ATTN Assistants: How to Launch Your “Better Hollywood Job” Campaign
You’ve done it. You moved to Los Angeles, landed a job on the “inside” of the industry, and have proven you’re a valuable asset. Amazing! Now what? If you feel like you’ve mastered your current position, it’s most likely time to start planning your move toward bigger and better things.
Whether you’re an assistant looking to eventually become a studio executive, or a screenwriter working your first “non-screenwriting” job to get into the business; this post is for anyone currently in an entry-level position who’s ready to up-level.
Here are 7 tips to help you launch a successful “better Hollywood job campaign” and get you one step closer to your real Hollywood dream:
1. Get clear on what you’re looking for
If you’re already clear on what you want next for your career - great. But if all you know is that you’re ready for a new challenge - it’s time to do some research. Investigate exactly what kind of job you might want next and choose one or two specific job titles you want to aim for. If you know exactly what you’re looking for it will be easier for you to move towards it and easier for other people to help you achieve it.
2. Update your Personal Logline
Similar to a logline for a film, a personal logline is a brief, compelling story that enables you to talk about your strengths in a confident but humble way. It should include: what you aspire to do, what you’re good at it, what you’re passionate about, how you’re different from others, and any prior experience or credibility (if you’re already in an entry-level position in the industry, chances are you have a version of this that helped land you your current job). “Re-craft” your personal logline to be in-line with the job you’re going for. Once you’ve re-written it, practice it on friends or family before walking into any meetings or networking events - aim for confident, concise and conversational. For more tips on this check out my post on Personal Loglines.
3. Set realistic goals
When you’re eager to move into a new position, it’s easy to let your desire get the best of you and set goals that are unrealistic. Keep your goals reasonable and achievable - especially if you are trying to juggle your current position while waging a new job campaign. Send five emails a day - not during working hours for your current job - or attend two networking events a month. Be devoted, be strategic, and be passionate about moving into a bigger and better position - but be careful not to take on so much you become overwhelmed and burned out. Setting small goals and achieving them a little at a time is better than setting massive goals that are too daunting to tackle, go nowhere, and end up making you feel demoralized.
4. Ramp up your networking
If you’re already working in the industry, you probably already have a lot of networking opportunities available to you. So, once this new spike in the pandemic starts to wind down, get out there! Whether it’s a formal Junior HRTS event, an informal Friday night drink with executives, or even a coffee with a friend in the industry - start making the rounds. If you feel like you’re not meeting enough people, get creative - a junior writer and a junior executive I know started an all-female social group that was geared toward bringing up-and-coming female execs and screenwriters together. It not only helped their personal careers, it helped them create a whole community of like-minded professionals.
5. Ask for help, then stay on everyone’s radar
If you’re lucky enough to have a mentor, this is the time to take them for lunch or coffee. Be mindful of how busy they are, so a coffee might be more doable than a lunch. Let them know you’re ready to make a move and ask for help. Be specific about exactly where you want to go, share your job title list, and ask for any advice and if they’d be kind enough to keep an eye out for you if they hear of anything you might be right for. (Do the same thing with any senior-level professionals you’ve impressed along the way.) Then once you’ve let them know you’re looking to make a move - stay on their radar. Check in every 8-10 weeks to let them know you’re still actively searching. (Don’t give them a novella of your progress, just send a few short sentences.) Be persistent without being annoying. And whenever you do land your next gig, be sure to contact your mentor and anyone else who’s helped you and make sure to thank them for their help, support, and guidance.
6. Make sure you’ve paid your dues
If you expect your boss to help you land a new job, don’t ask for their help until after you’ve paid your dues and make sure you see eye-to-eye on what “paying your dues” actually means. I used to tell my new assistants, “Give me a year of your undivided attention and effort and then I’ll do whatever I can to help you get your next job.” Every time my assistant kept up their side of the bargain, I was delighted to keep up mine.
7. Play fair, be nice.
If your boss doesn’t know you’re looking to make a move, don’t compromise your job search or your pay check (I learned this the hard way). Put in a full day’s work, don’t use company resources (or the company email) to contact people about your new job hunt, and whatever you do - don’t bad mouth your current employer. Everyone is connected to everyone else in this business, you never know when a bad comment can bite you in the butt.
For more tips on how to up-level your career, check out my book Hollywood Game Plan on Amazon or at Michael Wiese Productions (MWP).
What moves did you make to move up the Hollywood ladder? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!