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Yes, I decided to do another reverse-psychology-esque blog this week. And I thought this topic is important, often overlooked, and bears repeating. (For more specifics on how to find a WA job, see my third blog .) Don’t network. You may think this is pointless; after all, why get to know other writers’ assistants when they’re your competition, right? Wrong. Soooo, sooooo wrong. First of all, NEVER think that other kids your age are your competition. They are, but soooo many factors go into hiring a writers’ assistant, I cannot even begin to explain them all to you now (e-mail me if you really want to know). You need to befriend your competition, “Love thy enemy,” remember? If not for the sole reason that you’ll need another WA to exchange job war stories (or “I’m getting promoted” ones) with. Secondly, I have worked on many a show where I help the producers pore through resumes to see whom we should bring in to interview. Sure, one’s experience is great, but 9.9 times out of 10, they hire based on personality (and who referred you), not how many shows you’ve worked on (or on how “big” the shows were). And, third, the more people you know, the more people who can eventually help you down the line and, you, them. Karma is huge (trust me). And, more often than not, someone randomly calls me about a job (sometimes their own, if they’re leaving or being promoted – or both), because they remembered I was looking or heard about me through somebody else. So network, network, network. It’s just one more way to get yourself out there and known within the writers’ assistant world. Don’t do the work. Too many people out here expect someone they know to find them a job (be that a cousin, someone they barely know whom they believe owes them a favor, etc.), instead of faxing and calling and emailing their butts off themselves. Yes, someone may help you, but you cannot leave it up to someone else. It’s your life. Be active, not passive (again, see my third blog on this, on how to find a WA job). Only you are responsible for your career (or lack thereof); you have no one else to blame. At least if you try left and right to find a job, you know you did everything you could to find one. And, eventually, you will. Again, I speak from much experience. Some TV seasons, I could not find a WA job to save my life. Yes, it was frustrating. Yeah, I wondered what else I would do that season (or with my life). But I didn’t give up. Nor should you. Eventually, the right job does come along. You just have to have faith. (Again, I know it’s not easy, but it works – “If it’s meant to be…” and all of that).
Don’t network & don’t do the work Although these sound like simple things to do, day after day, I meet aspiring writers’ assistants who don’t do either. It’s mind-boggling. I mean, how the f*** do they think they’re going to get a job? Again, WA jobs often don’t just fall into your lap (unless you have a lot of shows under your belt and writers fight to get you to work for them, but this is not very common, given how few WA positions are available in this town). So good luck. And until next time… Questions? Thoughts? Concerns? Or if you have a topic you’d like me to address, e-mail
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