Task 3a

Task 3a

From recent experience I have found it very important to create networks of contacts that can help me forward with my career. Have you ever heard the expression “It’s not what you know but who you know”? Unfortunately, or fortunately I have found this to be true, but... not as true as “It’s not who you know but how you know them”! It’s human nature that you would ask someone to help you that you know you could trust over someone who you didn’t know at all or didn’t know very well, and it’s the same at auditions.

If you were dancing in a strong group of girls in front of a panel of employers they’d more than likely take a girl who they knew or had been recommended to them by someone reputable that knew both parties than someone who they didn’t know at all. Sometimes it can be frustrating especially when you know that the girl they have taken may be slightly weaker than you, but that’s why it is so important to create a professional network and a great motive to get involved.

I like to make a conscious effort to attend classes and workshops when I’m at home to get my face seen. When I attend these, even though I know there isn’t a job at the end I like to act like I’m at an audition, trying to create a good first impression so that people will remember me in a good way. It’s not all about dancing though, and sometimes it can be difficult but I like to try and talk to new people and find out things like who they’ve worked for, what they have enjoyed and generally be friendly.

 As you work with more and more people you encounter people who have worked in many different areas. Maybe one of these people had your dream job and had a close contact that could help get you closer to getting the job than you would be if you had no contacts at all.

Another good idea is to join an agency as this is like joining an instant network that has already been created for you. Agencies have pros and cons as usually if you get work through an agent you would have to pay them a percentage of your wage but often you are more likely to be employed with an agent for particular jobs than without as the employers trust who the agents send even if they don’t know the person who they have given the job.

Usually you would have to audition to be a part of the agency but then it’s the agents job to find work that you are suited for. So already being with an agent can put you a few more steps up the ladder to getting the job.

I think it’s also essential to make use of the technology that is available to us. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are a brilliant source for making new contacts and creating cyber networks of possible employers, agents and likeminded people who work in the same business as us. The profiles on these sites can be a help as to whether you would really want to make contact with a particular person, what kind of work they provide, etc.

 Going back to professional communication technology we have realised how important it is to understand that it is just as important to give off a good cyber impression of ourselves as it is in person so keeping these sites as professional as possible is important (or as Ethnie suggested, creating a professional and personal site is also a good idea).

It also seems that the hardest point of social networking is starting out. It’s as if you need that first job to prove yourself. The more work you have had the more likely you are to be employed again (in a lot of cases). Also I find that being away you can be forgotten about so it’s important to keep contact within the networks strong so that a chain isn’t broken.

I imagine my ideal network to look like a web made out of chains of connections. The more connections that I make add to the web making it bigger and stronger and therefore more likely to catch work from employers. I also understand that the web chains can become broken and that it’s important to keep them strong by keeping in touch and not fading away into the distance.

I admire practitioners such as Heather Morris, who plays Britney S pierce in Glee. She is an amazing dancer with many different work credits including dancing on tour with Beyonce. I wonder what her professional network is like and I wonder how many different contacts she has made in her career so far. She is someone who I would like to know more about and if I could I would ask her for advice on professional networks.