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How adjectives can help and hurt your Hollywood resume

8/31/2018

 
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Using adjectives on a resume can be tricky. It might sound nice to describe yourself or your skills as "outstanding," but in reality, vague terms like this are unhelpful to hiring managers because they fail to demonstrate any kind of actual achievement. On the other hand, certain descriptors can be very useful when used appropriately. But how do you know whether an adjective is advantageous or overkill? Let's break it down.

The biggest thing to remember when including descriptors in your resume is that they must be relevant and concrete. If you write something like "read scripts and provided excellent notes," your resume will be met with an eye roll. Who decided that these notes were excellent? It's a totally generic statement that you have no way of proving to be true. There's nothing wrong with simply writing "provided notes." By losing the word "excellent," your bullet point becomes shorter and easier to read. You can always elaborate further during an interview or show how excellent your skills really are by sending sample coverage when it's requested. 

However, leaving out meaningless adjectives doesn’t mean your resume should be bland and generic. So how do you achieve that balance between underselling your achievements and peppering your resume with unprovable and subjective statements?

Identify what was unique or interesting about how you've applied the skills required by the job posting in your previous roles, and spice up your bullet points with adjectives that describe those responsibilities in a distinctive way. In keeping with our script notes example, maybe you gave feedback on a variety of types of material -- you can adapt the bullet to say "read TV and feature scripts and provided detailed notes to executives." Now the hiring manager knows what formats you have experience in and a clearer idea of what these notes looked like and were used for.

This strategy applies across the board. Maybe you've been an assistant that "supported three executives" -- you'd definitely want to specify this number in your bullet point, since it shows you have more experience with multi-tasking and time management than an assistant who only supported one executive. If you're a field producer, maybe you produced a show that was shot in "multiple remote locations" -- a step up from someone who's only worked locally. The common thread with these examples is that the descriptors actually mean something. They follow the age-old adage of "show, don't tell," and in just a word or two, they give the hiring manager useful information that could set your application apart from the others.

As is the case with intangible skills, generic adjectives aren't going to help your resume stand out. But targeted adjectives that explain the scope of your work can give your resume the boost it needs to get you an interview. Just remember to keep those bullet points short, simple, and readable.

--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

Where to look to find job postings and open positions in Hollywood

8/23/2018

 
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If you’ve recently moved to LA and are starting to look for a job, you may be feeling a bit lost. Although there are tons and tons of companies and open positions in the entertainment industry, you probably aren’t seeing too many good job postings if you don’t know where to look. Especially when searching for assistant positions, sites like Indeed.com or even LinkedIn aren’t always the most helpful. Here are six resources that might lead you to something great:

  1. Referrals. Referrals are by far the best way to land jobs in Hollywood. Most positions are filled through word of mouth, so it’s essential to have a great network if you want to find out about open roles. Make a list of your top companies and start setting up informational interviews with people at those companies as quickly as you can.  And don’t forget to network with people at your level! Assistants are often the first to hear about open positions.
  2. Company job portals. After you’ve made a list of your top companies, set up a schedule for checking their job portals every day. You can submit your resume through them, but you aren’t likely to hear back unless you’ve gotten your resume into the hands of the right person. This all goes back to networking, but the portals will help you identify open positions and know when to reach out.
  3. Trade publications. Stay up to date on the trades. Look out for announcements of new companies, new divisions, and new projects and try to figure out who’s leading the charge to fill out the new teams. You can always send a cold email with a congratulatory note to build a new relationship with someone whose latest endeavor interests you.
  4. Tracking boards. Tracking boards are email listservs or Facebook groups that facilitate communication within the industry. Lots of job postings are listed on tracking boards, so if you’re ever given the opportunity to join one, do it! The catch to tracking boards is that you need to be invited and accepted to join, so it may take some time to get on one. If you're not on any boards yet, ask your contacts about theirs. They may be able to add you to one or be willing to forward job postings.
  5. Paid subscription services. There are a couple of subscription services dedicated to publishing Hollywood job postings. Hollywood Job Opps and EntertainmentCareers.net are two popular ones that you could consider for entry-level positions. If you're looking for production jobs, Staff Me Up may be a good resource. Lots of people use these services, but paid members have access to postings first, so if you log in frequently, you could be ahead of the game. Even if you don't want to fork over the money, you'll still get access to valuable postings. Either way, you'll maximize your chances of landing an interview if you ping your contacts about any companies you apply to where they may be able to put in a good word.
  6. Entertainment-focused job lists. The UTA job list is probably the most well-known collection of Hollywood job postings that goes out every week. It used to be very exclusive, but now everyone gets it, so you’ll have to be smart about applying for jobs listed there and boost your applications with some networking follow ups. You should also look for lists that may go out through your university or any professional organizations you’re a member of.

​You'll notice that each of these suggestions has something in common: networking. If you want to maximize the number of interviews you’re getting, you’ll need a few allies. The good news is, many people are willing to help! Don’t be shy about reaching out -- it will pay off in the long run, and then you’ll have the opportunity to pay it forward to others trying to break into the industry.

--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

How should you evaluate a job offer?

8/17/2018

 
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Hooray! You just got a job offer! Your potential employer has decided that you’re the best fit for the role, and now you get to flip the tables on them and decide if they’re right for you. As we’ve said before, you shouldn’t always take the first offer you’re given -- put some careful thought into your decision. Accepting a new job is a big deal and will define your life for the next few years, so you should choose wisely. Here are three things to consider when evaluating whether an opportunity is a good fit:
  1. The people. Did you get the sense that the people on your future team have fun personalities that align with your own? Can you envision yourself hanging out with them? Were they friendly during the interview rounds, or did one person rub you the wrong way? One of the most important factors that will dictate whether or not you’re happy at work is the team you’re on. So if you didn’t get good vibe from someone or have heard that your potential boss has a reputation for being difficult or abusive, you’d do better to pass on this one and continue looking for other opportunities.
  2. Your lifestyle. Make sure you do a thorough cost/benefit analysis to determine how this career choice will affect the overall scope of your life. Start by asking the following questions: Does the role fit in with the desired lifestyle you’d like to lead (or at least get you closer to it)? Is the salary is enough to maintain or improve your current standard of living? Are the benefits going to cover whatever personal needs you have? How long is the commute? What are the hours, and are they flexible? If one of these elements isn’t working for you, perhaps there is some room to negotiate on salary or flex time to make up for it. 
  3. The role. How excited are you about the work that you’re going to be doing? You might have an offer from a prestigious company but in a role that’s below what you’re capable of. In this case, the company name is probably not going to make up for the fact that you will be bored at work. Look for a challenge and a team that supports learning and growth. You may have spent a lot of time thinking about the position and getting yourself hyped up about a potential opportunity, but it’s good to step back and reassess how excited you are about the actual role you’ve been offered.
Ultimately, you’re going to have to trust your gut in making this decision. If something feels off, try to figure out why. Is it something that’s going to hinder your experience at the company? If everything sounds great, go ahead and accept! Regardless of your final decision, this is an exciting time for you -- an offer indicates that you’re one step closer to reaching your goal and finding that perfect position.

--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

Two people you MUST impress during a job interview

8/10/2018

 
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When you go to a job interview, informational interview, or even a general meeting, you want to make the best impression possible on the person you are meeting. Obviously. But there are two other people that could make or break your chances of ever getting a job at the company -- the receptionist and the assistant. Even though they may not make the ultimate hiring decision, receptionists and assistants wield a lot of power when it comes to evaluating potential new employees. If you are rude or dismissive of the lower level people at the company when going in for a meeting, you can be sure that this information is going to get back to the key decision-makers.

Your relationship with a receptionist or assistant begins at the email phase. They’ll often be the ones working with you to schedule the interview, so make sure to use a friendly-but-professional tone in your emails, say thank you, and proofread, proofread, proofread. An email that's too formal (like greeting the assistant as "Ms. Doe" once she's already signed a note as Jane) or too friendly (opening with "Hey girl!!") is going to produce an eye roll or two, and you can bet that if you're email is riddled with typos, your potential employer will find out that you're not as detail-oriented as you claim to be. You should also try to be flexible when scheduling a meeting -- let the person you are meeting with dictate the time and place. Don’t make it difficult for the person scheduling on the other end. If you do, you’ll have made a bad first impression even before you’ve met.

When you arrive at an office for a meeting, greet the receptionist and assistant with a smiling face. Don't distract them with chit-chat while you're waiting unless they engage you first. However, if they end up walking you to a conference room, it's a good idea to make small talk on the way -- if they don't initiate, you can ask a few innocent questions about their day to ease the awkwardness. And if you see them again after a meeting, be sure to let them know that it was nice to meet them and thank them for setting up the meeting. 

When you get home, in addition to the thank you note you send to the person you’ve just met with, send a separate email to the assistant or receptionist to thank them for setting up the meeting. Here’s your chance to lock in that good first impression. Even better, you may have an opportunity to create a new relationship if you’re at the same stage in your career as the assistant. If you felt that you had a good rapport with the person who helped schedule a meeting for her boss, you could ask her if she wants to get drinks one evening and continue to build up your network at that company (NOTE: You should only do this after an informational interview, not after a job interview.).  

In Hollywood, every interaction counts. Assistants and receptionists are not likely to forget someone who was disrespectful, and they have the power to stop you from working at or with a company. On the other hand, they are likely to remember the person who was exceptionally friendly and kind to them and might even go out of their way to help when the time is right. So be that person. Very little effort and can yield extremely positive results. And besides, it’s the right thing to do.

--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan

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