Apply to Modeling Agencies

While it's perfectly possible to be a freelance model and still have a great career, signing to an agency can give you access to a lot more castings.

Steps

  1. Research agencies in the area you want to model in. You can do this by checking through your phone book or using an internet search engine.
  2. Find out what each agency wants. Lots of agencies today now have websites but there are others who you may have to call in order to find out what they want. Look into the types of models they represent. Look into any requirements they suggest. Find out what photos they want.
  3. Get some photos prepared. Unless they stated otherwise, agencies will want to see the minimum of one head shot and one body shot. Whilst you do not have to have these done professionally, it does help to have some taken especially for the purpose of sending them off to agencies. If you cannot afford or do not want to have photos taken professionally, have a friend take some pictures of you or use a passport photo booth for the head shot.
  4. Prepare a cover letter and, if you have enough past experience, a brief resume. The cover letter should make a note of your vital statistics (as in height, dress size, bust, waist and hip measurements for girls, inside leg measurement if you know it and shoe size) and explain, briefly, why you want to be a model and why you think you have what it takes. Your resume should include things like past modeling work, past acting work and any drama/dance training you have had in the past.
  5. Submit to the agency but make sure you do this the right way. A lot of agencies will now accept e-mail submissions but do check with them beforehand that they do so. You may be better off with regular mail anyway- agencies receive a lot of junk email and some admit to losing new model applications due to cluttered inboxes!!
  6. Prepare for your interview if you get one. Practice your photo face in front of a mirror, practice your walk and flick through magazines to get some idea of how models pose.
  7. Know how to accept rejection. If you have waited a month and still not heard anything, you can safely assume your application has not been successful. If nobody has accepted you, repeat the process. The majority of agencies do not mind you re-applying (in fact, a lot of agents probably have forgotten your first application with in five minutes of decided to reject it!) provided you wait a decent period of time between applications. Read the agency's website to see if it mentions anything about re-applying. If it doesn't, wait at least six months. However, don't make the same mistakes over. Change your look. Tone up. Get professional photographs done. Freelance for some experience in-between applications. Apply to different agencies. Re-work your cover letter. Apply by mail instead of e-mail. Whatever you think may have held you back last time, change it this time!

Tips

  • Show interest and enthusiasm in the industry, especially if you are trying to be a trade show or promotional model (two areas of the industry where personality really counts).
  • Less is more when it comes to photographs. If you are sending in any more than six, you are probably wasting your time. If you are having problems choosing, ask friends and family for help. If you had your photos taken professionally, you could ask the photographer for help too.
  • Stay positive. Besides the fact that other people like to be around positive, happy individuals, it only takes one good agent to launch your career but finding an agency that says "yes" may mean going through a lot of "no"s first. However, being blind to the facts is not good. Set yourself a time limit (say, 18 months or two years). If you still haven't broken into modeling at the end of this time period, it may be worth accepting that this just isn't the right career for you.
  • If you want things to change and be better, you should do what you never did!
  • It doesn't hurt to give it a go. If modeling is something you've always wondered about, try submitting your photos to a couple of agencies. You don't have to tell anybody if it doesn't work out and you may just be surprised with the results.

Warnings

  • Be wary of any agency that wants to sign you without meeting you first. Nine times out ten, they are probably not a real agency.
  • Don't get sloppy with your cover letter and resume. Check for typos.
  • Don't apply to agencies you know aren't suitable for you. For example, if an agency states that it will only look at models over 5ft7 and you're 5ft2, there's not much point in applying there. If you want to do fashion modeling and the agency exclusively represents glamor models, do not apply there. You are just wasting their time and your own time if you do.
  • Avoid including things like school exam results on your resume. If it's not relevant to modeling, leave it out.
  • Do not be negative about the industry or a gig - you never know who can hear you talking badly and word gets around. Check out this article from an actual modeling agency blog to learn more about what not to do if you are an aspiring model.

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