What makes a successful audition? I’ve heard this question asked so many times. Within three installments, I am going to give you some very useful suggestions on how to sell yourself in an audition. After hundreds of auditions (both good and bad), this is what I have found.

Step I: Mental Power If you think about it, process begins with one thing: A great attitude! What do I mean by that? Before you audition, ask yourself following questions: •Why do I want this audition? •How do I walk into audition? Do I walk in thinking I already have part or do I walk in saying, “Why on earth would they want to hire me?” •Am I dressed for success? •How do I walk out of audition? •What can I learn from this audition?

By asking yourself these questions, they can help put you in right frame of mind. You are a product in a business……so you have to learn how to sell yourself! Learning how to sell product YOU is easy and can be done in a few steps. The first step is a positive attitude.

Why do I want this audition? Of course easy answer is that you want part, but you have to think broader than that. Will this part be good for my career advancement? Is this a company that I want to work for? People audition for hundreds upon hundred of gigs all time. I suggest you do some soul searching. What type of auditionee do I want to be? The one that auditions for everything and anything or one that is more selective? If I do become more selective, then why?

How do I walk into audition? The first thing that auditioners notice when you walk in is your appearance. When you walk in, they immediately start examining you. How does she carry herself? Is she smiling? Do clothes she wears exemplify her personality while maintaining professionalism? Even if they are not aware of types of questions they are asking, auditioners will immediately make a judgment on whether or not they like you.

I used to walk into an audition saying to myself, “I’m not good enough to get this gig. Why would they even hire me?” As awful as that is………it’s true! That’s what would run through my mind. And inevitably I would never get gig. Why? Because I conveyed that attitude in my face and in my presence, without even knowing it. People immediately noticed it. Finally, someone (who later become a good friend) said to me, “Ja-Naé, with your attitude way it is, you are never going to make it. Being humble is one thing (and a great thing!!!), but thinking that you are not even good enough for gig. If you think you’re not good enough…..then you’re not.” She was right! If I wanted to survive in this competitive field, I definitely had to have an attitude adjustment.

Am I dressed for success?

What you wear to an audition says TONS about who you are as a person. You want a look that is professional, classy, yet shows off your personality. Though I’m a cross-over artist, my primary genre is opera and those are auditions that I have had most experience with. Also, it is tricky with opera. You audition outfit changes with season and time of day. Here are some tips for both sexes in opera world:

MEN

•Use cut of suit, color of suit, and color of tie to show off your personality. The colors and style you wear can say a lot about you. •Make sure your shoes are not scuffed. No one likes a well-dressed man with scuffed shoes. •Make sure that shirt is ironed and suit is dry-cleaned. •Auditioners want to see you face, so clean shaven is preferred.

WOMEN

Home furnishings are far lighter and far more space conserving now than they ever have been.

So this strategy was never needed in past since our predecessors had an entirely different way of life.

Less busy. Less complicated in specific areas, and so on.

But that is clearly not case today.

When you recognize that you want something from this day forward you can easily offer your home best space possible by considering whether you can furnish your home with an item on Level 3 first.

And if it is not possible on that level, drop down a level until it is possible to furnish your home on that specific level.

Take for example, a television.

------------------- Level 1: Floor ------------------- You know your home can easily be furnished with a television using Level 1.

And your most space conservative item to mount a television on is a pedestal tv stand, or a tv pole that extends from floor to ceiling.

When you use Level 1 you want to be certain to brainstorm for most space conserving way to use your floor space.

You'll want to find smallest, yet most reliable item that you can find that will do job.

And when you are able to find this type of item, it is so good at space conserving that Level 1 almost gives you same advantages that Level 2 does.

For example, if you were to use a tv pole to put your tv on. The pole itself takes up so little floor space and mounts tv in midair that it's similar to furnishing your home with a tv using Level 2.

Level 1 will always take up floor space and interfere with your walking zone.

The best you can do with Level 1 is get an item that uses as little floor space as possible and interferes with your walking zone as little as possible.

------------------ Level 2: Wall ------------------

These days with lcds and plasma tvs, you even know that your home can be furnished with television using Level 2.

And your most space conservative item to mount your television on is a tv wall mount. But not only can lcds and plasmas be mounted on wall, your average television can be too.