Replying to last week’s post about resumes, Talli writes:
I’m actively looking for a job (trying to move from production company to a show) and my immediate supervisor knows I’m looking to move on (and is actually encouraging it–“don’t get stuck here.”)
While I’m technically the office PA, I’ve been doing the job of production coordinator since my second month here (it’s now been a little over four months). But since that role doesn’t technically exist in the company, the higher-ups don’t want to promote me or even give me a raise.
But I want to be able to show any potential employers that I rose quickly in the company and was given more responsibility, so is it an acceptable risk to list myself as production coordinator on my resume? Should I check with my supervisor first, or at least give her a heads-up?
Additionally, would it be a hindrance to be listed as production coordinator at a production company when I’m applying for PA and assistant level positions on shows? To me, it makes sense considering working on a show would be a different ball game so I would have to earn my way there, but I wonder if there are logistical issues in essentially going backwards in title.
Have you ever heard the saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have”? That applies to your resume, too.
A production coordinator is several rungs above a PA; you don’t want them to think you’re a failure as a coordinator who can only get a job as a production assistant.
Furthermore, production coordinator is a union position with very specific job duties. Your work in a production office might be similar, but not precisely the same. You don’t want to be stuck doing PO’s if you’ve never done them before.
If you want to show yourself to be an ambitious, office-oriented PA, I’d recommend putting “production secretary.” That’s a non-union position, which is kind of like a PA-and-a-half. The set equivalent would Key Set PA; you’ve got extra responsibilities, and the other PAs often answer to you.
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