How to get a job

[Bryson]

Some Very useful tips there Bryson, do you mind if I steal a few of the ideas and comments, I keep advising people looking for theatre based work and its like banging my head against a brick wall some days :P I have a check list made up for them and would like to add a few of your pointers if that's OK?

 

DomB

 

S'fine, just credit where you got it, cheers.

[mikienorth]

My tip, and it seems to work, and believe me, I'm looking now, and using these tips, is:

 

As soon as you know you have an interview, Research the venue you are going to. As soon as I get an interview I sit with google and search for as much information as I can on the venue I am being interviewed for. Read, and re-read the personal statement you submitted for the interview. Don't say you never kept a copy. Whoops. What do you think the questions about your abilities are going to be checked against. Anything the venue sent you (person specification, mission statements) read, and re-read. They are looking for people who fit these, and have the experience they want

Be as prepared for the interview as possible. The interviewer is always prepared, they have all the information you gave them to hand, you cannot, or at least I have never seen it done, refer to notes as a candidate, so you need it all in your head.

If you have researched the venue, it will always look better, you are interested in the venue, and the job, and have taken the time to look into where you may be working, looking better than the person who can't tell them anything about the venue they have applied for...

 

Also, as no doubt previously mentioned:

Presentation

I have interviewed, and am currently being interviewed (out of work right now..) Clean your suit, find out if there is a dress code, or dress appropriatley. If there is a practical element/tour, working clothing is acceptable, just make it clean, and neat Again, polish those shoes/wash those boots. Have a shower almost immediatley before leaving the house. People that have made no effort, or little effort show, and will be rooted out. Image is all important for our employers. Occasions happen in every job where you may need to look smart, remember that, and show tham you can. You may know the people interviewing you/already work for them. It doesn't matter, still make the effort for the interview.

 

Your interview is your sales pitch. Would you buy something some someone who didn't care too much for the product? Neither would I.

[Ynot]

Another tip from me - if at all possible go to the venue/job location before the interview - preferably several days before. To do this, it's always best to ASK the potential employer if that's OK. That a) signals to them that you're interested enough to put yourself out and b) gives you a chance for more research - also to get a chance to meet some of the people you may work with.

[Chiefy]

Don't forget, if you have a tour of the venue(s) prior to the formal interview with a different member of staff, this can also form part of the interview process. The tour facilitator will be checking you out for signs of, or lack of experience in your chosen profession.

We once had a bunch of prospective candidates who spent the whole time on their tour with their mouths wide open making trivial comments. But when it came to the formal part of the interview they professed to of had plenty of experience... which made us wonder? :) ....

[alex_kyuss]

I've been wondering about this, cloths for interviews? The jobs I would be going for are the usually rental companys, live music venues on the technical side. Clean neat cloths would be a most but would suits be to formal for these kind of companys?

cheers Alex

[Just Some Bloke]

We've discussed this before so you may want to take a look at this thread which has some interesting discussion.

 

Personally, my feeling is that you should think of the most formal occasion you'd ever be asked to work in the job and dress appropriately to that (excluding dinner jacket, obviously!). In my job as a Production Manager I'd occasionally be expected to attend a VIP reception representing the theatre or production. For that I'd wear a suit so for the interview a suit would also be appropriate. However, if you were doing a job in which the most formal occasion you'd ever be in would be asking for a signature on the delivery note, then a clean T shirt would be appropriate and a suit might suggest you hadn't properly understood the job. It is possible to be "overdressed" of course.

 

BTW, just in case you're filling in an application form for a job, "cloths" are what you have hanging at the back of the stage and "clothes" are what you wear. You might also want to write "companies" rather than "companys". Please don't think I'm having a go, just trying to help when applying for jobs because something small like that may just help you get an interview (even if it's subconscious on the selector's part).

[w/robe]

Whilst agreeing with JSB I would say that over dressed is better than under dressed. I was interviewing yesterday and another member of the panel did comment on the 1 person wearing jeans but not the person in a suit.

 

I was, of course, interviewing wearing jeans.

[sparkyweb]

I would tend to agree. I have interviewed people in the past, first impressions do count, if the interviewee turned up to the interview wearing jeans and a T-shirt (most people would wear smart clothes surely) then what would he turn up to work in?

Would that have been his attempt at being smartly attired therefore arriving to work in tatty old jeans etc etc.

 

Whilst a suit can be over the top, smart trousers and shirt I would say is acceptable for our industry.

 

(Using the "male" term for ease nothing more)

 

I would mention again though, do your homework on the company! Its so much easier now with the net, so there should not be any excuses.

[Neil Hampson]

Not really sure whether to add this here, or start a new topic, but here goes...

 

I have been asked to produce a 'Theatrical CV' as opposed to a vocational one that I would normally have for a job application. I know it sounds a fairly dumb question, but I don't really want to create a great bulky document that isn't really fit for purpose (you only need to look at my real CV to see that)

At it's most basic level, what is expected on a Theatrical CV?

I first started with a list of projects/shows that I have worked on in the last few years, stating whether is was as a casual or freelance amateur or professional, adding date and my role in that production, sometimes this was just one word i.e. 'flyman' other times this was a small paragraph were I had a greater or mixed role in the production.

On the whole the document just did not flow properly it was clumsy and at times disjointed. any suggestions on format or content would be greatly appreciated.

 

EDITED for poor spelling...

[paulears]

If it was me, I'd probably present it as a sequence of different job areas/or responsibilities, so - if your experience to date consists of say, get-in/out crew, stage LX, sound assistant, sound op, lx op, technical manager etc - then enter some useful examples in each one - making sure the reader understands that the named productions are just examples. If possible, then start with the most senior position, and work downwards. There's little point in repeating items, so keep to work that explains the scale and scope of your roles.

[pinkros]

So go on then - to all the employers out there - how tedious is it to read cover letters that consist of "I did this" and "I did that" and "I...I...I..." I do try to think up more eloquent ways of writing what I've been up to, but as a higher register is usually favoured over shortened and more colloquial phrases this is sometimes difficult! Still, it's not every day you have to explain that your technical set up each night involved fitting two gas cannisters to piping in order to burn a shed down each night! And rig fairy lights in a tree... ah, good times!

[lightsource]

I think the problem here is every employer is looking for a different level of competence for a particular job.

 

Various people have submitted comments regarding their abilities, but are they really suitable candidates, or just opportunists for the jobs advertised, maybe some people are prepared to 'expand' the truth to get a foothold within the industry.

 

It happens in other sectors, so really we're no different.