Top ten lists seems to work for David Letterman.

So I figured why not give an acting career a top ten list using the top ten social media best practices? According to Career Builder, social media is crucial to the recruiting process on any corporate level. As actors we are constantly seeking to be recruited as opposed to doing the recruiting (seeking representation aside). Social media practices can seem foreign to many people who aren’t familiar with what it has to offer. I decided to explore Career Builder’s suggestions and apply them to an acting career.

1. SET A GOAL- What do you want? If you just want to be famous, do something stupid and spread it all over the internet. If you want to build a career, decide specifics for yourself in terms of how you want to market yourself. Setting a clear goal for yourself is key before you jump into this often times unrewarding career. Having a goal that you’re always striving to achieve, will help prevent you from losing focus or getting distracted by the low moments that you’ll inevitably face.

2. MASTER ONE MEDIUM- Building a strong profile on Actors Access is a great place to start. Actors Access is not only a popular source of talent for casting directors, but it’s also widely used among managers and agents. Keeping your profile updated and complete is incredibly important. Putting too much information is even better. The more specific information provided about yourself, the less likely casting directors will pass over you as they search for that one specific talent or look.

3. MANAGE YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION- Beefing up your SPECIAL SKILLS on your resume or sharing with your different networks on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter about a job you just booked or an audition you nailed is so smart. The more people that know what you’re doing and how well you’re doing it, the better. Word of mouth isn’t a myth. It’s real. People love to tell other people about the cool happenings of the people they know. So don’t be shy. Talk about yourself! Doing it on social networking sites will spread your word faster and to more people.

4. CREATE A USER EXPERIENCE- Build a fan-base. For every job you book, you have to create that buzz for yourself. Same thing applies to your auditions. Every time a casting director meets you, you want them to become a fan. This will build a lasting and supportive relationship.

5. LISTEN, LEARN, AND ENGAGE- Actors naturally tend to listen to our audience. We can always gauge how well a performance is going based on that instant feedback or instant gratification… the applause. The same must apply when you’re not on stage or on set. Listen when the phone isn’t ringing. take it in, examine what’s going on, and do something. Trust that you’re a part of an indutsry that is cut throat for a reason, therefore engage so you can develop in new ways.