In a traditional line of work, when applying for a job, you develop a resume. You make sure to highlight your successes and best achievements for your potential employer. Astoundingly, many people don't know how to make a good resume in a traditional sense. This can compound even further when you look at non-traditional job applications like voice-over work.
Many budding voice actors who take our voice classes at The Voice Shop don't know where to start to show an employer their abilities. And who could blame you? When the medium is voice, it needs to be heard or, even better, seen.
Novice voice actors working with a voice coach at the Voice Shop in New York City
We will take you through the steps of making your first demo reel or portfolio for a voice-over opportunity. If you have formal voice experience, you can optionally skip Step #1. However, we still highly recommend it as it can only help you gain online exposure.
Step One:
First of all, if you don't have any formal experience yet, this is okay. That doesn't mean you can't display your talent for employers. Many people are using TikTok to gather a large following and feature their abilities. Impressions are huge on TikTok. Spend some time to get some impressions down. Some of the most popular ones are President Trump, Robert Downey Jr, Morgan Freeman, and Gordon Ramsay. But really, any impression will do. Develop a clip of your voice impression and line it up with the movie clip, and you're golden. Once you have enough of these in your backlog, you're ready for the next step!
Feature your voice on popular platforms like TikTok
by developing videos of your voice impressions.
Step Two:
Choose which TikToks or clips from your experience represent the most relevant voices for the job opportunity. For example, if you're applying for an animation job, use TikTok impressions of famous cartoons and anime. This approach would not be suitable for a formal company looking to display a high level of professionalism. So, match your content to the audience.
Step Three:
Put all the relevant clips into one longer video with your best work first. If you have a Mac, iMovie is a perfectly suited free option. There are many others as well, including apps on your phone. If you have little confidence in your video editing skills, you can also hire an editor online!
Step Four:
After your video is ready, you'll need to make it publicly accessible. YouTube is a common medium. You can create a good thumbnail that will grab the interviewer's attention and send them a link that's easy to click on and make a good first impression.
And that's it! You're ready to put your best foot forward and hopefully get your first or next voice over job. Pro Tip: Once you do…. make it into a TikTok, and the cycle repeats!
