Career Options and Preparing for the Job Market (arts management)

Having studied arts organizations for the last few weeks, you should have a much better understanding of the field itself and the issues that face arts organizations. It is also my hope that your enthusiasm and passion remains high, even as you have discovered how challenging it can be to ensure the stability and sustainability of an arts enterprise.

You should now be fluent in the vocabulary of arts management and you should no longer be unaware of the important business side of the arts. It is equally important for you to have a way to fulfill the passion you have for the arts by using your new-found knowledge, skills, and abilities as a potential manager and leader. Let’s look at some of the steps you will need to follow if you are considering a career in arts and culture management.

This chapter is designed to give a few pointers about developing your career as an arts manager. Of course a primary step in the process of developing your career is to create a personal plan. By using some of the same techniques we studied in Chapter 5, you can chart a course for yourself that offers many paths to pursue. This chapter will also look at issues related to compensation, making the transition from a student to a productive employee, and how to go about organizing your job search. We will review some of the essential tools you will need for your job search and hopefully inspire you to become part of the next generation of arts managers.

THE EVOLVING ARTS WORKPLACE

As you have seen, the arts management workplace is undergoing an evolu- tion that parallels the changes occurring in arts organizations, as we discussed in Chapter 1, Management and the Arts, and Chapter 4, The Adaptive Arts Organization; as arts organizations have matured so has the workforce. Many of the senior managers and leaders of today either brought their management training and experience with them from the business sector or they developed

as managers through an informal process that is akin to on-the-job training.

Many others in the field started either in the performance, production, opera- tions, or design side of the arts and made a transition into management. You will no doubt fi nd many very smart people working in arts organizations who have figured out how to apply the creative and collaborative process inherent in realizing a production to their work.

Over the last 40 years university programs offering majors or courses in arts management or administration have continued to grow. (The link to the most up-to-date listing of many of these programs may be found at the Association of Arts Administration Educators Web site: www.artsadministration.org/ node/9). This growth has had an impact on the quality, qualifications, and quantity of the labor pool. A new generation of university-trained arts man- agers are fi nding their way into arts organizations around the world.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE AND WILL BE

As you would expect, the opportunities for employment in the fi eld of arts management are more numerous based on the geographical distribution of arts organizations. The bigger the population base the more likely you will find a wider distribution of all types of arts organizations. This does not mean that there are no arts management jobs in the rural areas. However, common sense dictates that the arts population base will be higher in larger metropoli- tan areas.

As you know, museums and performing arts organizations are dependent on members, audiences, patrons, and donors to sustain themselves. Not only must the area have the population base to ensure a certain level of support, but as we have seen, there needs to be a sufficient number of people with the educational level, time, and disposable income to form the nucleus audience. Demand for the arts product also requires a suffi cient supply of arts consum- ers. For arts consumers to satisfy their demand for entertainment there must be a suffi cient supply of arts organizations.

As we saw in Chapter 10, Economics and Financial Management, the expan- sion in the number of arts organizations since the 1960s has been supported by the general population growth. There are several trends that will prob- ably continue in the near future. For example, people have migrated from the Northeast to the South and Southwest and this will no doubt translate into more jobs as arts organizations spring up in the new population centers. There also is staff turnover in arts organizations as the founding generation moves on to retirement. There will also probably be many opportunities for recent graduates in arts management especially if you are interested in mov- ing beyond the not-for-profi t arts and culture fi eld. The larger marketplace for entertainment and media seems to have a very steady demand for college graduates. Whether you decide to work in the not-for-profi t arts and culture side of the industry or the for-profit entertainment and media industry, you will need the same skills to be an effective manager and leader.

PERSONAL CHOICES AND SELECTION CRITERIA

You need to make a number of initial choices as you contemplate your job options. Geography is certainly important, but your selection process will be further narrowed by the criteria you set for yourself, such as the type of arts organization you may want to work for, your range of skills and specializa- tion, and fundamental economic survival issues. For example, you may love dance and your goal is to be a marketing director for a dance company that produces new work. However, the number of jobs in a given area for market- ing directors of dance companies may be very limited. Are you willing to do arts marketing for an orchestra, theater company, or museum? Have you pre- pared yourself for working outside the arts in a related fi eld until that job you really want with the dance company becomes available? Maybe you will take the route of fi nding a non-arts-related job that provides enough compensa- tion to allow you to volunteer to help the dance company.

So where does this leave you? Do you want to go to larger metropolitan areas such as New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angles, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, or Washington, D.C.? Do you feel more comfortable in smaller cities, or perhaps a university arts environment? If the latter appeals to you, then you may want to seek out employment in a university performing arts center or in a fi ne arts college or school. Perhaps you would prefer going to work for a bigger company in the fi eld of television or a multimedia com- pany. Perhaps you will explore a job with a corporation as an events planner or manager, or move into managing an artist or a touring performing group. Obviously, all of these choices carry pluses and minuses depending on your individual goals.

DEVELOP A PERSONAL PLAN

A student with thousands of dollars of loans to repay has one set of decision- making criteria for employment. An individual who worked for years before going back to school to seek a degree in arts management has a different set of goals and expectations. Some of you may seek more experience and find yourself in circumstances that permit pursuing an internship after you finish school.

Regardless of your situation, the need to establish a plan is important. The process discussed in Chapter 5, Planning and Decision Making, is easily transferred to your own circumstances. You need to use the same fi ve steps we touched on in making a plan:

Define your objectives

Assess your situation

Formulate outcome options

Make your choices and implement your plan

Continue to evaluate your choices

You need to put your plan in writing and remain fl exible as new opportuni- ties arise. If you follow this process you will already be far ahead of many people you will be competing with in the job market. In other words, you need to do your homework.

FROM THE EMPLOYER’S PERSPECTIVE

If you have spent any time around people in the arts you are no doubt aware of how much the process of “networking” is stressed. You may assume that you will be hired for a position entirely on the merits of your application and qualifications, but the fact is that employers are looking for other clues about your potential for success as a future employee. For example, if, all other things being equal, an employer knows of one of the references in your résumé, you have a better chance of getting the follow-up contact on your application.

The process of hiring someone, as pointed out in Chapter 7, Human Resources and the Arts, can be a very complex and often risky activity. The wrong hire can lead to numerous problems for an organization, beyond the obvious one of not getting the work done at the level of quality and quantity expected. Similarly, your career development and reputation may be harmed by accepting a position in which you are not going to be able to succeed. Therefore, employers are usually looking for references to give them informa- tion about the quality of your work, your skills and abilities, and how well you work with others — your interpersonal skills. A positive reference from someone the employer knows and trusts can be a critical part of the hiring process.

COMPENSATION ISSUES

One of the key questions you are often told not to ask about too early in the process of seeking a job is “How much does the position pay?” A potential employer usually controls the timing of the offering of the compensation and benefits package. Sometimes an employer will list a salary range for a position to clarify for applicants and what they can expect to be paid. However, the trend in recent years has been to not list salary information, which leaves applicants in the dark about how much the position they are seeking will pay. You can list your salary requirements in your cover letter, but then you run the risk of elimination for a job you may really want because the employer can- not meet your salary needs. If you get a follow-up call from an employer, you might then ask about the salary range. The employer might give you some numbers or may simply say the salary is negotiable. This delicate process can be made a little less mysterious if you do a little research.

Salary research

As pointed out in Chapter 2, “Arts Organizations and Arts Management, detailed salary studies in the arts are few and far between. Sources such as

The NonProft Times can be a place to start gathering information. The Annual Salary Survey, which is usually published in early February, provides national and regional average salaries for ten types of positions in the nonprofit sector. The positions profi led are middle- and upper level management positions, however, so the salaries are probably well above the starting salaries one can expect as a recent graduate. (For more information on the survey go to www. nptimes.com.)

The overall operating budget of an organization is a major determining factor of compensation. As you might expect, typically the bigger the overall operating budget, the higher the average salary. However, what about salaries at the entry-level positions? Based on reports from recent graduates of arts administration programs, the salary offers made for new hires are significantly lower than the averages often listed in salary surveys. For exam- ple, an entry-level grant-writing position for an organization with a bud- get under $10 million might range from as little as $18,000 to as much as $30,000.

In the later part of the first decade of the twenty-fi rst century a recent graduate of a master’s program might receive salary offers for a position like “develop- ment assistant” in the mid- to high 20s in the not-for-profi t arts field. Many recently hired arts administration students report getting offers in the mid-20s to mid-30s. A few report starting salaries in the low 40s in larger metropolitan areas.

What about salaries in the arts jobs working at colleges and universities or the for-profi t entertainment industry? Little hard evidence exists in the form of higher education arts salary surveys. Often university salaries follow proscribed ranges based on staff classifi cation systems that are not particu- larly fl exible. Probably the most signifi cant advantage university or state jobs offer is the benefits package. Health, dental, and life insurance benefits can be more generous than the norm in not-for profit-organizations.

Other sources for salary information

INTIX (www.intix.org), the association representing the ticketing industry, gives some insight into salaries from the listings on their Web site of job openings (Go to Services/Resources and then to Career Advancement). Many of the INTIX members include large civic centers and sports teams as well as arts organizations and performing arts centers. Starting ticket offi ce salaries in the low to mid-30s to 40s are common.

A helpful tool for determining the adequacy of a salary may be found on the many Web sites that allow you to enter a salary and compare it to the cost of living in various parts of the country (e.g., www.salary.com).

Cost of living and salaries

Common sense should prevail when weighing an offer to take an arts man- agement position for $35,000 in New York City, for example, versus Dallas or Atlanta. The cost of living in New York City makes it an economic fact that a $35,000 salary is not going to allow you to have the same standard of living as other less costly cities.

As you saw in Chapter 7, Human Resources and the Arts, there are more costs related to being hired for a position than the salary. The scope and level of benefits that go along with a position are also a cost to the organization and must be factored into any hiring process. As any business operator will tell you, health insurance is one of the most expensive benefi ts offered employ- ees. Many small arts organizations either forego this benefit entirely or hold off giving the benefi t until you have passed a six-month probationary period. Insurance, if it is offered, is typically a shared cost with the employee. The actual percentages or amounts may vary, but it is not unusual for employees to pay as little as 25 percent up to as much as 75 percent of the cost of their health insurance. Other perks such as dental and vision insurance or retire- ment benefi ts, will vary greatly depending on the organization’s budget. Paid annual leave and sick leave will also vary widely depending on the financial resources of the organization. From your perspective as a job seeker, many of these benefits will be costs deducted from your gross salary along with a vari- ety of taxes.

Compensation Table

This simple table gives you a quick reference to how an annual salary offer translates to the paycheck you will receive

Per Year                 Per Month                Bi-Weekly               Per Week                  Per Hour

$20,000                  $1666                       $766                        $385                         $9.62

$25,000                  $2083                       $958                        $481                         $12.02

$30,000                  $2500                       $1149                      $577                         $14.42

$35,000                  $2917                       $1341                      $673                         $16.83

$40,000                  $3333                       $1533                      $769                         $19.23

$45,000                  $3750                        $1724                      $865                         $21.63

$50,000                  $4167                        $1916                      $962                         $24.04

All figures are before taxes and deductions and assumes working 40 hours per week at 52 weeks per year, or 2080 hours per year. Calculations are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Doing your payroll math

The Compensation Table in this chapter gives an overview of a set of annual salary totals (before taxes) broken down in to 12 months, and then into 24 bi-weekly, 52 weekly pay periods, and the per hour rate. Most arts manage- ment positions will be salaried and are not eligible for overtime. Federal policy guidelines stipulate whether a position is exempt or nonexempt from receiving overtime; for example, one of the conditions includes if the employee is making not less than $455 per week (see Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations). There are other key qualifi ers about the type of work done that often makes most arts management jobs exempt from overtime payments.

Salary negotiation strategies

The recent graduate seeking employment needs to keep in mind two basic salary negotiating strategies. The fi rst approach is to try to get the highest sal- ary you can walking in the door. This strategy is complicated by the lack of information about the salary. When a position lists the salary is “commen- surate with experience,” or that it is “competitive,” you are at a disadvantage. One employer may see their starting salary of $25,000 as competitive, while another sees you as some who recently graduated from college and your lack of experience translates to the same $25,000 starting salary. An employer may indicate that you will be eligible for a salary increase after a year, but the real- ity is that most arts organizations struggle to provide a cost of living increase to help keep your salary at the same pace as inflation.

The second option to consider is accepting a low starting salary. It is worth it if it appears the chances for advancement in the organization look good. For example, you are hired as an assistant marketing director at $25,000, which may be below what you really wanted. When you are hired you make it known that if you prove yourself capable, you would like to be the first one considered if there are any internal promotions available in the organization. After three years of hard work, you may have proven yourself to be marketing director material, and when your current boss leaves you are promoted to the position with a $15,000 increase in your salary. Of course, many workplace complica- tions could intervene and sidetrack you from achieving this goal. In any case, you need to reconcile what you feel you should be paid based on your sense of your worth, with what the salary market will bear in the area and, of course, the basic economic facts of life such as the cost of living in the area.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Spending time reviewing a few issues of the Theatre Communication Group’s (TCG) publication titled ARTSEARCH can be a good way to develop a better sense of what the job market in arts management and administration looks like. The reality is larger organizations can afford to hire assistants or asso- ciates in many of the departments. These types of jobs provide an excellent way to get a career established. Smaller organizations are often looking for staff members who will be willing to take on two or more department areas of major functions in the organization. As we have seen in Chapters 4 and 7, arts organizations are typically understaffed, and the culture of the organiza- tions tends to reinforce the expectation that you are not in this for the money. Long hours and low compensation are often a given.

Developing a career requires a willingness to sacrifi ce something in return for achieving the longer range goals you set for yourself. Therefore, the sacrifices you have to make to be successful in a career in arts management are not any different from any other fi eld. Your success will depend on a mixture of the special skills and talents you possess, interpersonal abilities, your willingness to be adaptable and open to change, and good timing. Opportunities present themselves and your willingness to be open to the unexpected also plays a part in your career development. Your educational background, internships, and life experiences are all factors that help contribute to your potential for success.

How important is it to have a degree in arts management to get a job in the field? That depends to some extent on the hiring philosophy of the organiza- tion. First, the organization has the goal of finding someone who can quickly assimilate the requirements of a job and who can be productive as soon as possible. Typically, organizations are looking for people with some experi- ence, usually at least three to fi ve years or more, for positions that involve running a department or an area. Positions with titles like marketing or devel- opment director, production manager, or ticket offi ce manager fall into this category. Although the organization looks at what school you went to and what your degree area was, employers are more interested in what your last job was and the scope of your previous duties and responsibilities. The closer the match between what you did before and what the hiring organization wants you to do now, the better the odds that you will make it to the short list. As mentioned, the hiring organization will be more likely to read your application if they are familiar with one or more of your references.

Whatever your educational background has been, making a career shift can be problematic. For example, if you were a marketing director for a large regional opera company and you now want to shift gears and do development for a low budget children’s theater company, your application will probably not move to the top of the pile. Like it or not, managers are often typecast in much the same way a performer is. To get back on the top of the pile you could include a reference from a development director where you currently work. This person could speak to your work with them and your keen under- standing of how marketing and development work together.

From student to employee

If you are someone who is just entering the fi eld, your degree area takes on a little more significance. You may not have the work experience, but it is assumed that you have learned some skills in school. As we saw in Chapter 2, Arts Organizations and Arts Management, organizations give some indication about the critical management skills they believe are required to work in the arts (see Figure 2.2). However, at the same time, there is an expectation that on-the-job training is still needed.

If you have taken classes in which you produced projects that you can show prospective employers — in areas such as ticketing sales and customer rela- tions, marketing, public relations, fundraising, event planning, budgeting, or grant writing — this will help your application surface for further consid- eration. The transition from student to staff member is greatly enhanced if you can demonstrate skills and accomplishments that match the needs of the position the organization is trying to fill. Ultimately, employers want to know if you can do the job and are likely to fit in with the mix of people they already have on staff. Employers often do not spend a great deal of time look- ing at your transcript or reviewing what your grades were in your classes.

Internships

One of the proven ways to make the transition from student to staffer of an arts organization is through an internship. If everything works properly, the arrangement is mutually benefi cial. You gain valuable experience and expand the scope of your skills and abilities, and the organization gains from your work effort while investing next to nothing in employee overhead.

Publications such as ARTSEARCH and arts job placement Web sites often con- tain special sections under the headings “Career Development” or “Internships.” Some of these internships offer a small stipend, or living expenses, or in some cases housing. In high-cost metropolitan areas the housing benefi t can be a lifesaver for the student on a tight budget. Regardless of the financial consid- erations, students typically look upon an internship as an investment in them- selves and as a good way to further their education.

There are some obvious considerations to make when contemplating the internship option. Beyond your personal costs (getting to the internship site, daily living expenses, the hours you will be expected to work, and insurance and personal liability), you must consider the potential for the internship to further your goal of achieving full-time employment. Unless you are indepen- dently wealthy, internships are obviously a short-term arrangement. The dura- tion can be for a few weeks in the summer to a year that coincides with the organization’s program season.

Seeking and fl ourishing in the internship

The process of securing an internship is not unlike seeking a job. Applications, résumés, cover letters, and samples of your work may be required. Many arts organizations have formal internship programs with staff directors or coordi- nators assigned to manage the activities of a group of interns. Organizations operating at this level will more than likely have a set of expectations, duties, and a job description for the interns. Many have ongoing evaluation systems for interns. As you would expect, the better-organized internship programs are typically found in the larger arts organizations with the budgetary resources to support the program. However, this does not mean that all larger arts organizations have attained a fully functioning intern program. Unfortunately, some of the larger arts organizations have internship programs that are less than effective, and some organizations are not ready for or equipped to effectively manage interns. Word of mouth reports from other students who may have done an internship at the organization can be an invaluable resource.

The skills and abilities required of someone to effectively supervise an intern are not found universally in the workplace. Being relegated to only menial tasks such as making copies, collating mailings, or functioning as the proverbial “go-for” does occur. The reality is someone going on an intern- ship should expect they will be doing low-level tasks. You also have to be prepared to not be accepted by all the staff with open arms. For example, in some workplace situations the student intern may be perceived as a threat to the job security of some of the staff. This kind of environment of course undercuts the whole notion that the intern is there to learn as well as assist.

Many of the potential problems or misunderstandings that can develop when doing an internship can be alleviated with a few basic written documents. When doing any internship it is usually advisable to draw up an agreement with the organization about the basic work conditions and expectations. Having some written goals and objectives for your internship can be very use- ful and can offer you some protection if the arrangement becomes problem- atic. Even if it is only a bullet list of goals, it is better than nothing. Of course, the ideal circumstance would be to have an internship that allows the student to experience a range of opportunities working for the arts organization while aiding it in fulfi lling its mission.

ORGANIZING YOUR JOB SEARCH

There is no shortage of how-to books when it comes to job seeking, and writ- ing résumés and cover letters. A quick trip to a local bookstore will give you a good idea of just how much is available out there. Web sites have also created more chances to seek out employment opportunities than anyone could have imagined. However, as you will see, your search for a job in the arts man- agement sector narrows your fi eld very quickly. ARTSEARCH, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, www.artsearch.us, www.artsopportunities.org, and other spe- cialized not-for-profi t Web sites and publications are a good place to start. Getting an e-mail list of job openings and making use of your alumni connec- tions through your university can also be of assistance. If there is a particular organization that you are interested in working for, a phone call to whomever handles the hiring is in order. Asking if they are willing to accept your résumé for future reference is a good place to start.

Doing job research about the organization you are interested in applying to has been made easier as arts organization Web sites have begun to post a great deal of information about who they are and what they do. This research can help you further focus on important issues you can address should you be considered for the job.

Analyzing what an organization seems to be seeking through its job post- ings, and then assessing your match to its needs is an essential first step. I have received a phenomenal number of cover letters and résumés from appli- cants that prompted me to wonder if they had even read the job advertise- ment. Tailoring your application to highlight the areas in your résumé and experience that match the employer’s needs can often get you called for an interview.

Skills-based résumé

Skills-Based Résumé Structure

The skills-based résumé is created based on the premise that an employer is seeking someone with the capabilities to supervise a functional area and accomplish a set of tasks in support of the organization. If you have a lim- ited work history, the skills-based résumé allows you to focus on what you can do, not how long you worked for your previous employer. A skills-based résumé also helps to minimize the fact that you just graduated, if that is the case. Another assumption in this résumé format is that you would adjust your skills to match the priority or expectations noted in the employment adver- tisement or job posting. (A chronological résumé mixed with a skills format may be appropriate for someone with more experience in the workplace.)

The following outline is intended to serve as a starting place. The résumé in Figure 14.1 is a simple example of a skills-based résumé.

Skills-based résumé

Title: Arts Manager or Arts Administrator or Production Manager (or whatever title fi ts what you are)

Contact Information:

Name

Current address City, State, Zip plus 4

Phone, fax, mobile, and E-mail, and Web site contact information

Objective: (Optional) This can be useful in cases where you can offer some overview of what you are seeking

Major Functional Area 1: (e.g., Marketing and PR, Fundraising, Production Management, Event Planning, etc.)

■   Bullet list of your accomplishments using the skills and action verbs (accomplished, achieved, attained, arranged, built, chaired, composed, coordinated, created, devised, demonstrated, etc. For more action verbs go to www.writeexpress.com/action-verbs.html.)

 

 

 

Hopefully Employed

 

1234 Happy Place Trail, Apt 11c

Anywhere, NY 54321-1234

(212) 555-1212 ** hopeful@urcool.job

A r t s M a n a g e r

Professional Skills

Leadership and personnel management Project management Fundraising Marketing and public relations Contracts and nonprofit legal issues

Corporate financial management Economic forecasting tools Arts event production management Website design and development Production management

Experience

Business Management & Computer Support

• Create and maintain vendor and invoice database for accounts payable department


• Assist with integration of accounting and reporting software


• Network and email support with Novell and Microsoft systems


• Create and file Articles of Incorporation for nonprofit corporations


• Positions Held

- Administrative Assistant, No Such Associates, Inc.

- Research and Computer Support Assistant, Medium Size Arts Org, Inc.

Marketing & Promotion

• Design and graphic layout of Arts Newsletter


• Design and layout newspaper ads for arts series


• Design television ad campaign for PSA on local PBS station


• Compile and update media lists and database


• Positions Held

- Intern, Really Cool Theatre Company

- Production Assistant, Vet of Cool Opera Company

Computer Skills

* Ticketing Systems (TicketAgent®, SeatAdvisor™), * Database (Access, FileMaker Pro), * Project Management (MS project), * HTML (Dreamwaver CS3)

Education

MA, Arts Administration, Pretty Big University

BS, Business Administration and Communications, Smaller University

Major Functional Area 2, 3, or more:

■ Bullet list of accomplishments with action verbs

Special Skills: Awards:

Education: List schools, degree, major areas. (You are not required to list graduation dates if you do not want to. Employers may remove you from their short list despite your skills if they see you just graduated from college.)

References: List names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. (If you say “Furnished Upon Request,” you are adding a barrier between you and the potential employer. If someone is interested in your résumé, make it easier, not harder, to consider your application.)

Developing your résumé

Résumés have undergone a signifi cant transformation in the last 25 years as the personal computer has been enlisted to create interesting layouts. The simple chronological résumés that lists jobs or internships you have held has been supplanted by a more skills-based document. As we saw in Chapter 11, Marketing and the Arts, part of effective target marketing for an arts orga- nization consists of trying to reach the right people with the right message. The same holds true in the job search. The more targeted the cover letter and résumé is to the employer and the organization, the better the chance you will attract their attention and interest.

See the previous section Skills-Based Résumé Structure and the sample résumé shown in Figure 14.1 for a place to start when developing your job hunt. Recognizing that your skill sets are transferable to different types of arts organizations is important if you wish to sustain a life in the fi eld of arts management. In fact, it is critical to present your range of skills in such a way that you do not cause potential employers to exclude you from an applicant pool. Like it or not, employers generally make very quick initial judgments about your suitability for the position. If they have to work to see whether what you have listed in your résumé applies to their position, they are much less likely to seek you out.

The simplest adjustment in your résumé can make all the difference. If you are applying for a marketing job, for example, and your current résumé lists development and marketing experience in that order, simply switching the order of these items can make your résumé more effective. Such adjustments are quite easy now with word-processing programs. The advice to heed on this issue is “A résumé without a focus is never as effective as one that relates to a specifi c job description.”1

Sample Cover Letter

First Paragraph: Express your interest in the job and where you heard about it.

Second Paragraph: Here is your opportunity to sell yourself. Help the employer find the key points in your résumé that support the position offered and the qualifications sought.

Third Paragraph: Remind the employer that you have many skills by provid- ing a little more background information on yourself.

Fourth Paragraph: Establish that you are ready to take action and that you have even more good skills to show them. Also make it clear that you will respond to a phone call or an e-mail query if they need more information.

Fifth Paragraph: Close with a thank you and express your interest in the job.

Date

Ms. Good Job
First Arts Organization 1234 Nice Street

Good Place, Somewhere Zip code

Dear Ms. Job:

I am interested in the marketing assistant position at the First Choice Arts Organization recently advertised online at Cool Arts Jobs. I have enclosed my résumé and references. Please feel free to contact my references at your convenience.

As you will see in my résumé, I have recently worked on the marketing cam- paign for the summer arts in the park program. We were able to increase the summer arts sales by 20 percent this year. I believe I can contribute to the marketing efforts of the First Arts Organization through my writing and my extensive graphic design skills. I understand you are also seeking someone to develop a budget system for your marketing offi ce. While I was in graduate school I assisted on revamping our departmental budget system. Please see the attached budget worksheet I designed.

My degree program stressed the importance of fundraising and special event planning in the arts. I feel I am very skilled in these areas. I assisted on several big events held at the summer festival.

I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to review my portfolio of recent arts administration projects. Please feel free to call me or send me an e-mail if you need any more information about my previous experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Hopefully Employed

Enclosure: Résumé and budget worksheet

Developing your cover letter

Your cover letter should be an enhancement to your résumé and needs to be directly related to the particular job you are seeking.2 Sending an employer a generic cover letter of three sentences addressed to “Dear Sir or Madam” is very ineffective as a personal marketing tool. The effective cover letter, which is typically one page for most entry-level and middle-management jobs (lon- ger for more middle- and senior-management positions), should be targeted to the job and should enhance the information in your résumé. It is also a way to begin a conversation with your potential employer.

Assume that you are applying for a grant-writing job and have adjusted your résumé so that your skill sets in grant writing are now at the top of the page. Your cover letter should then take one or more of your grant-writing skills and provide an additional level of detail for the employer. For example, if you indicate that you have successfully written grants for touring performance programs, use the cover letter to let the reader know how successful the pro- gram was (“ We toured 30 schools during the year and performed for 10,000 students in the district.”).

It is equally important to identify the facts of your experience and how your experience relates to this job. (See Sample Cover Letter.) Remember, the employer is typically seeking someone who can do the things they need to have done. It may be wonderful that you were able to secure a grant for a summer workshop in visual arts, but if I already have a successful program in that area, I may not be as interested in you. On the other hand, if you say you were able to add to the curatorial staff of the museum due to your grant and that is what my organization is trying to do, you are much more interesting to me as an employee.

Portfolios and other ways to demonstrate your skills

Let’s assume you have been able to attract the employer’s interest based on your résumé and cover letter. Now what? You can further help your applica- tion for a job if you have examples of your best work. Creating a CD-ROM and a Web site is becoming more common as part of your employment tool- kit. Too much information can work against you, but striking the right balance of information by creating a sample of your work electronically could be criti- cal for getting noticed in a crowded fi eld of applicants. If you send samples with your application materials, be sure to keep them to a minimum and highly representative of your skills. If the employer wants more information, you can follow up with details. For example, including the executive sum- mary of a grant application, the summary points of a marketing or fundrais- ing plan, or samples of other graphics or writing projects can serve to move you ahead of the other applicants. The goal, as stated, is to establish the best match between you and the organization.

Interviewing

Seeking out resources about interview techniques also is worth the effort. If you advance from the application stage to the interview, you want to be as effective as possible. Taking the time to read a book such as Winning Job Interviews3 by Paul Powers or to research interview tips on a Web site such as Monster.com can pay off. Chapter 7, Human Resources and the Arts, pointed out the differing styles found in the interview process.

Some organizations are going to have prepared questions they ask all the applicants in a formal setting. Other organizations may have one person con- duct the interview, then let others meet you informally for the rest of the pro- cess. Since there are no hard and fast rules about how an organization will approach this process, it is incumbent upon you to research the organization and gain as much information as you can about the process the organization plans to use in making its hire.

A follow-up interview may take place if the search is local or regional. Should this be the case, you might have the salary and benefi ts discussion mentioned earlier in this chapter. Being prepared with the right questions and listening for the details of an offer will save you a great deal of time later. Many peo- ple new to the job market do not fi nd out the details of benefits, vacation time, and policies about sick leave and travel until after they are hired. Asking about benefi ts, for example, may reveal potential problems with taking the job. The organization may not offer health insurance until you have worked there for six months.

Getting hired

Should you be fortunate enough to be hired, the process of making the tran- sition to a new organization, coworkers and supervisors, and adapting to the culture of the organization goes on for some time. Depending on the job, it often takes one full business cycle (or a year) with the organization to become familiar with all of the challenges facing you in the job. As a new employee, you often have a grace period in which to operate with minimal judgments made about you by the people you work with and report to. However, after as little as a week on the job people are forming perceptions about you and your work. It is the nature of the workplace and the acculturation process that you will be judged as a success based on what may seem like rather superficial criteria.

Managing your job and career success remains your responsibility, and the amount of guidance and support you receive will vary with the type of orga- nization. Finding a mentor in the organization can be of great assistance in the early stages of a new job. However, this may not happen, and you will be on your own a great deal. Unlike your teachers and advisors when you were a student, people in the workplace are not necessarily as concerned about how you are doing. That is not to say that the workplace you encounter will be a hostile environment. However, the assumption most people make about you is that you are doing your job unless they hear otherwise. If you are to suc- ceed in your job, your social skills will be as important as your job skills in some circumstances.

BUILDING A CAREER

In the early stages of your career you will discover that ideas you had about what you wanted to do and where you wanted to work will go through sev- eral transitions. Most people fi nd new opportunities and experiences in the workplace that lead to new directions or even new jobs. The excitement of learning new skills and successfully meeting important deadlines or complet- ing big projects will create a rewarding cycle of personal development. The normal frustrations of the workplace will be put aside when you see the posi- tive results of your work or the work of a team you led.

Your success will also no doubt lead to you being asked to do more for the organization. Then you will face your fi rst critical career development hurdle. Taking on too many projects or too much work — which is very easy to do in the arts organizations that are strapped for human resources – can undermine your effectiveness and lower the estimates of your capabilities in the eyes of management. The ability to keep enough objective distance between your long-term career goals and the day-to-day challenges of work will become increasingly diffi cult as you fi nd yourself taking on more responsibility in your job.

How do you stay focused on building a rewarding career for yourself in the arts? Most long-term success lies in applying the same skills you use to be suc- cessful in your job to your own personal career plans. As noted, you need to be set goals, develop objectives, implement action plans, and then evaluate the results and adjust for changing circumstances. Taking some time to analyse your own situation and formulate action plans can really pay off when an unexpected opportunity or a crisis arises. As you will soon fi nd out, the career path you take usually does not follow a straight line. For example, internal promotions or lateral moves to other arts organizations in your community may provide you with unexpected opportunities to advance your career. You may also find yourself unemployed when an organization runs into trouble, or worse yet, you may be fi red from your job. Being prepared for the worst is very much like having contingency plans in place for an organization, as dis- cussed in Chapter 5, Planning and Decision Making. Recognizing that not all work-related outcomes will be positive, and having a plan in place should an event such as losing your job occur, can actually provide a degree of security.

As you will no doubt discover, many people in the workplace are driven by real or imagined fears that inhibit them from thinking clearly about the situ- ation they may be in and the choices they have. An effective manager realizes, as we discussed in Chapter 8, Leadership and Group Dynamics, that many of the problems and crises one faces in the workplace are part of the context of the work and the working relationships among the staff. Applying situational leadership and management techniques to your own career development can be a very good way to advance yourself to whatever level in the organization you choose.

Career goal

As I noted in the Preface, one of my goals in writing this book was to help develop arts managers who support and collaborate with artists to help fulfill the mission of the organization. Establishing yourself as a leader and manager in the arts will take no less work than it does to become a recognized per- former, writer, designer, or scholar in the arts. The discipline and drive needed to excel in the arts are just as important for the staff in the offi ce as they are for the chorus of the opera or the violin section of the orchestra.

Think about your job as an arts manager in the same way you think about what the conductor of an orchestra does. As you work with the staff of an arts organization, try to achieve the exquisite harmony and unity of purpose of a beautifully sounding symphony orchestra. For example, it makes sense to have the customer service aspects of your ticket office working in cooperation with your marketing, public relations, and fundraising functions. You need to have each of these sections of the organization “in tune” with each other. If you agree with this analogy, you can see the necessity for investing a lot of time and energy in your career path. It takes a great deal of hard work to achieve the kind of excellence people have come to expect from the arts and artists in their community. Good luck and best wishes in your choice to make a life in the arts.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT WORK PLAN

1. Create a bullet list of your major employment and career goals for the next two to fi ve years. Indicate the type of organization you would like to work for, the type of job title you are seeking, and any other key factors that describe your employment objectives.


2. Write a draft of a skills-based résumé. Focus on the items noted in the reading and develop your list of action verbs to describe what skills and abilities you possess. Do not become too eager to do the graphic layout for the entire résumé. First work on key phrases to describe what makes you a potential outstanding employee. Write up a skills and abilities inventory. Try to develop a priority ranking of your strengths.


3. Next, using a recent issues of ARTSEARCH, a similar publication, or an online resource, analyze the types of job titles, qualifications, duties, and salary information found in the job listings. Look for information in the posting about the size of the organization, its overall operating budget, and the number of staff or season of events performed. Explore the organization’s Web site for the facts that may be missing in the job posting. Are there phrases used in the ads such as “an ideal candidate” or “successful candidate”? Develop your own bullet list of key duties in the “responsible for,” “oversees,” or “experienced in” sections of the ads.


4. Begin putting together several versions of your skills-based résumé that demonstrate how you are that “ideal candidate.” Refine and focus the content of the résumé to the major types of positions that interest you. Develop a layout template for the résumé that provides for maximum readability (e.g., leave some white space) with basic graphic design elements (shading, bold type, boxes, frames, or other interesting graphic tools) to create an interesting looking résumé. Proofread your résumé for any errors or typos by reading out loud and be sure to have others proofread it as well.


5. Draft a cover letter of the jobs that interest you the most. Tailor the cover letter to the job ad and provide additional details about the scope and scale of the projects you successfully completed to add to the depth of your application. Again, read it out loud to check for flow and clarity. Have someone else proofread the letter for you.


6. If you are contacted, follow up with the employers immediately. Review sources such as Winning Job Interviews by Paul Powers in preparation for a potential phone interview. Often the fi rst approach of interest will come in the form of a telephone interview. If the employer likes what she hears on the phone, it may lead to a face-to-face interview. Should the employer wish to set up a personal interview, you need to do your research on the organization and brush up on your interview answers to the typical questions employers pose.

REFERENCES

1. Pat Criscito, Designing the Perfect Résumé, 3rd edition (H auppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, 2006), p.5.


2. H. Richard, Beatty, The Perfect Cover Letter, 3rd edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004).


3. A.  Paul Powers, Winning Job Interviews (Franklin Lake, NJ: Career Press, 2005).