Three ways reading the trades can boost Hollywood job search

If you haven’t yet, get in the habit of reading the industry trades every day. Set up email news alerts for Deadline Hollywood, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, and sign up for newsletters that are relevant to your side of the industry. Doing so will help with your job search, maybe even in ways you hadn’t thought of before. Here are three things reading the trades can do for you while you’re looking for a new job:
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1. You’ll sound informed during job interviews. This is probably the most obvious way keeping up with industry news can help job seekers. Knowledge of new shows and movies, recent business deals, and key industry players will make you sound intelligent during job interviews. It’s always great to be the go to person for information or the one who can spot new trends or business opportunities. If you can demonstrate how well you keep up with what’s going on in the industry, you’ll stand out among other candidates, especially when applying for entry-level positions.
2. You will hear about new companies, shows, or departments that could potentially be staffing up soon. New companies, pickups, and lines of business are announced in the trades daily, and these can clue you into jobs that could be opening up. If you hear about the hire of a new department head at a company you’re interested in, you can bet that this person will be hiring an assistant and filling out her team sometime soon. Even if there isn’t a role immediately available, you can still reach out and set an informational interview. Keep an eye out for new divisions or projects at companies that align with your interests and be the first to reach out when they launch.
3. You’ll have an excuse to follow up with contacts at companies you’re interested in. If you see a news article about a new project, a job announcement, or any other company change that could be affecting someone you know, reach out! At the very least, this is a great opportunity to get back in touch with a contact you haven’t spoken to in a few months and continue to build up a friendly rapport that will benefit you down the line. But you also may hear about new opportunities that your contact could refer you to. Don’t be shy about expressing interest!

There’s so much industry news published daily that it can be hard to keep up with it all, but do your best to follow as much as possible! If you can create a morning routine that incorporates reading the trades, it will benefit you in your current job search and throughout your career. 

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--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan