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AUDITIONS Rejection Isn't Personal - That's (Voice Over) Life. How To Deal With It And Improve Your Odds July 1, 2015  By Rob MarleyVoice Actor I read the recent article by Dave Courvoisier on 12 Ways To Avoid Voice Over Fatigue, and one of the points he made really struck close to home: "Realize rejection is not personal" Right now, the majority of my audition work is through Voices.com. Say what you will about the pay-to-play market (and Lord knows voice artists have opinions about P2Ps), but if you venture into these murky waters, you will quickly discover that the ratio of auditions to winning jobs is pretty abysmal. There have been times where I've submitted well over 100 auditions and not landed a single gig. And those numbers are about average. I know some people who have gone far longer without finding work. And when you've done all you can to provide the best possible audition and still not gotten the job, it starts to weigh on you. So how do you deal with that kind of rejection and not get depressed about it? Suck it up, buttercup. THAT'S LIFE ... In the United States, we live in an "everyone gets a trophy" culture. But the reality is that life doesn't work that way. Life isn't fair. It doesn't care how badly you want something. It doesn't matter how much effort you've put into it. Despite what well-meaning people have tried to tell us, qualified people don't always get the job. The best person doesn't always win. Good doesn't always triumph over evil. That's life. So you can sit there pouting that nobody likes you, or you can do something that can tip the odds in your favor. DEAL WITH IT, IMPROVE YOUR ODDS Here are three things you can do to help deal with rejection and improve your voice over success rate. 1. Channel your pain. You need to remember that there may be a variety of reasons why you may have not been the choice for a particular job.
It's been said that the top voice artists on Voices.com have - at best - about a 4% success rate. That means that they're rejected for 96% of the work they audition for. So how do these top performers become the best? The answer is that they've put in the effort to do everything they can to make sure that their auditions the absolute best they can be, both technically, and vocally. 3. Keep a positive attitude. It's easy to get caught up in the rejection and start to think that you aren't good enough. But if being a voice artist is something you really want to do, you have to accept that there are going to be times where it feels like nothing you do seems to work. It's at those times that you need to hang on, focus on your skills and double down your efforts. GET THROUGH THE 'NO'S' The best advice I ever heard about being hired for the job you want is this: The way to get to the "Yes" is to get through the "No's" faster.The more you audition, the more you improve your chances or landing a gig. Research. Get coaching from a trusted professional. Speed up your workflow. Practice more. Practice harder. And then understand that even with all that, you STILL might not get the job. Just remember that it's not personal. Don't give up. NEVER give up. ------------------- ABOUT ROB A Los Angeles native, Rob Marley is an accomplished voice talent, producer and writer, now living in the hill country of Austin TX. Web: www.MarleyAudio.com |
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Comments (2)
Glenn Spatola
1/15/2017 at 8:34 PM
Thanks Rob. That was exactly what I needed at this point in my career. It's a new year, and I will keep auditioning and stay positive!
Amy Weis
7/5/2015 at 11:02 AM
Well Said, Rob! I also do a lot on voices.com and sometimes I feel like I am golden and sometimes I feel like I can't win! You are SO right...it takes tenacity! And for those of us fortunate enough to be working this dream job, it is SO worth the effort!
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