School of the Arts: How to Get a Job in the Arts (A)

About SOA 1950 A

How to network, meet established arts professionals in different fields, get job-ready, and explore types of creative jobs in independent, for-profit and not-for-profit arts spaces.

Notes

Open to degree and PACE students

Section Description

How many times have people asked you "what are you going to do with that?", or said, "you'll never get a job!" when you tell them you are arts student? Sadly, this is a misconception in American culture and does not reflect the enormous scope of jobs in the arts. From independent practitioners to a myriad of jobs in profit and for-profit arts and cultural organizations, the arts can take you down many career paths so that you can continue to have the arts in your life and bring the arts to others. Employers will expect experience (internships, research projects, coursework in the arts), and you will need to have a good resume or c.v. and cover letter, but you also need to stand out! In this course, you'll learn how to network, meet established arts professionals in different fields, get job-ready, and find out about all sorts of jobs in the arts.
The class will include workshops to write resumes/cvs and cover letters; guest speakers from across the arts; coaching about how to identify your skills and develop an ‘elevator pitch’; and conversations with alumni about their experiences on the job market.

Evaluation

Your final grade for the class will be based on a weighted sum of scores for the following assignments: cover letter, 10%; resume, 15%; alumni interview, 20%; mock interview 10%; guest speaker responses, 10%; meet with Maddie Ritter or Career Center, 10%; elevator pitch and mantra, 10%; final gameplan, 15%
Details about these assignments:
Cover letter: you will learn to write a cover letter, including: the information that needs to be included, the appropriate tone and writing style, etc. You will turn in a sample cover letter to the Career Center, revise it, and then upload it to Brightspace for your grade.
Resume: you will learn how to create a resume for arts internships or jobs; you will turn in the resume you create to the Career Center for feedback, and then to Brightspace
Alumni Interview: you will connect with a UVM alumni in your area of interest and interview them about their path since UVM, how they got their position, past work experience, their advice for you (classes to take, skills to gain) before you leave UVM, etc. You will either post the video of your interview or your notes from the interview in the discussion board and discuss it in class.
Mock interview: You will do a mock interview to practice your self-presentation skills.
One-on-ones with Maddie Ritter, Alumni Association, and/or Clark Sheldon from the Career Center: schedule a time to meet with these super-helpful folks and send in a writeup of what you learned from your meeting!
Guest speaker responses: you will write up the key information you learned and your thoughts about what each of our guest speakers talked about. Just a paragraph or two is fine.
Elevator pitch and mantra: You will develop a short speech you’d use in networking to present yourself to a possible employer or someone who could help you professionally. Develop a mantra that describes you, your interests, and your values. Submit both to Brightspace.
Final gameplan: What are your next steps? You’ll lay out what you plan to do to best prepare yourself for the job market now that you have these tools in hand, and what steps you’ll take to find a position or get your own business started. You will submit this as a presentation to Brightspace.

Important Dates

Note: These dates may change before registration begins.

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

Resources

• Parking
• PACE Course Pricing
• Textbooks