I’m a big believer that sending cold resumes doesn’t really work. Stage management, especially PSM work, is such a tricky thing, nobody will hire somebody they don’t trust, because if they screw it up their whole show could potentially be a disaster. This means they hire somebody they know, or they hire somebody that somebody they know knows.
However, I’m aware of some cases where a company gets really desperate and hires somebody from the pile of resumes they receive. It does happen, I just don’t have enough faith in it to bother with a process that used to require paper, ink, envelopes and stamps, as well as hours of staring at a blank page that it is hoped will eventually become a cover letter. I stopped torturing myself with this process somewhere around the age of 22.
I have done just fine for myself by essentially waiting for my phone to ring, my email icon to bounce, or a conversation with a colleague to turn into something. However, lately I’d like to branch out to working with different people. I’d like to do the same job I’ve been doing with other companies that pay more. And I’d like to keep my health insurance. So I have decided that it couldn’t hurt to put myself out there for jobs that I know I’m qualified for, that I want. Also, things have changed a lot since I was 22: stamps are no longer a requirement, and I’m not hung up about my resume making me look inexperienced or unqualified.
Today I sent out a resume. If you’re curious what it contains, hit the big “RESUME” link in the navbar up yonder. This job listing was for a PSM position with a well-known purveyor of summer musical theatre productions. I intend to apply for many similar jobs, but for now, I’m curious to see the journey of this first humble resume across the interwebs to its final conclusion, whatever that may be.
