Splice Now

As most of you know, the Editors Guild supplies an “available list” to employers who request it, listing all unemployed members in a particular classification. But what you may not know is that the Guild now supplies resumes for everybody on the list. I recently had reason to use this feature, and I think the resumes are a game-changer.

The old available list only provided names and contact information. That meant that an employer had to already know your name to be interested in hiring you. At best, it created a reaction like this, “Oh yea, I know him/her. I’ll call and ask for a resume.” Editors would often call friends and read the list to them, looking for someone they knew. The resumes work differently. They allow an employer to learn about people they don’t know. As an employee, it has the potential to introduce you to a much larger group of potential employers.

Editors Guild members can create or update their credit lists at the Members Only section of the Guild website. Many people already have them. But others don’t, or haven’t updated them in years. In addition, there’s lots of room now for information above and beyond a simple credit title — editors, directors, producers, awards, comments, etc. Because many credit lists began as printed directory listings, that info is often missing.

I strongly suggest that you log on and have the site display your finished resume. Look for errors and omissions and make adjustments as needed. Assistants should be sure to include the names of the editors and directors they’ve worked for. This may take a bit of work (the site can be pretty slow), but if it gets you one job, or helps you make one new contact, it’ll be worth it.

One tip — if you’re entering your credits from scratch, be sure to input them in the correct order — and to be safe, check the display order as you go. My list was completely mixed up and fixing it was an exercise in slow-moving frustration, since you have to move each and every credit, one … position … at … a … time.

Your final step should be to list yourself as unemployed, as soon as you’re off work. (Or sooner — the site allows you to specify a date after which you’ll be unemployed.) Otherwise your name won’t appear on the list.