I’ve Never Been Hired Through An Application Before
I'm a professional character designer and I have never been hired through an application before. And while we're on the topic of never being hired, you know, those posts that artists do on social media that are like “looking for work” with a cool illustration and all the little studio logos? I have never been hired from one of those either.
Here's a little secret, I actually never go without work. I always have another job lined up. I don't share that to brag, I'm actually sharing that to be helpful. I want to teach you how I do that so you can start finding new opportunities too.
The first thing that I do is I reach out to a lot of people, and I do this nonstop. Every week I'm sending out new messages to new people I don't know, to introduce myself and learn more about them and share a little bit more about what I do. I do this both in our industry and outside of our industry. If I'm busy with work already I’ll only send out a few messages a week. If I’m about to end a job or if I'm really in need of new opportunities NOW, I’ll push for a goal of 30 cold messages out every single day.
What platforms do I do this on? My top 3 are LinkedIn, email and Instagram. I would avoid anything that could cross a personal boundary like Facebook or any other socials that might be used in a more private way. If they use Instagram like a portfolio or share career updates, it is totally reasonable to reach out in a polite way.
What do I say? This is the tricky part. Words matter and what you say can actually open or close an opportunity. I’m not physically there with you as you’re sending your messages (if you do want my help reach out here), so I can’t give a solution for every possible message or situation in this article. But I can give you a few guiding thoughts on how I approach my messages.
Always address the person by name. Seems like a no brainer but LOTS of students and young artists are forgetting this. A person's name is very important to them. Use it. I also highly recommend reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
You need to find a good balance between professional and endearing. I’ve worked with literally hundreds of students personally reading and rewriting their cold outreach messages. They often come across too polished, so rigid and buttoned up because they are so scared of bothering, offending or coming across in a way they shouldn’t. Let your passion show through.
Keep the message SHORT! People are busy, they don’t know you. If you want to get on their good side then try not to use up a lot of their time until they open that time up to you. Don’t explain your situation, education ect. Simply let them know what you are writing about then thank them for their time. Short, direct and kind.
Then I end the message with a link to my work and a big thank you for their time!
Never send a message that just says “hi”. Never send a message that just says “How are you?” Address the person by name, Be clear about what you are asking, requisition or offering, then thank them for their time. Simple.
Here is an example of something I would send:
“Hi Jane,
Hope you don’t mind me reaching out! My name is Caleb Staker. I am a character designer in the animation industry. I LOVE the kind of work you produce and would be thrilled to work with you. Do you have any projects right now that I might be a good fit to help on?
Here’s a link to my portfolio (LINK)
Thank you so much for your time!
Best,
Caleb”
Boom! That’s it. I’ve been hired many many times from a message like that.
Who do I reach out to? I always connect with and reach out to those that have hiring power. You’ll have to do some research on who does the hiring for the specific role you are trying to fill or who does the hiring at the company that you’d like to work at. Artists don’t usually hire. So don’t just blast messages to artists. If you want a job start talking with people that have hiring power.
The second thing that I do, and instead of posting and saying, hey, I need work, definitely do that, that can work. But what I do instead is I make cool projects.
If I always have a personal project, something really cool that I’m building then share it online, I almost always get someone reaching out, a producer or director or someone working on something that really liked what I made, and they want me to help them with what they're making.
So start talking to way more people than you are and start making really cool projects to share, and I guarantee you'll find more opportunities.
If you need help with any of this, I can help you here
Or if you’d like to learn more about my 1-1 Character Design Mentorship Program click here
