Juries Resources
How to Interview Well
Remember, the purpose of the interview is to introduce yourself in the best possible way. Be confident that you are the best candidate for the position and let your experience back you up. We suggest practicing your interview with someone! Think of it as a highly focused conversation and approach it as if you want to secure a second date.
Interview Do’s
- Arrive punctually
- Dress appropriately
- Relax
- Be enthusiastic
- Tell the Story Well - topical, beginning, middle, and end
- Focus on accomplishments and give examples
- Identify your top three talking points, avoid listing, and give specific examples
- Be able to articulate strengths and weaknesses
- Know the Company
- Be a good listener
- Connect yourself to the job offered
- Convey interest in the job when the interview is ending
Interview Don’ts
- Smoke, chew gum, drink
- Wing the interview
- Ramble
- Ask too many questions
- Not ask any questions
- Bad-mouth anyone
- Use profanity
Potential Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your strengths?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What are you passionate about?
- How do you deal with conflict?
- What is your greatest pet peeve?
- What type of people do you best work with?
- What are your career goals?
- What is your proudest theatre related moment?
- Why do you want this job?
- What is your ideal work environment?
- Tell me about your ideal collaboration.
- How would your last supervisor describe you?
- How would you describe your work style?
- Who is your favorite supervisor/director/etc.? Why?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
- Who has impacted your career the most and how?
- What can you do for us that other applicants can’t?
- Why do you want this job?
- How would you deal with a co-worker who is repeatedly late or unprepared?
- Is there a show you dream of working on? If so, which show and why?
- What is your favorite childhood memory?
- Who are your heroes?
- What do you do in your spare time?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- Do you work better in a team or alone?
- What irritates you about people and how do you deal with it?
- What is your greatest fear? What have you done to manage it?
- What do you look for in a leader?
- What was the most difficult period in you life and how did you deal with it?
- When have you felt the most satisfied in your work?
- Who else are you interviewing with?
- Do you have any questions for me?
- Describe a time when you told the truth and it hurt you?
Design and Technology Portfolio
- What is a Design and Technology Portfolio?
- Your path to a career in theatre
- An always-evolving showcase of your skills and accomplishments
- Digital or traditional book-type portfolio
Made up primarily of:
- Paperwork
- Research
- Drawings
- Sketches
- Draftings
- Photographs (in process and final product)
| Do: | Don't: |
| Label everything | Take credit for other people’s work |
| Be neat and orderly - presentation counts | Include sloppy work or handwriting |
| Show process (research, sketches, swatches, samples, paperwork, etc…) | Include projects you don’t believe in or are not proud of |
| Proofread - Italicize show titles | Mislead or lie |
| Show variety | |
| Regularly update your portfolio | |
| Organize work logically | |
| Show your best work first | |
| Stylistically match your resumé and cover letter (helps with your identity) |
Possible Portfolio Ingredients
| Costume | Lighting | Scenery |
| Table of Contents | Table of Contents | Table of Contents |
| Statement of educational or artistic philosophy | Statement of educational or artistic philosophy | Statement of educational or artistic philosophy |
| Research materials | Research materials | Research materials |
| Production photos | Production photos | Production photos |
| Concept statements | Concept statements | Concept statements |
| Organizational materials (lists, charts, etc.) | Organizational materials (magic sheet, color key, instrument schedule, cue sheet, etc.) | Organizational materials (Scenic breakdown) |
| Color renderings | Light plot (hand drafted and CAD) | Painter elevations, ground plans, sections, elevations, perspective drawings |
| Photos of work in progress | Storyboards | Model photos and/or sketches |
| Resumé and letter(s) of recommendation | Resumé and letter(s) of recommendation | Resumé and letter(s) of recommendation |
Portfolio Rubric
| Criteria | Expert (4) | Advanced (3) | Accomplished (2) | Developing (1) |
| Portfolio Content Goal: Present your skills to potential employers and graduate programs. |
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Three of the following are met:
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Two of the following are met:
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One or less of the following are met:
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| Grammar, Spelling, & Punctuation Goal: Ensure your portfolio is polished and professional |
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Contains numerous errors. |
| Appearance/Style/Layout Goal: To reinforce your demonstration of a mastery of the principles of design |
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Two of the following are met:
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One of the following is met:
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None of following are met:
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| Process Goal: To convey a healthy design process supported by adequate analysis and research |
Perfectly demonstrates process and supports design decisions | Adequately demonstrates process and supports design decisions | Shows some process and occasionally supports design choices | Does not demonstrate process |
| Organization Goal: To convey organizational skills to potential employers or graduate programs. |
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Entries are in reverse chronological order Entries have a pattern of one type of error |
Entries in illogical order 3 or more entries do not include organization name, position title, production Wordy or vague Irrelevant information |
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| Aimed at a specific target Goal: To ensure your strengths are highlighted for your specific audience. |
Listings are relevant to the reader | Wordy Vague Irrelevant Proficiency in target area not demonstrated |
Resumé
Purpose: Get an interview
Purpose is not: History of past
Know your audience
- Showcase your skills and how you would be an excellent fit into their organization
- Know what they are looking for and what they do
- Find out what their current projects are and ask about them in an interview to show that you are informed
- Focus on the employer’s needs, not your needs
- What would make you the perfect employee for this organization
Cuteness
- Do not use your resume to show off your immense cuteness or incredible sense of humor
Honesty
- Do Not Lie! The theatre community is very small
Efficient and Concise
- Avoid being wordy
- Showcase your skills and accomplishments
- Do not list the shows that you did in high school
Accuracy
- Use spell check
- Use correct terminology
- I.e. Rehearsal, not Play practice
- Be consistent in formatting and terminology
Length
- For the average college student, a one-page resume should be sufficient
As you become more experienced, you should develop multiple resumes - A concise one-page resume
- A longer resumé that lists everything you have done that you don’t share
Resumes tailored towards specific jobs
The Modular Resumé
- Consider breaking up your resume into modular units that can be interchanged
You might swap out your shop experience for stage management experience for an acting resumé
Appearance
- Choose an easily readable font
- Make sure your printer is clean and does not leave any streaks or marks
- Handwritten resumes are not acceptable
- Leave at least 3/4” margin on both sides of the document
Paper
- Be considerate of the interviewer
- Do not use obnoxiously bright paper
- Choose a paper that will be pleasant and easy to read, such as an ivory or granite paper
Formatting
- Average resumé looked at for 10-20 seconds
- The top half of the page counts the most
- Your name should be slightly larger than everything else on the page and should be found at the top
- Following your name, we should see your contact information
- Telephone number
- Website
- Easy to read
- Showcase your experience or skills
- Break up your resume into sections
- Acting, Design, Technical Direction, Stage Management
- Then organize these groups by importance to you/the type of job for which you are applying
- Consider adding a column to include supervisors/directors
- Your lists should be organized from the most impressive role to the least impressive
- Special interests or skills can often be useful
- Stick to interests or skills that reinforce your skills as an artist
- Indicate your level of proficiency
- 4 years of piano
- Purple belt in Judo
- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert
- Basic, Conversational, Fluent in Spanish
- 1 to 5 scale or a visual scale such as filled in circles
- Educational Background
- Once you graduate from college, you most likely will not need to include your high school information
- Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Emphasis Musical Theatre, expected graduation May 2030
Additions
- You may be asked to provide…
- List of theatre courses completed
- Design or artistic philosophy
- List of references
- Letters of recommendation
- Official Transcripts
References
- Work to increase your reference possibilities
- Always get permission before listing someone as a reference
- Keep your references informed
- Where you are applying
- Recent career updates
- The best references
- Have a good reputation
- Are articulate and experienced writers
- Well-known
- Know your work well
- Have a reputation for supporting good employees
- Variety is also useful
Maintenance
- Update after every show!
- Keep at hand!
| Traditional Resumé | Theatre Resumé |
| Uses and “Objective” section - “Obtain a position at AAA company where BBB and CCC are needed.” | Theatre artists tend to put this statement in their cover letter. |
| List duties for each job. | Theatre jobs/positions are more or less uniform from one theatre to the next, so the list of duties is usually omitted. |
| Make assertions about your skills as an employee and provide evidence of those skills. | Theatre artists tend to put these assertions in their cover letter. |
Cover Letter
- This is your letter of application
- Personalize the letter
- Avoid “To whom it may concern,”
- Use a similar format for your resumé, so it is easy to tell they go together
- Tells the reader
- Who you are and what you are applying for
- Why you are the best candidate for the job
- Why you want to work there
- That you will contact them to follow up
- Your contact information
Resumé Rubric
| Criteria | Expert (4) | Advanced (3) | Accomplished (2) | Developing (1) |
| Style/Appearance Goal: To ensure your strengths are highlighted for your specific audience and that the resume is polished & easy to read. |
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Five of the following are met:
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Three of the following are met:
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Two or less of the following are met:
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| Grammar, Spelling, & Punctuation Goal: Ensure your portfolio is polished and professional |
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Contains numerous errors. |
| Contact Information Goal: To ensure employers can easily reach you. |
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| Education Section Goal: To convey academic qualifications and training. |
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Entries are in reverse chronological order Three of the following are met:
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Not in reverse chronological order Two of the following are met:
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| Experience Section Goal: To convey practical qualifications and training. |
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| Skills & Interests Goal: To reveal relevant or interesting information that does not appear elsewhere |
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Two of the following are met:
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One of the following is met:
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Wordy Vague Irrelevant Proficiency not indicated |