Critique My Resume/Cover Letter

aleatoric · 15th February 2008

Hi All,

Well if any of you caught my posts before you probably know that I am trying to land something entry level (again) in audio post production in NYC. I am not the most experienced engineer in the world but I have a good education, over a year professional experience at a post house in manhattan and 15-20 or so credits, mainly on independent films. Bottom line I know my stuff, enjoy the work and feel I could be an asset to any post studio. Anyway I have been sending out resumes again and am not getting a lot of responses back. I am starting to think maybe my approach and resume are worded poorly or something. Basically I am wondering if anyone out there who works in audio post and has experience with hiring could look at my typical cover letter and resume and give me some pointers. I really need to make something happen here or else I don't know what I am going to do......I guess work at a deli or corner store and move out to bushwick brooklyn and have 10 room-mates and sell my pro-tools rig for food money! Anyway shoot me a PM with your email and I will send you what I would typically send an employer! getting a job is harder than actually working I think! thank you so much.

JimmyM · 18th February 2008

Hate to burst your bubble, but the likelihood of getting hired in NYC off the street for a job that a thousand people are fighting over isn't a strong likelihood, no matter how well your resume is written. It seems the only way to get a job like that is the same way eveyone else gets a job like that...know somebody. Politics are extremely important in the entertainment business at all levels, and those who are good at politics get the jobs. So start making friends!

aleatoric · 19th February 2008

my bubble was bursted a long time ago man. yea i know its tough as hell. i did work for a year at a post studio as an independent contractor and the way i got into that place was through bumming a smoke to a guy in washington square park that started a conversation and he knew some people who owned a studio who needed help. i left though because the pay was far from steady and pretty low. got some good credits and reel footage from that year though.

it really is a shame the industry is so tough to break into. i mean when i was 18 i went to Vancouver Film School (I am originally from outside Philly) to attend there "Sound Design For Visual Media" course. 1 year of hard work and a ton of money thinking it would give me the ability to actually work for a living in post but it seems that few studios really care about that at all. its kind of rough...I made the choice to get into audio post because i saw how the music biz was going and thought it was a solid move. i guess i was wrong.

you are right, its all about who you know, you know anyone?

JimmyM · 19th February 2008

If I knew anyone, I wouldn't be here

blissmusic · 19th February 2008

Aleatoric,

The nature of the industry is as such. There are only 13,000 individuals employed as audio engineers in the United States. Pretty sobering statistics when you compare the number of jobs for audio engineers to the number of jobs available for other professions.

I've been there and I've done that with respect to your situation. My advice is multi-fold.

1. Make networking your OTHER full time job.
2. Most folks I know in "difficult to break into" industries, have a steady full time job and network so they can "break into" their respective industry of choice.
3. If it doesn't work out you may end up find something you will love more than audio engineering. (this can happen as a result of #1 or #2 via job offers or new employment situations)
4. Take a good look at what your other loves and interests are and if things dont work out at all, consider pursuing those other loves / interests.

My advice to any aspiring audio engineer reading this who is deciding to enroll in an educational program is to avoid doing so at any cost. The number of institutions offering audio engineering majors, which has increased exponentially, are either situationally unaware of the nature of the industry or simply conducting a shell game knowing that number of jobs for audio engineers has decreased exponentially since the late 90's with the advent of ProTools. Hate to say it folks, but I know top shelf engineers who are struggling to find work these days who in their HayDay were cutting tracks at some of the top studios in Manhattan. Others are selling are either selling their studios and / or leaving the business altogether.

Have a Plan B ready.

I wish you only the best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleatoric

my bubble was bursted a long time ago man. yea i know its tough as hell. i did work for a year at a post studio as an independent contractor and the way i got into that place was through bumming a smoke to a guy in washington square park that started a conversation and he knew some people who owned a studio who needed help. i left though because the pay was far from steady and pretty low. got some good credits and reel footage from that year though.

it really is a shame the industry is so tough to break into. i mean when i was 18 i went to Vancouver Film School (I am originally from outside Philly) to attend there "Sound Design For Visual Media" course. 1 year of hard work and a ton of money thinking it would give me the ability to actually work for a living in post but it seems that few studios really care about that at all. its kind of rough...I made the choice to get into audio post because i saw how the music biz was going and thought it was a solid move. i guess i was wrong.

you are right, its all about who you know, you know anyone?

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15th February 2008	#1
aleatoric Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,517 Thread Starter	Critique My Resume/Cover Letter Hi All, Well if any of you caught my posts before you probably know that I am trying to land something entry level (again) in audio post production in NYC. I am not the most experienced engineer in the world but I have a good education, over a year professional experience at a post house in manhattan and 15-20 or so credits, mainly on independent films. Bottom line I know my stuff, enjoy the work and feel I could be an asset to any post studio. Anyway I have been sending out resumes again and am not getting a lot of responses back. I am starting to think maybe my approach and resume are worded poorly or something. Basically I am wondering if anyone out there who works in audio post and has experience with hiring could look at my typical cover letter and resume and give me some pointers. I really need to make something happen here or else I don't know what I am going to do......I guess work at a deli or corner store and move out to bushwick brooklyn and have 10 room-mates and sell my pro-tools rig for food money! Anyway shoot me a PM with your email and I will send you what I would typically send an employer! getting a job is harder than actually working I think! thank you so much.

18th February 2008	#2
JimmyM Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2008 Location: Sanford, FL Posts: 153	Hate to burst your bubble, but the likelihood of getting hired in NYC off the street for a job that a thousand people are fighting over isn't a strong likelihood, no matter how well your resume is written. It seems the only way to get a job like that is the same way eveyone else gets a job like that...know somebody. Politics are extremely important in the entertainment business at all levels, and those who are good at politics get the jobs. So start making friends!

19th February 2008	#3
aleatoric Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,517 Thread Starter	my bubble was bursted a long time ago man. yea i know its tough as hell. i did work for a year at a post studio as an independent contractor and the way i got into that place was through bumming a smoke to a guy in washington square park that started a conversation and he knew some people who owned a studio who needed help. i left though because the pay was far from steady and pretty low. got some good credits and reel footage from that year though. it really is a shame the industry is so tough to break into. i mean when i was 18 i went to Vancouver Film School (I am originally from outside Philly) to attend there "Sound Design For Visual Media" course. 1 year of hard work and a ton of money thinking it would give me the ability to actually work for a living in post but it seems that few studios really care about that at all. its kind of rough...I made the choice to get into audio post because i saw how the music biz was going and thought it was a solid move. i guess i was wrong. you are right, its all about who you know, you know anyone?