TheatreArtLife: After a 15+ year career primarily working in large scale events, I often get asked ‘How do I get your job?’ by everyone from long term industry workers to recent graduates. It really is the most asked question after I explain why I lived out of a suitcase in about 15 different countries for the past 10 years. It is not an easy one to answer.
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As someone who is rapidly approaching graduation and doesn’t necessarily have a broad range of experience or strong technical skills, it’s reaffirming to hear that experience isn’t necessarily the primary factor in hiring. The author says she tries to hire people with a similar background, dedication, humility, and strong communication skills. That jives with anecdotes I’ve heard from other professionals and my personal experience. I’ve found temperament, work ethic, and the ability to communicate well have always been the primary sources of my success.
Also as someone nearing graduation, I’ve been thinking a lot about the relative influence of skill / talent / good decision-making and luck in securing employment. The author herself admits that part of her success has been a result of “being in the right place at the right time.” The idea that luck had an influence on my trajectory used to frighten and frustrate me. But I’ve come to believe that luck is something we identify in hindsight if we’re happy where we are. And unpredictability can help us see unlooked for, but fruitful paths.
The people I met and talked to in the entertainment industry may have different career paths but as a rule, they mention luck as one of the main contributing factors. They were lucky in that the work came in constantly, that they were available at the right time or that they knew the right people. It still frustrates me that the most unpredictable factor will play the biggest role in my future career. However, as they say, fortune can only be caught by the forelock, for she is bald behind. What they say by luck could be luck with preparedness to recognize it and pounce on it whenever. The preparedness could be anything from what the author says--humble attitude, dedication and strong communication skills. Also what goes on without being said is the perseverance to take the not the most desirable job, do it nicely and wait for another opportunity without loosing the end goal.
I happen to be a big fan of using this question on working professionals, even ones I'm not particularly interested in having the exact job of. It can be rather interesting just to hear how they got on a particular career path, as I find more often than not people do a lot of different odd jobs before landing a position that that stick with. Even when people end up studying a particular course of study, it can take a long time and a ton of different jobs before someone ends up in a particular job. I will say that this question can end up going one of two ways however, as sometimes you can end up with encouraging answers from people that have had paths that line up with what you may expect from their position, and sometimes it can be rather discouraging when you find out that people often end up in particular jobs because of the luck of the draw.
I like that dedication, humility, and strong communication were included in things looked for besides similar background. Experience of course is very important, but someone who has a drive to work on a project should not be discounted. Asking a professional who you admire and who has an employment position that you would like to have one day for help is great advice. Not only will they give you advice, you reaching out to them provides face time with someone who may hire you one day. Networking and creating relationships is just as important as having the right credits on your resume. Of course not every coffee or meeting with a professional will be fruitful, but overall I'd say the chance to meet shouldn't be turned down.
The piece at the end of the article, you are only as good as your last gig, also resonates with me too. Our business is too small to burn bridges or have a negative review, and in order to move forward, you need to give each and every gig your best in terms of energy, respect, and dedication.
I once heard it said that "you create the circumstances in which luck can find you" and I feel like that's part of what the author mentions here. The acknowledgement that the constant use of communications skills (that I must admit I'm not the best at) is vital to upward mobility was good to have affirmed as well. It is one thing I have noticed, at least in the costuming world, that there is a slow shift going on where "catty" or deprecating behavior is being weeded out (or at least less tolerated) in hiring pools. Humility and kindness, especially in a business as chaotic as this is incredibly essential. As the authors says it is easy to teach the skills needed to the right person, but you to have that good foundation first. The person who works the hardest often edges out those who are more talented because dependability is more essential than talent in many cases.
This article was really fascinating and I think that part of what makes it so cool is that this guy while still holding himself to a high standard, and holding the people who he will work with or hire to a high standard still has a large amount of humility which I really appreciate. I think that when people have jobs like this guy does, where few people have it, and everyone wants it and on the outside it is very glamorous and cool it is easy to start getting a big head or to believe that because you have this job that you earned certainly but that luck probably played a large part in because it always does, that you are worth more than the people around you or that you deserve it more. I think this guy does an amazing job and showing the pros and cons of his work and of trying to help other who ask him the question this article is about. I also think I am going to add that question to my list of things I ask people because learning about the trajectory of careers is always important.
There is a lot of good advice in this article, which may seem like common sense but it is important to hear all of it. People are always trying to climb their career ladders and often do not know the best route to take. I really liked when she said you are only as good as your last gig. You could have a lot of experience and think that you are better than everyone else, but if you did not have a good experience somewhere and people did not enjoy working with you, then the people at the next job you want will probably hear about it. The theatre industry is all about the connections you make and the impressions you make on those people. Getting better and better jobs takes hard work and dedication because it is rare that jobs will just be handed to you. If you want a certain job you have to go for it no matter how crazy it may seem.
It’s always uplifting to read about people who worked their way into their ‘dream job’. Overall, the advice offered in this article is a little cliché. I feel like every article about how to make it in this industry revolves around hard work, networking, and luck. But over-done advice aside, it’s comforting to read that everyone starts out doing the small stuff (ASM-ing, working as an intern, etc). Especially here at CMU, it’s so easy to think that everyone around you has a better resume, more experience, and is booking better work. But as this article points out, someone’s resume is not nearly as important as their communication skills and work ethic. And that’s comforting in such a competitive environment. This article is particularly comforting because the author lists the things they look for when hiring. I feel like a lot of people write about how they got to where they are, but sometimes writing about who you look to hire can offer a lot of very important information too.
This article hits on a lot of points for me. As someone who is graduating this year, I am looking for advice like this on seeking and retaining jobs, and even what to look for should I be hiring people at some point. The most interesting part about this article is that it doesn’t refer to a specific job. The information in this article could pertain to almost any job. Knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time and being a strong communicator are keys to landing any job. The author’s background is particularly interesting in this case. As we discussed in professional practice, the fact that the author both went to school in Sydney and worked on the Olympics would be factors that would jump off of their resume. This article also instills a sense of humility in reminding us that not all of our jobs will be glamorous and that, even with an MFA, there might be a lot of copying and coffee in my first job post graduation.
I really love stories and articles like this. It is always so interesting to hear about the different ways in which people get the jobs that they potentially stay in for the entirety of their careers. It almost always is a story that involves a lot of networking, which is great to hear considering the connections that we have inherently at Carnegie Mellon. It is also interesting to hear how almost always people have a certain intention for a field (of entertainment or something else) that they want to go into, and then they end up having a random job in a different field that they then fall in love with. This was definitely clear with the two PTM alumni that visited recently and gave a talk back. I think it is great to keep an open mind when going out into the world, especially in this field of work, and this article definitely makes that clear.
I found this article lovely. I love to hear stories like this and I love that optimistic look she seems to have about the people she meets, the job she has, and the places she could end up. It is a nice refresher especially during this time as many terrible events are taking place (i.e Hurricane Harvey). I find it interesting that she gave credit to choices she made which adds to that sense of humility she was taking about. Overall I thought this was an amazing article and one that I found to be inspiring.
I find myself asking myself this question all the time. I want a career in theatre, but how do I get one? Sure going to CMU is a good first step, but it is just that: the first step. People say it is about networking and meeting people, but that always seemed so vague and subjective. Sure those words could be used to describe most everything we do, but I would love there to be a defined path to follow. I guess that will not happen any time soon, but this article gets pretty close. I suppose it is about being truly passionate about what you are doing and having the drive to follow through and achieve what it is you want so dearly.
This article had some smart and insightful things to say about moving up in the industry. Particularly when it comes to networking. But as someone who has less than stellar communication skills and sometimes struggles interacting with strangers, it is also important to remind myself that it is not all about how well you can charm someone. You still have to do good work. One sentence that is still ringing in my head is "You are only as good as your last gig." This is inspiration to work on things you truly believe so you can fully invest yourself and talk about it passionately to those who ask. But if you are working on something you don't love, remembering this can encourage you to retain a good attitude and still put in quality work. I think the ability to move forward in the professional world comes both from being successful and projecting success. If you know how to network well and how to self-brand and self-market, you will open doors for yourself that would have stayed close otherwise. But if you are not also skilled at your job, you will not be able to actually make anything of those opportunities.
Talk about an attention grabber. I don’t think I have ever actually asked the “how do I get your job” question, mostly because I think it could off weird and maybe with a hint of a stirring rebellion. However, I have often thought to ask that and am always curious what the answer might be. I think this article, although about one specific job/field applies to any career path. Essentially start small, make connections, work hard. Really this seems like a flawless plan and I hope it works for me since there are lots of jobs out there that are quite appealing to me. I think one thing that she says that I find interesting is the idea of starting off volunteering for local companies and tours. I subscribe to the concept of not working for free unless its for your mom. I find it hard to do because I love work (sometimes) but at the same time I see the benefits of having this mentality. I suppose when you are young enough and early enough in your career it can’t hurt.
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