In a search for examples for managers and leaders from the performing arts, I found the obvious ranging from the serious to the humorous. “Lincoln on Leadership" and “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun" illustrate the range. But as the search continued, I also discovered several examples with some direct messages for job seekers and hiring managers.
This fit with the goal of the programs I offer for job seekers and hiring managers. I had developed a focused website, 212-Careers, with the intention to provide stronger, sometimes hard-hitting advice on resumes, interviewing skills, letters, and other career decisions. The goal is to be blunt, even controversial at times, with a willingness to tell someone in detail what's wrong with a resume, or why so many interviewers (and interview questions) are simply “bad."
I was not surprised to find numerous examples of everything Human Resources shouldn't do – “The Office." I was pleased to discover some great examples of practices in the performing arts that support some of the best hiring/job seeking practices.
The award-winning Broadway “Jersey Boys" is an excellent, current example. Because it includes the early days of “The Four Seasons," it shows how the group struggled to find the right “fourth" member of the group. It even reflects the reality of today's job market with a line that states, “there's a million of 'em out there."
But the reality is that the final decision, which leads to the group's phenomenal success, is that it's not Bob Gaudio's “experience' that gets him included in the group, it's his performance. It's his talent plus 'fit' with Frankie Valli, a combination of talent and fit that created a partnership that's still performing after 50 years. It's an outstanding example of hiring expert Lou Adler's formula that outstanding performance equals “talent times energy."
Daniel Robert Sullivan's book, Places, Please, outlines the story of his journey to become part of the “Jersey Boys" cast. It should be required for any serious person seeking a career. The story of Dan's goal setting, auditions, practice-practice-practice, rehearsals, and the role critical feedback plays at every stage of the process blows the idea of “I should just be able to submit my resume and someone will hire me" completely offstage.
As a job seeker, face the reality that it takes hundreds of hours of work (practice-practice-practice) to land a position. By the way, you're only “as good as your last gig." Many professionals in the performing arts know that their job may be for a short period of time. Start realizing that you're interviewing (auditioning) for a job that focuses on what you can do right now for the organization.
Years ago, I used the movie version of “Chorus Line" as part of a final exam in an advanced human resource course on selection. I posed questions about how “Chorus Line" not only portrayed the selection process, but also how those lessons could be applied to other organizations.
For those not familiar with “Chorus Line," it's fundamentally the story of day long auditions to select four male and four female dancers for the chorus of a new show. While the story covers several areas relevant to the hiring process, including how personal biases can affect decisions, the real lessons for any job seeker come from a similar message to the “Jersey Boys" story. It's all about performance.
The candidates, no matter how much they say, “I really need this job," must demonstrate that they can perform the required dance moves. They must take their “talent," combine with the energy of their attitude, learn dance routines quickly, and then demonstrate this performance at the highest level (clearly the top 5% as portrayed by the initial pool of candidates).
Performance and “practice" have been consistent messages I've discovered as part of this journey into job hunting advice. And early in the journey, thanks to another former cast member from “Jersey Boys," I was led to another excellent example.
In a cabaret performance with some cast members, Michael Ingersoll (now with “Under the Streetlamp") performed “Why" from a lesser known musical, “Tick, Tick, Boom." The message of this story immediately caught me with key words: “We sang 'Yellow bird' and 'let's go fly a kite' Over and over and over, till we got it right."
This is for both the hiring manager and the job seeker. The unfortunate truth is that the majority of job interviews conducted on any given day are likely conducted by interviewers with no training on how to do it “right," and who aren't even close to having enough practice. It's equally unfortunate and true for job seekers. If you want to get that career position, you should be practicing your “performance-based" answers to questions “over and over and over," till you get it right!
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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