Acting - The Agent Interview

This can be quite a frightening question. Somebody is asking about you and you're confronted with such a broad and general opening line. How on Earth do you reply?

When you finally get that all important interview with an agent, you want to be as prepared as you possibly can be. You've probably brought copies of your best headshot along with your resumé. Maybe you've even brought a couple of monologues with you in case the agent wants to hear you read something by asking you to "show him what you can do." But before it even gets to that, the first part of the interview is usually very awkward. The truth is, the agent at this time has probably already seen your headshot and resumé and has probably even seen you in some production, maybe a local play. But at this time the agent wants to get to know you personally. Hw wants to know how you present yourself to people in a business setting. Since you will be working with the agent in getting you work, he wants to make sure that you handle yourself professionally in a such a setting.

So the agent asks you to tell him something about yourself. What do you say to him? Actually, you should prepare ahead of time for this question. You don't want to be taken off guard. Just as you have prepared everything else, your headshots, resumé, and monologue, you want to prepare for this question. This is the opportunity to get some experience as a writer. Here you will create the exact monologue that you want to describe yourself. You should memorize it and practice it just as you would a movie script until you have complete confidence in reciting it.

To do this, think about what you want the agent to know about you. Don't just spit back your resumé. The agent has already seen that. You can, however, mention a few highlights. If you have good training with a well known school, mention this. Your agent is going to want to know what you've been doing. Tell him about any lead roles you've done. If not a lead, pick a role you've played that you particularly enjoyed playing, even if it was a small part. Talk about what excites you about being an actor. Tell him what you love about theater or television or whatever medium you're most interested in. Tell him about any interesting hobbies that you have. Agents want to see that you're well rounded and not just one dimensional. Well rounded people usually make good actors. Tell the agent what you feel is unique about yourself. Keep your monologue to under a minute. Agents don't have a lot of time and want to get right to the point.

Finally, remember one thing. If an agent has invited you to an interview he is already interested in you so don't push it. Act natural and be yourself. You will find that by not acting you will have your best chance at getting this agent to represent you.

What Questions Should I Ask During an Interview?

What are good questions to ask during an interview is a good question in itself, and one that always comes up when a conscientious person is preparing for a big job interview. The fact that a person even wonders that sets them apart from the crowd of applicants and means that he or she is a proactive individual, intent on making a good impression and proper presentation of skills and experience.

The best question to ask, according to many human resource management professionals, is “what can I do to benefit the company?” This question shows a good, positive attitude and will lead the HR manager to think of you as a go getter and team player and the type of individual the company needs.

The worst question to ask would be anything that makes you, as an applicant, appear to be selfish or self centered. A bad interview question would be a question related to vacation, pay or raises too early in the interview. It is best to first establish that there could be a good ongoing professional relationship between you as an employee and the company as an employer before getting into the details. Of course vacation, raises and starting pay are important to you, and the answers will come in good time, but it is best to show the interviewer that you will be a team player who thinks of the good of the company and the team.

When interviewing remember that the HR manager or other decision maker you are interviewing with has been through the process dozens of times, if not hundreds. The decision maker may be a little bored, and is looking for a way to liven up the conversation and get some information on your personality. In that case a good question to ask the decision maker would be anything that relieves their boredom and allows them to talk. It is an accepted fact of making friends and influencing people that people love to talk, love the sound of their own voice, and love to hear their own name. The sweetest sound anyone can ever hear is the sound of his or her own name, so be sure to call the interviewer by name. That is just basic human nature. With that in mind, pay attention to the office surroundings. Does the decision maker have a hobby, like golf or fishing? Does the decision maker have sports trophies on display or a family photograph? If so, ask anything related to what is important to the decision maker. Disguised as small talk, this is a strategic question that will bond you with the decision maker interviewer. If you allow the interviewer to talk about something he or she cares about, they will have positive feeling about you and about the interview. Give it a try, it could be the best question that you’ve ever asked a potential employer, and may lead to a great job.