- Make sure your contact information is up to date: Did you review your resume before printing it out and running out of the house? You have moved? Is it an old email? If the agency decides to hire you but can’t contact you, you’ve already lost your job!
- Have recent photos/resume: If that photo is from five years ago and you DON’T look like that now, don’t use it just because it’s a good photo of you! No one should walk through the door and surprise everyone with how different they look from their photo. New haircut or color? You need new photos. Customers want to feel like they are getting to know you even before they meet you. Updated photos help create that connection.
- Make sure your online presence is representative of the caliber of the agency: While social media is an avenue for expression, keep in mind that EVERYTHING you post online can and will be seen by employers, and this applies to artists as well. Profanity, nudity, drug and alcohol use, and overall personality are taken into account. Regardless of what you do recreationally, think about whether it’s a professional representation of you when you post online.
- Do your research: Have you looked up the agency you are applying with? You should! See what they are looking for. Are you a good fit? Maybe you have a talent that you don’t see represented on your roster, this could make it an attribute, or it could mean they don’t have a job for your specific skill set. Be prepared to explain why you would be a good fit for this agency.
- Follow the application and interview instructions to the letter: One of the first disqualifiers is often that you can’t follow directions. Even if you think this isn’t the case, not using the correct size photos for the format requested, or not attaching a PDF resume when prompted, can be instant disqualifiers. It’s okay to have questions; there is often contact information if you are undecided. It’s better to ask than to jump ahead thinking “My skills speak for themselves.” Well followed instructions start your entire relationship with the agency in an upward movement!
Whether you’re a fire dancer, have incredible acrobatic skills, or any other talent that you know can wow the masses, with these extra tips up your sleeve, you can be sure you’ll have the ultimate career edge and have every advantage. the industry can give!