Becoming a model is dream held by many, and the larger the fashion industry grows, the more people want to pursue their dreams. Like any other career you not only have to have the experience, you have to have the skills to perform to the fullest. Much like having a job interview, models have to attend auditions and casting calls. Also much like trying to find the perfect place to work, you will turn down work that is not for you and be turned down for work that the casting director does not feel suites you. But, rather than get discouraged, you should show up as prepared as possible and keep at it. This is the first step in becoming a model.
On your journey to becoming a model, you will need to realize that landing jobs and building a career has just about nothing to do with your looks, there are modeling jobs for everyone out there. All you really need is talent that shines through with a positive personality and energy; nobody wants to work with a self-centered, over exposed, down talking, ignorant person that is full of them self. In other words if you do not land the role you were auditioning for, don’t shout at the casting director telling him or her what a huge mistake they are making, because you are so beautiful and talented. The truth is, at that point they will feel relieved they did not hire you for the role and your name will be passed around and rubbed in the mud. Working in Hollywood is a very nerve racking, stressful career, you never know what jobs you will land and which ones you will not. It takes a strong person with a strong will and a strong spirit to work in the industry.
If you want to become a model, get your portfolio done properly; add professional headshots and photos with a professional resume. When adding photos into your portfolio make sure they display different poses and emotions, and even full color and black and white. Do not over load you portfolio with pictures (there is a such thing as too many), and keep the photos up to date. When building your resume you need to include a full body description with dress size, hip size, bust size, hair color, eye color and more, you also need to weed out old projects and keep it up to date with the newer and or better projects you worked on. No casting director wants to read a four-page resume listed with all of your work experience. You may want to take on some no paying jobs or some shots that are TFP (Time For Prints), just to build upon your experience and skills.
When going to auditions and casting calls, you need to be well rehearsed and prepared. If you are going to audition for an acting role, know your lines and know the character. If you want to become a model, relax, practice moving for pose to pose with ease, and learn which poses make you look the best. Showing up and being pleasant and looking like you know what you are doing is a huge plus and can really mean the difference in landing a role and not landing a role. A model can draw extreme emotions from their audience just with facial expressions. When ever I would see the ads for the Happy perfume a couple years ago, I would start to feel happy no matter what kind of day I was having. You have to show up ready a full of emotion and ready to impress.
Keep in mind that yes, while it is important to approach these things carefully and fully prepared another person could still get the role. There are hundreds of thousands of people that audition for the same role, some with tons of experience and some with no experience, that fact is that there is one slot per character and one person will land the role. No matter how big you are in Hollywood you will always have to audition for your roles, so practice, and go to as many auditions and casting calls as you can. You will get better with each and every audition you attend. Always remember that although you will heard many no’s in this industry your yes is always just right around the corner, so never give up.
