5 Mistakes That Hurt Your Chances for a Job

Getting Work 27 Comments

Unemployed photo by James LeeCreative Commons License Photo © 2011 J. Ronald Lee

You really want more work. More than anyone else, you can’t wait to step back on set and wow them with your skills.

And wowed they will be because you know you’re the best at what you do.

You do all the right things: you network, you learn the techniques, and you prove to everyone on set you got what it takes. Couple this with the fact that you’re passionate about what you do and you’re the ideal crew member.

But the phone doesn’t ring. You’re left wondering why producers aren’t tripping over each other offering you gigs.

Well, it may be their fault, but it may also be yours. If you make any of the 5 mistakes below, you could be hurting your chances to land that perfect job.

1. You don’t return phone calls quickly

Sometimes you’re busy, in the shower, or even working when you get a phone call about a job. It’s not imperative for you to answer every phone call instantly, but returning the call in a timely manner is.

I was sitting next to a producer once as he called people to staff his crew for a shoot the next day. If somebody didn’t answer their phone, he went down to the next name on his list.

Even if you’ve been recommended for a job, you’re one of many names on a list. If you don’t get back to whoever called before the next person does, you’re out of luck and out of work.

2. Your day rate is too high

When you first start out in filmmaking, you work for free or whatever they’re willing to pay you. After a few jobs under you’re belt, you get asked what your rate is and you don’t really have an answer. The conundrum then is to come up with some number you think you’re worth, but without going so high you miss out on the opportunity.

To avoid this trap, I always ask what the budget of the film is before giving a rate. If the producer doesn’t respond with what they can realistically pay me, I follow-up with something like this:

Hi [name],

In terms of day rate, I realize you are stretching the budget so I want to be fair to you all. My rate is normally $xxx.xx, but I am more than willing to negotiate on that so it fits within your budget and I can be a part of your project.

This quick note does three things:

  1. It shows I am interested in the project beyond money
  2. It establishes what I normally make, setting a baseline for negotiation and also letting them know I am professional enough to set a value on my work
  3. It mentions being fair and negotiating which implies a two-way conversation on the subject

If you’re non-union but charging union rates, that’s not a good start. If you’ve only got two jobs under your belt, but asking for a day rate that’s higher than the Key Grip, you need to come back to earth.

Even if you’ve got 20 years of experience to justify an exceptionally high rate, you may have to lower it to remain competitive within your market.

I’m not saying you have to charge peanuts, but being willing to negotiate on your rate and have it at a reasonable level is crucial.

3. You’re practically invisible online

When I get a job and a crew contact list, one of the first things I do is start checking out the people I’m working with. The easiest way to do this is to Google their name and look them up on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

Most of the time, I get a sense of the projects they’ve worked on, but every now and then, someone comes up blank and I’m instantly skeptical.

I’m not the only one who does this.

Producers and production coordinators do it too. They want to get an idea of who they’re contacting before they reach out to them.

When a name comes up with zero search results, it doesn’t help your case. If you don’t have any sort of presence online, you may be missing opportunities that are never even extended out to you.

Blogs, portfolio sites, IMDB listings, and profiles on sites like Production Hub can all put a face to a name.

How you want to share your work and to what degree is a personal decision, but at the very least consider a LinkedIn profile and make sure your Twitter and Facebook pages are up to standards.

4. You don’t write cover letters (or you do and they suck)

Why spend so much time crafting the perfect resume only to bomb it by sending it without a cover letter?

Resumes by themselves only tell half the story. A good resume will explain what you do and how much you know, but it won’t say why you do it and who you are.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to connect with a potential contact on a personal level. Most of the time you only need to send a simple note describing who you are, why you want the gig, and why you’d be a good fit.

If you are sending out cover letters, but without the results you’d like, consider re-working it. Here are some great resources that will get you on the right path:

After a few jobs in a row where I got no response from sending off my resume, I went back and completely rewrote what I had to say. The difference was a drastic increase in the amount of response I got. My change? I stopped writing what I thought people wanted to hear and wrote what I wanted to say.

5. You aren’t willing to be flexible

The beauty of freelancing is your schedule is flexible. The ugly part of freelancing is your schedule is flexible and others know it.

Because of this, you have to be willing to grab jobs as they come, sometimes the night before or even on the same day.

Most jobs won’t be last-minute, but there are several opportunities to fill in the gaps in your work-schedule with short-term gigs with little notice.

I once got a phone call for a job the day before it was supposed to happen and turned it down because I was halfway across the state. (It was a bummer, I heard the paycheck was pretty hefty)

Don’t become too set with plans, especially for unimportant events like drinks for Happy Hour at the bar. It’s OK to turn down a job now and then because you have a personal event, but if you make a habit out of it, you’ll stop getting phone calls completely.

The Good News and the Bad News

The bad news is these mistakes may have already cost you a gig or two. The good news is you can fix them all right now.

These are simple mistakes that are easy to fix with a change in mentality or a bit of work at the computer. This is your career so don’t be lazy and close this article thinking you’ll get to it later.

Put in the time now to correct these mistakes and you’ll be in a position to find yourself on more sets. Just make sure when you get there you aren’t trying to get fired.

Have you made any of these mistakes? What did you do to correct them? Are there any mistakes I missed that could cost you potential work? Let me know in the comments!

About the author:

About the author: Evan Luzi is the editor and founder of The Black and Blue as well as a freelance camera assistant.

You can learn more about him or follow him on Twitter and Google+.

This Isn't About One Gig. It's About Launching Your Career.
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=744617424 Edgar Vladimirovich

    The problem with low rates – there is alwasy, always someone cheaper. So you can’t just win by asking for less. You have to ask for realistic price in accordance to your abilities. 

    Otherwise if you ask for a four-figure sum for being a camera trainee – as good as you are – it will be the last time you speak to this producer. And if you ask for a two-figure sum – it will also be your last time, because any good producer (and not the one who’s idea of producing is JUST milking crew) knows that you are just desperate for work, meaning something is not right…

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    Certainly there is a range you have to operate in. I’m not saying to go so low you won’t be able to feed yourself or pay the bills, just that you shouldn’t set it too high nor be absolutely firm on it.

    Each job is different and just like you said, you have to charge an appropriate amount so you don’t burn the bridge.

  • FB

     I agree with most of what you wrote, but frankly I’ve never had a cover letter. I’ve sent resumes now and then, but only to establish some sort of “initial contact” and to give myself a reason to make a phone call to the people I had sent it to. Maybe it’s different in the US, but here in Italy resumes, cvs and cover letters matter very little. If you’re unknown and at the beginning of your career, no one really cares about your cv. If you’ve been working for many years, it could help, but at that point your professional network should be large enough. Doesn’t hurt to keep the CV updated, though, just in case :-)

    As for #3, well, I have mixed feelings (I’ve recently quit both Facebook and Twitter). Most DPs I admire, both “famous” and not so much, are not online, and the same goes for operators and assistants. Things have changed a little bit thanks to Facebook, but that’s used more for personal relationships rather than professional ones, and while it’s true it’s useful to keep in touch, I’ve found that a text message or a phone call every once in a while is more effective. IMDB can be useful, but I know amazing crew members who only work on commercials and don’t even have a page there, so it’s very limited. 

  • Adam Richlin

     Haha #1…. there have been so many times that I have left voicemails for some of the younger guys I refer for work “ANSWER YOUR GODDAMN PHONE! I was calling for work!”

    Gigs always fill within hours unless they need something odd, so be prepared to make fast decisions and keep your calendar with you.

  • Steveo

     you know about 10 years ago I did some work for this producer who did a kids TV show. it was actually an NLE training session and system tune up for him. after 3 months of not getting paid and getting the run around, I finally sued the guy in small claims court. his argument for not paying me – I was filling in some spare time on my 3 week long gig, and since this was fill in time, I wasn’t entitled to my regular rate, it was too high ( it really wasn’t ! it was actually my old lower rate because I’d worked for the guy once or twice before ) so I should be happy with what he thought my “spare time” was worth. he lost of course in court and in fact was the only dead beat who actually ever showed up to fight in court, all the rest have always settled 1-2 days before the court date. Its a real pain having to deal with people like this, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. 

    so asking for a fair rate is important, especially for the market you are in. you also have to know that when you are being lowballed, will the producer / production co be nothing but trouble. case in point, I was offered  1/2 my day rate w/gear for doing audio X2 days on a weekend. my red light went on when I heard that the producer and shooter would be flying into an airport 3hrs from here because they could go southwest ( CHEAP! ) and then rent a car, pay for the gas, drive 3 hrs each way. my guess was to save maybe $100. when they are that stupid, you can generally bet they don’t have the rest of their act together either including not even being able to take care of you on a decent meal or timely payment.

    IMDB really doesn’t mean too much. there are plenty of crew people who work network TV ( national ) who don’t have credits, spots, docs, ect. so IMDB is really a who care’s unless you have it thing.

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    In regards to the cover letter, I mean it as a loose term. If you send an email to a producer, the note in the email is what I would consider the cover letter. It is the first point of contact for you to establish who you are, what you do, and why you’re good for the job.

    I agree that the further you go on, the less your resume matters, but it does come into play in instances where you are going for a job with people you don’t already know.

    You raise good points about #3 (online presence) and it depends largely on the industry you want to be within. If you are wanting to work exclusively in films, for instance, IMDB is a huge potential resource to prove that you’ve been there before. On the flipside, commercial work doesn’t ever appear on there.

    You can make it work without the online presence, but I think when first starting out, having some control over what comes up when people look for you can be important.

    Otherwise, you’ve brought up some good objections, FB and ones that people should consider.

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

     Yes and yes! You can miss out on a lot of work if you are lazy about the phone

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

     Wow, so not only did you go to court that one time, but you’ve threatened it on multiple occasions? I have to say, I’ve never had any sort of issues that serious. Maybe I am lucky.

    I know what you mean about being lowballed. It can be annoying and frustrating to work for peanuts and then find out they flew in some actress from LA or NY for one line in one scene. That’s when you know where your money is going.

    As for IMDB, I am not saying it is the end-all be-all for proving your worth, but having a few credits on there has never hurt anyone. You can certainly sustain a career without it. My point was more about having ANY sort of online presence, even if it is a picture on a linked in page or a simple website with a resume.

  • Bee

    A mistake i’d made, especially in the beginning was to only chat around with people i know and worked directly with, like the DP, Key Grip and the Best Boy. I not even introduced myself to some people as producers. When things got better and  got more and more jobs i really got stuck at the moment that some important people didn’t know who is was and couldn’t place a picture at my name when somebody was recommending me for a job.

    At one occasion i was called to be a dolly grip at a commercial shoot and i was asked to send my resume. I never needed one before so i didn’t had one and because i was short in time i didn’t named some important jobs on my resume. Because i didn’t do my best on my resume and didn’t introduced myself and had a chat whit that man a few weeks ago, is missed the job and another grip took the job.

    A week later the other grip who took the job called me and asked me if i could do the job for him on that day because the schedule was messed up of the show he was working on. The producer was ok with it and that was a good lesson and a chance for me to show who i am and what my skills are…

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    I agree. You should introduce yourself to anyone and everyone. It’s easy to stick within your own department “bubble” and not branch out. But I’ve worked on shoots where I met the sound mixer and then a few months later he was producing a short film. When my name came up, because we had met, he was more than happy to have me on the production.

    You never know who will end up doing what and who will remember who.

  • Anonymous

    I’m squeaky clean on everything except #4.  I’m definitely guilty of that one.  I’m gonna make sure to write cover letters from now on and see if I get more responses.

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    They don’t really have to be anything fancy or over the top. Some of the best cover letters I’ve read are the ones that are honest and down to earth. You should also write it so it doesn’t come off as a form letter you send to everyone.

  • Anonymous

    I sent a resume a few weeks back that had an informal note attached to it saying I was willing to relocate (the job was in PA and I live in GA).  But no response.  And though I guess a note is better than nothing, I definitely agree that an all-out, personalized cover letter is going to get you places.

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  • Tony Mendoza

    What more can one say.
    Basic principals.
    Glad to see you address it.

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  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    Basic principles always seem to be the ones people have the toughest time getting right, you know?

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    Sometimes. It should be brief, but personalized. You don’t have to tell your life story, just share your passion.

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  • A

    Hey Evan, me being very new to the industry with only one credit so far, I googled you and came across your resume (hope that’s not creepy!)

    One of your credits looks like this:
    1st Assistant Camera, “Kidnapping 101,” Arri ALEXA – short (DP Kuni Ohi)

    Instead mine would be:
    Unit Manager, “Film title goes here” – Short, (I’m guessing I dont need to write what kind of camera was used, I’m also guess Arri ALEXA is a camera) aslo instead of writing who the DP was who would I put down?

    Do I put down the director? Producer? (which one? both?) 1st Ad? Someone else?!

    I think you should have a whole post addressing this very issue! What if tomorrow i’m a PA, who then do I put down? see? confusing isn’t it!

    Also it’s my dream to work on a project with you, some go to amercia for hollywood, but me its gonna be to work with you, I wanna show you everything I’ve learn’t from your site. Congrats you are famous. :)

  • http://www.theblackandblue.com/ Evan

    Not creepy! I expected people to do that, but man my website is so old. I need to update it. I wouldn’t write the camera or the DP. Instead of the DP, do your department head, the director, or the producer (depending on whose name is most recognizable).

    And I do have a whole post addressing this issue: http://www.theblackandblue.com/2011/03/29/10-questions-you-should-ask-when-writing-your-resume/

    And a whole chapter in my eBook about writing resumes haha

    Hope to see you on set someday!

    P.S. I edited your comment to remove identifying information from my resume

  • http://www.diyfilmschool.net/ DIYFilmSchool.net

    Having a clear and readable resume is important, but cover letters are an art unto themselves. I appreciate the sources you cited on the subject.

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