Top Entertainment Career Advice of 2011

 

Your Industry Insider had a lot to say about entertainment job-getting and career-building this year. (Twenty plus years in the biz, most of them as a hiring/personnel executive, will give a person a lot to say on those topics.)  To pick the “top” posts, we’re going with the ones that were most popular – most viewed, most shared, most commented upon. Let’s dive in…

I think most of us will agree by now that Linked In is a valuable professional tool that should be used, but a lot of people are flummoxed when it comes to setting up a profile and navigating around the site. Here’s a primer on why everyone should be on Linked In and how to use it: “Your Essential LinkedIn Guide: Harness the Awesomeness” It was the most popular post of the year.

The good old-fashioned resume has been around for ages and is still the core tool for professional development (aka landing better and better jobs). However, people are still making the same basic mistakes (not just in entertainment but in all fields). So here’s a gem that was much-shared early in the year: “Four Things Your Entertainment Resume Should Not Say About You.”

But what about the cover letter? Everyone knows a resume without a cover letter is a big mistake. But how long should the ideal cover letter be and how much of your career should it cover? How much should it be customized for each job? Here’s the inside skinny on cover letters that get the job done: “Four Secrets to Winning Entertainment Cover Letters.”

Finding a job opening in the entertainment industry is tougher than ever. Many people turn to temping to help make ends meet and get an all-important foot in the door, but they have no idea how to turn a three day gig into an opportunity for a permanent job. Don’t get me wrong- it’s not easy. But there are ways to give yourself better odds of becoming a full time employee. “How to Get Hired From an Entertainment Temp Job.”

You’ve landed job interviews and you think you’ve said the right things but for some reason, you never get called back for a second interview, much less landed the job. Read this one to make sure you are saying the right things – and all the right things – to give yourself the best shot at getting hired: “Three Things You Must Say in Your Entertainment Job Interview.” And while we’re on the subject of interviews, read this one to make sure you don’t end up with the wrong job: “Five Warning Signs You Might Not Want the Entertainment Job You Are Interviewing For.”

You’ve done everything right, but still the job went to someone else. Read this one to get tips on turning a job rejection into a new opportunity (maybe even a better one) at the same place: “Three Must-Dos When You Don’t Get the Job.”

We’re finishing up this round up with three that cover broader topics, “Four People You Should Not Take Career Advice From,” “Entertainment Career Stability: Sometimes Your Mother Is Right,” and “The Unreturned Phone Call: It’s Not You, It’s Them - Always.”

And for extra credit – and to get more entertainment career lessons - check out this review of Bossypants by Tina Fey. It’s a great book and I’ve pulled some of the many lessons from the book and included them in the review.

Please feel free to comment on any of these posts if you agree or even disagree with the advice. And if you’ve enjoyed them, subscribe to the Mogul Mindset weekly eblasts on the Your Industry Insider homepage to keep up on new content and receive advance notice & info on the release of the upcoming YII book, “Breaking Into the Biz: the Essential Insider’s Guide to Launching an Entertainment Industry Career.”

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