Job Hunting: Resumes, Cover Letters, & References

Inspired by Sabrina Evertt’s recent post “Do You Really Want a Job?“, this post is the first in a series on job hunting in theatre.  Each post will look at a different aspect of job hunting.  It is my hope to turn these ideas into a workshop to help emerging artists get a better sense of how to go about getting a job in the theatre.

I take job hunting very seriously.  Some might suggest that I take it too seriously. I mailed out my most recent batch of resume packages two weeks ago.  This time I mailed out 50 of them which were sent to companies across the country (70% of them were within BC, the other 30% divided between Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto & Ottawa).

Each of my resume packages contains six things.

• First they each have a cover letter. Each company gets a personalized letter that talks about why I like that company, what I’ve seen of theirs recently that I liked, and if I personally know the person to whom it is address I like to include a hand-written note at the bottom.  Is this time consuming? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.A theatre twitter-er recently posted the following: “Another pet peeve: people who write 1 cover ltr, then send to 15 people. Then don’t even use the bcc field! #jobhuntbasics”.  I take the time to make the cover letter personal. And if I haven’t seen any of their shows in the last year or don’t know them, I mention a show that I am excited to see or something positive I’ve heard about them from others in my network.  It is about making sure they understand that I have taken the time to learn about their company & what they do and am not just applying from out of no where.

• The second thing that goes into each packet is my resume. You can view my resume online here.  The first thing I focused on was the header. I wanted something that would make mine stand out in a pile.  Then I focused on what information I wanted it to contain. A one page resume is standard practice so it is often necessary to only list selected credits – not everything you’ve ever done.  In choosing my credits I had the following criteria:

1. Is this director already listed on my resume?  I have done 5 shows directed by the same person and they don’t all need to be on my resume.
2. Is this a play the reader will have heard of?
3. What does this play say about my abilities? When I list Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses most readers will automatically know that entails a show with a swimming pool for a set – a special circumstance that shows variety in ability.  When I list You Can’t Take It With You the reader knows that it is a larger cast show (minimum 17 people). As an actor you list roles that show diversity & depth. As a director you show that you are capable of a variety or genres OR that you specialize in one area.
4. How many shows have I listed with this company?  I’ve been the Resident Stage Manager at Pacific Theatre for three years so I have a lot of credits with them, but showing variety is more important. Therefore, one off shows with the Shameless Hussies, Pi Theatre, Meta.For Theatre, Project X Theatre & Secretly Women Productions make the cut.

• Third comes my headshot. For actors it is important to keep headshots up to date so that directors know what you look like as they are casting their shows.  For folks behind the scene it is less important that they be recent, but it is still important to have one.   A headshot gives the recipient a visual for who you are.  This helps them know if they’ve seen you somewhere before or if they see you in the future at an event.  Last year after my mail out, I met an Artistic Director who said, “You must be Lois. I have your headshot & resume on my desk right now.”  That lead into a conversation about possibilities for me to work in his company that would not have necessarily happened if he didn’t know what I looked like.
• The final three items in my mail out parcel are some reference letters.  Whenever I finish a project I ask those involved for letters. Why?  People remember best what they like about working with you when the project is still fresh in their minds.  Often, people will ask what you want them to focus on or if you have any sample reference letters they can look at.  My only advice there is to keep track of things that the letters you already have focus on and ask them to talk about something else.  The more variety the better!By having a stack of reference letters it is possible to pick and choose which letters will have the most impact on each company.  Is this a reference from someone they’ve worked with? Is this a reference from a company that does a similar type of work (black box, site-specific, emerging artists, big budget musical, etc)?  Mailing letters with your resume also gives the Artistic Directors  an easy starting point.  They are getting other people’s opinions of you without having to do any additional legwork.

I choose to mail my resumes rather than e-mail them primarily because it puts something tangible into the hands of the recipient.  I am, however, aware of the environmental costs of mailing out 50 envelopes that each have five pieces of paper plus a photograph.  In an effort to reduce the environmental impact, I print my cover letter, resume, & reference letters on 100% recycled paper and also used 100% recycled envelopes.

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Next time:  Networking.