“Did you know Katie does her own drawings, dearest?”

“What’s the secret to your job hunting success?” people often ask me.

I can’t blame them for being impressed that I have gotten interviews to be a mushroom vendor, a carousel operator, a cash-4-gold sign twirler, and a professional magician.  “Craigslist,” I tell them. Because I trust my job fate to the same website that was also responsible for the fact that I used to be roommates with a former member of Gwar.

Love in the Time of Gwarlera

Thankfully, Janice Meisler, who does recruitment for children and family media, came to the CMA to give (for me, some much needed) advice about hunting and interviewing for jobs in children’s media. She left us with the following tips:

On Landing an Interview:

Use LinkedIn.  Fill your profile with words that potential employers would search for, including specific names of projects you’ve been a part of, specialized tasks you’ve done, and words as simple as “children’s media.” Also, join the CMA group for updates on jobs.

Where your status is conveyed by subtle winks

Personalize your cover letters. Employers want to know that you did your research about the company. When possible, also address letters to specific people rather than to Whom You Think It May Concern.

Personalized letters really stick out

For those of us who are trying to break in to children’s media, highlight internships and any child-centric or administrative/creative work you did in past jobs. If you worked in the children’s museum, focus on the fact that you helped facilitate activities with children over the fact that you were in charge of sanitizing the ball pit.

Another day at the children’s museum, which, I’m sure you know, is a museum that displays children

Once You’ve Got the Interview:

Be nice to everyone you encounter. This seems like it should be obvious, but you should remember the interviewer will probably take an assistant’s negative encounter with a person into account. You also never know when the office you’re interviewing at is participating in one of those reality shows where the boss spends the day working maintenance.

Nobody suspected the new maintenance guy at Sesame workshop was really a higher-up.

Talk about why you are great for the job. Even if the interviewer isn’t asking the right questions, keep bringing it back to what you would accomplish based on what experiences you’ve had.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Interviewer

Be honest with your salary needs. You’ll need to know about salary when considering some jobs, so it is okay to be upfront about it. If they ask what you are looking for, give a $10,000 range, but say you are flexible. It is also good to ask people who have similar jobs what range of salary to expect so you know what range to request.

Money talks, but it sure is boring.

The Take Away:

Being strategic about looking for a job will make it less painful – so don’t give up and don’t settle for a job you found on Craigslist at 3 AM, because those “foot modeling” jobs and sugar daddy arrangements aren’t satisfying if you want to work in children’s media.

Sugar Daddy