There are three key building blocks to this course. They feed into and support each other. Neglect one and the others will be weaker because of it. So make sure you keep all three in mind as you start the course.
Actions
Unless you’re super lucky and a superstar spots your work and asks to use it on the cover of a magazine, you have to do something to make your career grow. You have to send out your showreel. You should connect with people on LinkedIn. You’ll likely have to pick up the phone and call someone. Whatever form they take, they require you to take some form of action. So I’m going to be referring generically to all these things you do to find work as actions.
Action is a good word because they are ‘active’. They also need a ‘reaction’ – even if that’s a “you didn’t get the job” email.
What you need to be sure of is that you’re doing the right combination of actions, and you’re implementing those actions in the best way. I’ll be giving you ideas of how to implement actions in an efficient and effective way throughout this course.
Accountability
You can have a great attitude, and a complete list of actions to take, but if you don’t actually do them, you’re not going to find work. You need to track your actions and attitude, so you make sure you’re ‘walking the walk’ and taking the actions you’ve decided upon.
One way of being accountable is to set up a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet where you list the actions you want to take, how many times you want to do that action and then when you want to complete that by. I’ve create one called the 12 Weeks of Winning Behaviours, which you’ll find in another module
Another part of accountability is finding someone to help you hold yourself accountable for taking action. Find a friend, another freelancer or a mentor that you can check in with every couple of weeks, and discuss how you’re getting on with your tick list, which ones do you never tick off, which ones have really worked. This kind of reflection is really important to both a) making sure you take action and b) ensuring those actions get results.
Attitude
Have you ever snapped at someone serving you in a shop because you’re in a bad mood? Have you ever been generous with a tip because you’re in a good one? The way we feel influences the way we take action. And you need to have a really strong, positive attitude to make sure you’re delivering your job hunting actions in the best possible way.
If you feel like cold calling is never going to work, then when you pick up the phone to talk to a studio, they will hear that in your voice. You’ll probably be a bit held back, and give up really easily. If you believe that this will work, and you’re just a few more calls away from landing a great job, you will probably sound more motivated.
I have some really great tips for making sure you have a positive attitude to finding work, even when you’re at the lowest ebb, not having worked for weeks!
Next Steps
Keep these building blocks in your mind as you go through the course.
- Identify an action you want to take
- Gather the tools you need to implement it
- Make sure you have the right attitude or perspective on this action
- Work out a way of measuring the action, and its success
- Identify an accountability tracker – whether that’s a simple date written on a piece of paper, or an accountability partner
- Review once the accountability period is over, and start again!