Technology has come a long way, and we are going to explore how you can get yourself out there and get work. 

LinkedIn Free Resource 

In its simplest form, LinkedIn offers an employer to find your profile, online resume, and a website about your work, if in the worst case scenario, they were to lose your resume.

So that’s the baseline, treat it as an online resume.

In your profile, you can link to your website. So that is a one-click to view your work.

Then we add the skills section.

Skills.

How many to add? I wouldn’t put more than 15. Brief cover letters, simple emails, easy-to-read text messages, do you see the pattern? Employees want a quick look at who you are, not your entire life’s work.

Your skills would look different. Let’s look at 3 different occupations. 

1. A makeup artist/head of a department; organisation skills, communication, teamwork and can work independently. Add your makeup spfx skills. Basic or intermediate, great at building a character, always open to input. Have experience with silicone, latex and gelatine, or whatever your experience. Then add a picture you have approval to share as a post. Thereby ticking 3 boxes, you have a website link, you have listed your skills, no more than 15, and you have put up an approved post on LinkedIn.
2. An actor; follows directions well, a people person or great with teamwork, open to suggestions, and reliable. List a couple of your acting strengths, no job too big or small, happy to play a dead person too (if you’re new and trying to get on the ladder type roles). PR love you, as you are happy to help promote the project where you can. A couple of posts could be a photo (approved to share) and a post about attending a film festival or fan convention as a guest. You love to build fandom, too. 
3. An office worker; yes, studios need these too. Do you have computer skills, editing skills, social media skills, or great with communication. Happy to do early mornings or late evenings for those Fraturday shifts (Friday nights that go into Saturday morning shifts). Mention what software you are good with. Do you have a good phone and laptop for backup, just in case? Again, it depends on what they are looking for. An approved selfie in the office or a non-spoiler type photo on set (approved keywords here!) for a post.

Free Website

You could have a huge online presence within 7 days if you work it.

My top 3 picks for websites, and I personally think WIX is awful. If it works for you and you have experience, then go for it.

1. Blogger. It could be useful to share a photo or a small gallery of your work, along with a little story in your post.
2. WordPress. Has a free base plan.
3. Squarespace, not free, but does have a basic plan with a 14-day trial. 

I would get LinkedIn going on day 1, then on day 2, work on the website, and you can add that link in the LinkedIn profile. There is also an option to add a professional email, which is wonderful for communication. 

The easier it is for people to contact you via email or your agent, the clearer those details should be. I know it’s shocking, but people aren’t mind readers, who knew!

Pick a good email name.

(your business or website name) @ box.com

NOT (I’marockstar!) @ box.com

Professional. We want you to get that job. When they realise you’re a bit different, it will be too late. 

Transport

So you have a way to get around? Just mention you have reliable transportation, NOT “why, yes, I have a super 2025 E-bike that gets me to the local train station, then for $3 I get the train a couple of stations, get on my bike, the traffic is always a challenge, and I have a safe place for my E-bike.”

Just add reliable transportation; if that is the case, otherwise, something to consider.

Phone

Add that you have a good phone with a reliable network and are happy to supply it upon request. 

Phones really are a mobile computer/communication centre, all in your reliable bag. It can take photos and videos, take calls, send emails, send pictures and text messages (all forms of communication). People want to know you can handle a certain amount of communication if they need to send a photo as a reference for an idea, for example, or for general communication needs, like a lunch location. Communication is key, up there with reliability.

Education and Experience

How much you share here is entirely up to you. If you are new or younger, more might be better. If not, it’s the highlights you feel comfortable sharing. It is important that some is current so we know you didn’t just get rescued on a remote island off the coast. 

Make You Stand Out

This is an employment platform, not a dating or socialising platform. You can be your authentic self somewhere else with your friends, this is about getting employment.

Post once a fortnight or once a week, you might put a few posts up if you have nothing there, five is good. Once you have 25+ posts, you could get away with monthly. Again, you need to look current. 

What to post?

A hobby. This shows what your interests are and makes you look well-rounded, even relatable. You only need to showcase 1 or 2 hobbies a year, no more than 2. Maybe mention one every 2-3 months. Something that would relate to your career, for example, I had people on my makeup team (I was head of the department for TV and theatre) who could draw or enjoyed painting and were art students. Art is a great hobby for makeup artists because it helps them understand lines and colour. 

An actor might want to share their interest in rock climbing, or they are a Superman buff. I have interviewed 2 actors, Jim Beaver and Sebastian Roche, who share their hobbies online with their fans. They always have work.

Video below that I did on behalf of Warner Bros for the Australian Fandom of Supernatural:

The Gravy

To slowly build up an online presence, you can like and comment on other peoples posts.

This isn’t a dating or social app, it is all about work and employment.

Be respectful.

Be safe and enjoy the process of building your online presence.