Author Topic: How do you get jobs>  (Read 2706 times)

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loebtmc

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How do you get jobs>
« on: Jun 07, 2009, 07:03 pm »
In this economically challenging world, and so few opportunities to be resident SMs these days, how are you looking for and finding work, and what methods have been successful for you? Do you cold call, email, blast your resume out, use every friend you've ever made in theater, what? And are you branching out, training in other arenas, filling holes in your education, or staying with what you know?

Let's share some ways we've found work!

MatthewShiner

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Re: How do you get jobs>
« Reply #1 on: Jun 09, 2009, 07:48 am »
I am found myself in the job market for a couple of weeks . . . I was looking to fill what I thought was a large gap at the end of my season next years (It's odd when you hire yourself for your department . . . I get to pick and choose).  So, I thought to send a few resumes out - since I haven't really sent it out in about five years.  I picked an chose a couple of theaters based on location (Southern California), type of work they do, or a lot of people know I have worked with over the years work there.  I got a very positive response - no job offers - as we are still quite a bit out - but it was nice to get some feedback.

As someone who receives resumes as well, cold-calling and blasting your resume only really work if you HAPPEN to hit when a job is open - otherwise it just gets filed away.  (Even if I have 40 resumes sitting in my file, I will still post a job because I don't want to waste the time in contacting all 40 to see if they are available for a specific project.) 

I have found the personal touch is the way to go - use your connections - OR, let's say you are visiting some friends in new location, see if you can meet up with production managers or production stage managers at theatres, have coffee, chat them up - I find that the the SMs who do this - who are at the appropriate level stand out completely in my mind.  I feel like I know them more then any other resume sitting on my desk, and, after one hour of chit-chatting without the pressure of an "interview", I actually do have a good sense of who they are and what their style is. 
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

SLY

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Re: How do you get jobs>
« Reply #2 on: Jun 09, 2009, 01:11 pm »
How to I get my stage management jobs. Most of them I've found through ChicagoPlays.com and its been enough to have steady work for two years. I'm now at a point where I turn down projects just so that I can have a break or because I can't fit them all in. That's a good issue to have.

I also contact theaters I've worked with before...because I have great relationships with them and let them know that I'd love to be involved with them again. I did this with my favorite theater randomly and they called me the next day saying they needed an ASM and I didn't even have to interview for that.

I also always give my business card to all the actors...one, so that they have my contact information. But it turns out I've had three job offers because actors called me or gave my name to a theater that was looking for an SM.

Establishing and building great relationships with the theaters and actors and everyone involved is how I've gotten over half of my jobs and many of them I did not even have to interview for. Its so important to maintain good relationships. Word of mouth travels farther than resumes sometimes.
Everything you can imagine is real ~ Pablo Picasso