If you’re sending in your resume, please keep the following in mind:
- Your resume does not need to be six pages long. Steven Spielberg’s is not that long. I used to work for an agency that represented Oscar and Emmy winners, and no one’s resume was more than a page. If you just graduated from film school, trust me, you can condense your resume.
- Nobody cares that you worked at Victoria’s Secret in high school.
- “Follows directions” is not a skill. It’s an assumed character trait of anyone applying for a job.
“Do you follow directions?”
“Nope.”
“Great, you have the job! Just sign right here.”
“NO!”
- If you’re applying to be a PA, don’t tell us you were a DP on some project we’ve never heard of. We know it’s a student film, and no, it doesn’t count.
- No, your spec screenplays don’t count, either.
- We know what a PA does. You don’t have to describe script distro as “supervising the flow of confidential paperwork / client information.” Here’s all the information we need: Position, Show Title, Production Company. Anything else is just padding.
- While we’re on the subject of brevity, your cover letter should not be so long that it starts, “Call me Ishmael.” Half a page is all you need.
“Hi, my name is _________. I heard you were hiring PAs. I have _____ years of experience in TV/film/whatever. I’m sure I could be an asset to your show. I look forward to hearing from you. Best, _______.”
- Please do write a cover letter. If you send in a resume by itself, you look like a presumptive jerk. “My resume is so awesome, I don’t even have to tell you I’d like a job. You want to hire me.”
- There is no “hiring manager” or “human resources department” on a show. Find out the coordinator’s name, and address your letter properly.
I think your resume advice would be good for most industries.
And remove college education as soon as you’ve had 3 paying gigs.
You know, I haven’t had a job outside the film industry since high school. I’m very insulated.
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I’m just starting to put together a resume for future jobs – I have two independent films under my belt – and for the examples I find, they have a portfolio section. What goes into a PA’s portfolio? Production photos of them?
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thanx for sharing the insight tips
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Thank you so much for this blog and this post.
I’m a staff PA at a production company out in NYC and I get to put on the “hire an intern” hat. I once had a ten page resume. The applicant had no real experience, but they were in the jazz choir, home ec club, drama club, chess club, and enjoyed yoga. Needless to say, they weren’t hired.
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To staple, or not to staple, that is the question.
How do you find the coordinator’s name? I have been looking everywhere at multiple companies and I can’t find the names of ANYONE that I would send my cover letter to. HELP!
Try searching the company you want to apply to on LinkedIn.
Most companies will list their employees on their website, though.
When a big production comes to my area (Atlanta) I know they probably get lots of cover letters and resumes. Is it a good idea or a bad idea to send multiple emails to make sure my email gets seen?
Hi,
In the last couple years I left PAing to post supervise a large remastering project. I did it because it was an opportunity to learn a lot and have a ton of responsibility really quickly. However, my bosses know very little about the production world: I worry that this reflects badly on me. For example, my formal job title is “producer”. Do I put that on my resume, or “post supervisor”? Is it bad form to use a title that I feel overstates my responsibilities? I think in the normal production world they would be considered the producers, not me.
When sending out resume and cover letter via email, what’s the protocol on what you put in the email? I feel like everything you write in the email is already explained in the cover letter?
Your cover letter is your email. Don’t attach it.
What would be the best way to reach out to a coordinator? Send them an email or call and ask if they are looking for PA’s?
Both are worth a shot, but neither are likely to work. The best way to contact a coordinator is through someone you both know, or by meeting them in the real world.