(If you think this should go elsewhere, feel free to move it, but it is career based...)

So, you wanna get into the industry, eh? YOU KNOW YOU DO! I've been busting my arse for two years getting nothing but brick walls but FINALLY I've been getting job offers. I am in a fucking good mood so I thought I'd share my pitfalls and my rad things that I've done:

Do not:
Have a shit website like the one I have. I'm too embarassed to even link it. I made it ages ago and then never had the chops to make it better and I don't know anyone who does webdesign, so it's stuck in the 80's. It even has flashdance tights and socks

Make business cards with your business partners name on them as well as your own. Get separate ones so that you're not stuck with tonnes of obsolete landfill. If you do get stuck with them, recycle the bitches. Also, the client may ring the other person even though you've said YOU'RE the one interested. (Long story short, I started a business but it failed BADLY because I couldn't get a business grant or a backer- so if you want to start a business make sure you have one of these).

DO NOT TELL PEOPLE YOU CAN DO STUFF THAT YOU CAN'T! Instead you should say you have an associate who can fill in the blanks that you leave. The other half of this shall be a DO. DO HAVE A LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF CONTACTS. Most important thing ever. I can only do 8 track demos for bands right now because my computer is shit to record on and I only have a small mixer (8 channels, go figure ) so I stated this before I commited to a job.

Do:
Contacts. Just said it. Hand your business card out to as many people as you can. I've handed out about 100 lately and got 3 offers. It's not good odds, so buy LOTS (I have about 1500 up my sleeve).

Have a SEPARATE phone for this. Like a business number. Even if it's just to recieve calls. Some people are freakarse stalkers and at least you can just ignore the business phone for a while if you have to.

Make sure you keep every business card you ever get in a file and put people's numbers in your phone ASAP. OR get a planner/diary with address sections and stuff like that. And don't lose it. I really don't think I can stress enough how important contacts are. Really. I met a girl briefly at a conference where Vic Casper was guest speaker (He did sound FX for Inspector Gadget, Kung Fu Hustle and House of Flying Daggers etc) and now she's just asked me to do sound mixing for her short film.

DO EXPLAIN. When you make a showreel use your best stuff, not your favourite stuff. And if you have to use a favourite piece, say that it's your favourite and list a reason. You may like a transition or effect you've put on the film or song, but that doesn't make it the best you've done. Ask people for input when you make your showreel.

DO KEEP IT SIMPLE. If you don't have the chops to make an interactive showreel, don't. If you just burn a Data CD/DVD and make a nice cover it will look better than if you bodge something together in WindowsMovieMaker. A really talented young film-maker I know who has lots of awards got one made for him cuz he couldn't do his own, but he said that to get his first few jobs he just had a DVD without a menu or anything...

DO HAVE PATIENCE. They say you have to knock on doors and keep phoning people to get your foot in the door, but that's not true. You need more patience than anything. These are busy people you're trying to get attention off... give them room to breathe, and don't cold call them. If you're really interested you'll go to their studio in person first just for a chat and a look (if they have time) and then ask if perhaps you can send them an example of your work. This is how I nearly got a job in the best studio on the GC, except they couldn't pay me so they really couldn't give me a job. Not every studio makes loads of money, and even if they do, they'd rather buy gear than hire another engineer.

Be professional. Duh. Theye already know you're arty by the field you want to work in, you don't need to accentuate it by wearing the most avante garde wardrobe arrangement you can find to introduce yourself to these people in. You're not unique to them, they're all freaks and weirdos and eccentrics!

DO HAVE A FABULOUS CV. Your CV/Resume need to be amazing. I'm not gonna give you tips on CVs, find another thread or something, but if it's not amazing then it gets thrown out pretty fast. Send a small sample of your work if you post resume's to people. Maybe 1-3 works. Songs or film or otherwise.

DO BE AMAZING! If you're looking for jobs in the industry YOU need to be amazing at what you do. And not arrogant. You need to be humble enough to not skite about your works, but confident enough to be able to say why you think something you've done is good. Just because you wake up wanting to be an audio engineer doesn't mean you'll make a good one. You really CANNOT fake it. Sound and visual doesn't lie. (Like- I don't I think I'm totally rad at what I do, but I'm better than a lot of people I know and that's the truth).

If you meet someone in the industry and they're interested in you and your work, don't be a dufus like I was and try to avoid the questions. DO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF without feeling like a wanker!

Um, I probably have more, but I can't think of anything else right now. These are ALL by experience. I've made heaps of fuckups trying to kickstart this as a career and that's good cuz I learned from them and made lots of contacts along the way. I really am going to paint things now.

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