What makes you weird could actually get you hired
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Remember the claymation classic "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer?" Our protagonist Rudolf wasn't like the other reindeer because he had a shiny red nose. He was laughed at and nobody would play with him. It wasn't until Rudolf accepted who he was fully that he discovered his "weirdness" was actually his superpower! He was able to use his red nose to light up the sky and lead the team of reindeer to deliver Christmas toys to all the girls and boys. He saved Christmas!
When you fully accept who you are, you will find that what makes you different can actually be your superpower. It might be weird to have watched every episode of "The Bachelor" ever since you were a pre-teen when Alex Michel was looking for love. But I'll tell you, that "weirdness" made one of my clients stand out in all the right ways and she got her first job in entertainment working for Viacom in the unscripted TV dept!
HOW TO REVEAL YOUR "WEIRDNESS"
Nearly every job interview starts with "So tell me about yourself." You should have a brief story (under one minute) about who you are and include details like: Full Name, home town, school, what makes you unique or interesting (aka weird) and how it applies to the job you are interviewing for. If you've been my student or a private client, I have you create a 1-minute video cover letter that tells your unique story. People use this as a video cover letter or even if they never use it when they submit their applications, they know their story down perfectly and can express it succinctly.
Here are some "weird" things that could set you up for success in entertainment:
You know the words to every Taylor Swift song ever written (Perfect for E! News, TMZ or any company that values pop culture)
You've stayed up for 3 nights in a row playing "Dungeons and Dragons" (Perfect for production company that work in the fantasy or sci fi genre)
You love reading and have kept a log of 250 books tracking titles, authors and have written a short review of each book just because you love to do it (Any agency, studio or production company would jump at the chance to interview you, as reading is required in adaptations, the book dept or TV/Mopic Lit)
You have a photographic memory and can talk backwards (true story, I had an assistant years ago recite the pledge of allegiance backwards during an interview. I thought it was so weird, but I hired him and he proved to be one of the brightest people I have ever known. Having the ability to recall information serves you well when you are assisting busy executives!)
You can read a script and write coverage in less than 2 hours with extreme accuracy (every agency and scripted production company will be banging down your door when you reveal that!)
You are a little obsessive about organization and during the lockdown, you reorganized your mother's kitchen including buying clear containers, labeling all of them and a created a logical system for finding the spaghetti. As a matter of fact, your label maker, has a label! (A Kardashian might hire you with this skill!)
You have extensive travel and language experience (perfect for overseas shoots!)
So here is your challenge today......
Download the app and let me know in the comments on Substack what your "weird" is and how you will leverage it in your next job interview.
