Should You Put Your Real Location On Your Promo Resume?

Traveling increases earnings in the promo world, but Staffers seem to only want locals. Here's why!

.....BLOG: Why Staffers Are Obsessed With Booking Locals

Because you want to get the gig, it’s understandable that you want to do everything in your power to prevent not being booked for a gig. Exposing your actual location has been a tricky tactic that has left many questioning how to effectively expose this piece of information.

NOTE: Home address: this is your residential address or your mailing address. This is not to be confused with your home market. THIS ARTICLE IS TALKING ABOUT YOUR HOME MARKET.

Let’s cut to the chase, for many of you, the concern is that you don’t want to be looked over just because you’re not local to the event. You have transportation to get you there. You’re a qualified pick. So why wouldn't a Staffer pick you? But should you put your local location or the location of the event as if it’s your actual location?

From a Staffer’s perspective, our most common desire is to book someone who is local. Booking someone local ideally lessens the variables of something not going to plan. There is already so many things that can go wrong due to the nature of the job, however, if a Staffer can lock down local staff members, we (the Staffer) doesn't have to be as concerned about you not making it due to you being local. If in an event, a non-local promo can’t make it to their booking (for whatever reason), for instance, what are the odds that promo can help find a legit replacement to fill their shift (since you yourself are not local). Yeah, some of you usually only book gigs where you have friends or family, but most Staffers don’t have the luxury of leaning on that cloud as insurance. Our job and reputation with the client are at stake.

So let’s breakdown a few scenarios and I will explain what I recommend for you to do:

Scenario One

You were already booked for an event that was not local to you and there’s another event happening nearby that falls within your timeline. Perfect, right? So you decided it would be in your best interest to submit your availability. But what location should you put on your resume? The location you’ll already be in during the time of the event or the location you traveled from?

Here's my suggestion:

Always put your ”Home Market” on your resume and then list your ”Travel Markets”. But in the email you send to the Staffer, make sure to mention that you’re already booked for an event in the area which is the reason you’re submitting to their event. You have to make it make sense for the Staffer. The Staffer would rather not play detective. If your contract allows you to, include a screenshot of your booking so your Staffer knows it's real. Giving the Staffer all the pieces up front eliminates the hassle of back and forth emailing which can easily turn into snail mail on the Staffer’s end.

Here's why:

It looks weird sometimes to know a promo lives in a different area than the event they have submitted to. It's also weird sometimes to see a person keep appearing in different Facebook groups commenting their interest in events that are all over the place. We don't know what you're doing and it's less stressful to not try to take it upon ourselves to figure it out. That is up to you to make it make sense for us.

Scenario Two

There are those who live in a weak market for events and for different reasons, traveling for events has become their normal way of getting bookings that they actually want (other than tradeshows for outdoor products). You know who you are. But how do you break free with more ease? Do you expose the relevant locations to the event or your hometown?

Here's my suggestion:

If you travel a lot, say that. But title yourself as a ”Regional” brand ambassador/team lead/event manager, etc. if you travel more within a certain radius of where you live this must be conveyed to the Staffer. But still, similar to scenario one, list your ”Home Market” and your ”Travel Market”. Same rule for those who are booked on a national level. Title yourself a ”National XYZ” if you book often all over the place.

Here's why:

Most times, Staffers know which markets are weak as far as recruiting locals. Many may also know what it's like as a staff member trying to get booked. What I want you to keep in mind is that the Staffer appreciates proactive workers. It shows dedication but in circumstances like these, your rapport with Staffers is what really pays off and goes a long way in your efforts.

Check out my blog: Building Rapport With The Staffer

Scenario Three

You normally only do local events but you now want to travel for events. This means your resume reflects no events in the areas you’re now submitting to. Have patience. Staffers want to ensure their clients that the team they book will show up. You submitting to non-local events may take a few tries. Do not get discouraged.

Here's my suggestion:

Send an email to every event company that has booked you before. In this email express that you are looking to widen your horizon by being considered for non-local events. Include your most current resume and your best photo. Of course, word your email accordingly, but it’s also a good (optional) look on your behalf to include your resume again with updated photos in that same email. Once you have done that, start submitting for other events from other companies. Nonetheless, keep submitting.

Here's why:

You should have better luck with event companies that have booked you many times already because they are already familiar with you. Just make sure you’re in good standings.

Here’s the take-away

Staffers try their best to book great teams that show up in a way that won’t have us working on a day that should be our day off. Every time someone doesn't show, a Staffer must clock in. Imagine our work/life balance. So we try to eliminate all possibilities of booking situations that will lead to extra work that was preventable. Yes, we like to play it safe because there is so much for us to juggle with so many moving parts. We do our best to be good at what we do. So continue to communicate accordingly and remember to not take it personally if they haven’t selected you yet.

TIP FOR YOUR RESUME:

Try using the following format for the header of your promo resume

First Name ”What You Go By” Last Name

Titles You’ve Worked (i.e. Brand Ambassador, Product Specialist, Event Manager, etc.)

Telephone number / email

Home Market:

Other/Travel/Regional Markets:

Objective:

Work History

If you want to learn more about how to handle these concerns, leave a comment below and if the demand is high, I’ll go Live on Facebook to talk about it.