The Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Career Consciousness in Action
I have had a fabulous few days in Auld Reekie taking in the sights and sounds of the festivals as I do every year; although the ever growing Edinburgh fringe always captures my interest. A veritable rabbit warren of venues large and small scattered across this beautiful city. I have laughed, cried and groaned at the various acts I have seen. What does this have to do with Career Consciousness?
Step One: Owning up to being a Grown Up – this step is all about taking control and recognising that your dream can be a reality if you really go for it. I wonder how many of the parents and friends of the comics said…”Yes do it!” Even those who encouraged the performers will be hoping beyond hope that they realise their dream. Yet something inside the comic ensures they get up time and again against the heckles to take that one step further to their inner dream. Having a passion is easy, finding it can be the difficult part.
Step Two: Location, Vocation, Frustration- this step is carving out the right place in the world for yourself, finding the company that has the right culture and understanding what your priorities are. There is no denying that comedy is a vocation, it is never looked upon as a stable career and only a few people rise up the ranks to be able to fill the arenas. If it comes to a location then the fringe festival has to be one of the best places to attract an audience, all looking for laughs.
Step Three: Sell Your Tell – how do you appeal to the right audience, what is the best way for you to sell yourself. At the fringe it all seemed to be about handing as many of your leaflets out as possible; a spray and pray without really engaging the audience. Every now and again you would speak to the performer, one girl told me her show was about her being dumped then looked like she was about to cry. A very different tactic, one that left us both uncomfortable (in that typically British way). Some of the performers had their patter very well defined, why you should choose them over someone else. Then it was only down to timing, all too often the timings clashed.
Step Four : Application Sensation –I collected many of the leaflets and comedy guides as well as scouring the papers and internet for reviews. It dawned on me that this is no different to the CV process you are looking for other people’s opinions; every show is a bit of a gamble, by looking at the opinions of others we are more confident. All too often people are hoping that their CV will capture the attention of the potential employer, they hope the reader can capture the hidden glimmer of magic. Is it really enough to make you stand out?
All of this effort and they haven’t even got bums on seats yet. If you are a passive job seeker, comfortable in your rut you are the equivalent of a comic without an audience. What can you do to highlight your special and different? Find out about the final three steps in the next installment. How are you going to get your audience begging for more? Talk to us about getting you career ready.