To date this year in the United States, 32,500 people have been laid off in the #tech sector. During 2023, 263,000 were laid off, and in 2022 it was 165,000. And these data are only for the U.S. tech sector.
From the #actor POV, it has been fascinating to watch people share their lived layoff experiences, as well as the cycle of job search —> job application —> job interview —> additional job interviews —> no job offer —> repeat, because it’s evident this cycle is not customary for many. 🧵
For professional actors, looking for work is literally our job. (Booking work and being paid is a bonus.) To have any semblance of a career, the onus is on the #actor to:
• look for roles we are suited for (job search)
• apply to roles (job application)
• hope there will be an invitation to submit to roles (job interview)
• hope for callbacks (additional job interviews)
• wish for booking (job offer)
• gracefully accept lack of booking
• repeat
Since August 2021, I’ve made 114 submissions and had 53 auditions/callbacks. I don’t track background work submissions, but there must be at least 100 opportunities to which I’ve submitted in that time, as well, in order to try to qualify for #sagaftra health care.
I’ve not booked one role.
I’ve not worked background.
As of today I’ve had no on-camera work of any type in 2.5 years.
I can wholly empathize with those in this U.S. economy who are highly skilled and experienced yet remain unemployed. It can be demoralizing to apply, apply, apply, apply and receive no offers. It’s difficult not to feel a failure while simultaneously cheering on those who have found #success (see: all those LinkedIn posts celebrating wins).
Author (and fellow Texan) Dr. Brené Brown reminds us, “While #vulnerability is the birthplace of many of the fulfilling experiences we long for — #love, belonging, #joy, #creativity and #trust, to name a few — the process of regaining our emotional footing in the midst of struggle is where our #courage is tested and our values are forged. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness in our lives; it’s the process that teaches us the most about who we are.”
Additionally, Dr. Brown writes, “Embracing #failure without acknowledging the real hurt and fear that it can cause, or the complex journey that underlies rising strong, is gold-plating #grit. To strip failure of its real emotional consequences is to scrub the concepts of grit and resilience of the very qualities that make them both so important — toughness, doggedness, and #perseverance.”
Those job-seeking in the U.S who know themselves and are confident in what they can offer should take heart. It’s tremendously challenging to rise daily with the mindset of #faith that one will succeed — especially if one has no one else providing encouragement, or mental or emotional support. Being an honest self-advocate can make one strong, but it’s also exhausting.
Motivational speaker Simon Sinek says, “All you need is one person in your life who says, ‘You got this. I #believe in you’, and you will find #courage and #energy to do things you would not have had before. But more importantly, that person needs to also say, ‘And if everything goes wrong I will be there for you and I will be there with you.’”
People who truly believe in you and your talents will advocate for you — unprompted — at every opportunity, even if you are not present. Find those people, because that one miniscule thread of encouragement could be enough to weave an amazing career.
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