Before becoming an agent, like Nancy Etz, at a creative artists agency, you’ll need to be an assistant first. Even if you have the correct schooling, you’ll need to start at the bottom and work your way up. Not only will this help you know what to expect, but you’ll be able to figure out if it’s something you want to do or not. There are many things you need in order to be an assistant and you’ll need to make sure you have these skills. To help you understand, we’ve put together a list of 6 different things you’ll need in order to excel in this career.
Bachelor’s Degree
One of the biggest things you’ll need to become an assistant is a bachelor’s degree. In terms of actual area of expertise, you’ll want to get a bachelor’s in either communications or business administration. In fact, many agencies won’t even bring you on as an intern if you don’t have one of these degrees or at least working towards it. There are some, though, that will bring you on without requiring you to have one. The best way to figure out whether or not you need it is to talk with the agencies you’re considering and see what they require. Even if they don’t, if you you get the degree, you’ll be able to use it in the future if you decide you want a different career.
Know Your Clients
It’s also extremely important to know your clients. Since the whole goal of one of these agencies is to help clients find gigs or jobs, you want to make sure you know every single one of them and exactly what they’re looking for. Not doing so could make you lose business and stop clients from recommending you. Since there are so many people that come in and out of these agencies, it would be a good idea to set up some kind of program to keep track. You’ll want to add things like what the person is looking for, the desired pay and what kinds of jobs they’ll be willing to take.
Able to Multi-Task
Assistants need to be able to do multiple tasks at once, especially if the agency is very popular and has a lot of clients. The exact tasks that need done will vary depending on location and particular agency, but most will have at least a few of the same ones. Some of these are: answering phones, making appointments, running various errands and talking with clients that come into the office. Since things can get pretty hectic and fast, you want to make sure you can keep yourself calm and keep your focus to ensure you get everything done.
Applications Knowledge
You’ll also need to have applications knowledge. This includes applications like Word, Excel and and PowerPoint. Since times are changing, it’s extremely important to be able to work any new application that comes out. In addition to typing up various announcements, you’ll also need to create presentations and use excel to store various types of data. The exact applications will vary from place to place, but it’s a good idea to learn as many as you can. To help ensure you have skills and knowledge in the required applications, you should reach out to the agencies you’re considering to see what they require.
Social/Extroverted
To be an assistant, you’ll need to be social and extroverted. Since you’ll be working with so many people and meeting new people everyday, you want to make sure you have these skills. Not only will the clients feel comfortable with you, but they’ll also feel confident that you know your stuff. If you don’t have these traits, you might want to try a different career. Keep in mind, though, there’s always exercises you can do to help develop these traits and make it so you can prosper in this career field.
Good Time Management Skills
Finally, having good time management skills is quite essential to being an assistant at a creative artists agency. There’s a high chance that you’ll have quite a few tasks that need done every day and ensuring you divide your time up correctly could mean the difference between getting it done and dropping the ball. If need be, use some kind of program to figure out where your time needs to go and remember to get the most urgent things done first!
These skills and requirements are extremely important and are crucial to the job. Keep in mind, even experienced agents, like Nancy Etz, started at the bottom and worked there way up. It’s a lot of hard work, but if it’s something you want to do, you’ll appreciate the experience and additional skills that you learn. By being an apprentice or intern at first, you’ll be able to figure out if you want to continue with that career path. If you have any questions, reach out to a professional and get their answers