close-but-no-cigar attention, but no money. And my day job involved hiring. Lots and lots of hiring. I did not break through in writing fiction and I have no interest in it anymore, but the day job and the storytelling merged in a way that for both personal and professional reasons is perfect for me. I work one-on-one with clients doing career consulting and writing targeted resume and bios, and through this website, I help people who want to make it in showbiz figure out the best path to their desired outcome (as well as helping them figure out if it really is the right desired outcome for them).
So if you are practicing until your fingers bleed and still the band is not plugging you in, or if you are doing 250 stand-up dates a year and still not getting any traction with the showbiz muckety-mucks, or if you are writing novels or screenplays that still don’t result in a paycheck, don’t despair. Not only is it not the end of the world; it may just be there is something else, something better and maybe even unimaginable at this point, out there for you.
Jenny Yerrick Martin, founder of YourIndustryInsider.com, has amassed 20+ years as an entertainment industry professional including almost 15 as a hiring executive and five as a career consultant. She's become an indispensable resource for people who want to break into entertainment, as well as those in entertainment looking to reach the next level or course-correct in their already-established careers.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertImage from iQoncept/Shutterstock
