I wrote an entry about the Diversity Factor last week, and thank you to many who commented. A great colleague of mine, Cindy Sadler, a superb mezzo and a woman who advices opera singers, brought up a great point in her comment, and I wanted to write a follow up on this blog.
Your diversity factor needs to play the diversity game.
The business is multi-faceted. YOU might straddle several areas of it - be it opera, music theatre, straight theatre, film/tv, dance, multi-media, commercial, but THEY DO NOT.
The people reading your resume are very specifically in their business. They don't know what goes on in the other facets. That's the way it is. They don't relate to other areas, and might have an overview at best, and will dismiss it at worst.
Know your worth, but also know how the game is played. If you are pursuing work, you have to play the game. You can't change anything until you play the game and win!
Given our computer age, you can have many specified resumes on file for any given job if you are truly that diverse!
The specificity of each "business" within "the" business wants to see your diversity with THAT specificity. Was that as clear as mud?
Each resume should lead with the area of the business you are presenting for.
If you are presenting a Music Theatre resume - lead with Music Theatre! If you are able to sing legit and belt and have those credits, show it by how you present it on the page.
If you have opera credits - MT business doesn't care - unless it's for a legit show. Or you might want to put in a few credits that are shows that are very well known and in standard repertoire.
Concert work isn't really applicable - but cabaret work or pops work with orchestra might be; Training is important but always goes UNDER your credits. Special skills can show additional skills that are relevant to the business you are aiming at.
Opera resumes - as Cindy mentioned in the comments of my other entry - need to only show MT credits that are legit and classic. That's it. Non-legit shows - belt/pop/rock - are irrelevant and will only cause confusion and dismissal.
ANY resume must lead with the business you are aiming for.
If it's MT - lead with MT; If it's Opera, lead with those opera credits; If it's jazz or commercial work - lead with that; I think you get the point.
YOU know your diversity. You need to think like the business and look at your resume from that angle. Have you confused them, or have you intrigued them?
Intrigue them with a touch of diversity that will make them lean forward to then hear what you can DO in that audition. The resume should be simply an INTRODUCTION not an epistle of your life! It should be an overview that gets you to the door. It should intrigue enough to make it possible for you to show what you can do!
The Diversity Factor of YOU needs to now play the business game - and get creative!! Design that resume specifically to get the audition and GET THE JOB! Create it to show you in that genre so they are intrigued to pay attention. Too much diversity on the page doesn't do you justice. Focus, hone it, and NAIL IT.
Know what you are going for; who your target audience is and what part of the business you are approaching; lead with that part of the business; THINK business and don't confuse business with art. It is simply not the same.
Diversity is important, but recognizing specificity is equally important when you are trying to get a job! Be diverse within each branch of the business and ENJOY your creativity within the process!
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