entertainment industry coach question 242: I'm thinking about sending business postcards (In addition to phone calls) as a follow up to a resume.

The question continued: Is this a good idea? If so, are there things I should keep in mind when doing so?

The person who asked this is an editor. Many actors have postcards, (their headshot photo) that they send when they have announcements or to stay in touch.

Postcards are one way to stay in touch with people. They are a more costly way. I say that because you have to pay to have them printed and mailed. Many people's follow-strategy is email, which is free. That said, emails aren't always opened and postcards are usually seen. You have to decide if the investment is worth it.

Two things I want to address:

1. Why the follow up postcard after sending the resume and making the phone call? Is this a "cold-call" resume sending/call/postcard? If it's cold resume, the postcards are just as cold. The only difference is that after a resume and a phone call, the postcard would be the 3rd contact from you. Still, you know my feelings about putting a large percent of your "work" into pursuing cold leads. I'd rather see you strategically go after 10 jobs than pursue 100 jobs cold. You'll have better results.

2. What to put on a postcard? The same contact info you'd have on a business card and resume and then you have more freedom with the image. Perhaps, something that is unique to you and what you do, something personal (a cute picture of "you" in an edit bay with "your dog"), or a beautiful image that they would put up to look at. My allergist's postcard, to remind me it's time to come in, is a picture of a desert island with a palm tree and a clear blue ocean surrounding it. I have this postcard up in various locations and think of him, and my clear sinuses, every time I see it.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

entertainment industry coach question 243: When calling my network, what do I ask these people I may have only met once at an event?

Ask for anything but work! If you just met them once at a networking event, they don't know you well enough to hire you yet. There is always the chance though, that you'll catch them on a day when they are looking to hire, so ask a question that shows you're looking for work, without actually putting them on the spot. For example:

"I met you at [insert the name of the networking event]. I thought that perhaps you could advise me on other worthwhile organizations that I can join to meet [insert classification(s) of people who hire you] who hire [insert your classification], such as myself."

Now the person knows you're looking for work in your classification, yet you didn't put him/her on the spot. If they are interested they'll offer. If they aren't, at least you've given them something they can say YES to.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

entertainment industry coach question 241: How often should I call my list?

Call your list as often as you have "new news." Anyone can call and say "I'm available," or "Just checking in," but those types of calls are 1 in sometimes 100 (especially if you're calling someone who is listed as working in a production report).

Your objective is to deepen your relationship with the people on your list. In fact, I'd rather change your question to read: "How do I deepen my relationships with the people I know?"

The reason I did that is because there's a distinction that your mind makes when you refer to a "list" as opposed to referring to "people."

So, how do you deepen your relationships with the people you know? Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Ask a business advice question that requires a call back to answer (a question regarding an area where you're stuck, or that will help you further your education).

2. Share "new news." This can be job related or personal. People relate to people they share common interests with, so don't be afraid to get personal.

Don't have any interesting personal stuff to report? Sounds like an opportunity to do something exciting, to tell people about!

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com