#OAP101 Let me tell you about the auditions I did NOT get!

After i saw a direct message sent to The OAP 101 on instagram from someone who was a bit frustrated about having gone for auditions but not getting the gig, i reached out to them and we chatted further.

I had a whatsapp chat with them and laughed when i found out the 'auditions' were TWO previous auditions. Only.
I say this because we hear of only success stories usually, and because of that, we do not realise how many times that person got told NO before a life changing 'yes'.

Pull a chair! Let ME tell you about going for auditions; waking up early, queuing for hours, praying and giving it my best. And then getting rejected. Not once, not twice, not even three times. I have heard it all. From, the 'thank yous' that mean you won't be called back, to the, 'we really like you' buts, to the 'don't stop doing this' to the one i love the most- 'you are a bit short'.
Lmao.
I have had callbacks, try-agains, and 'we will call you' that never called.

And i am not alone. Think of every successful person you admire. They have gone through this too before.

So why do we not get selected for auditions?
Sometimes it is because we still need to work on our talent, skill or craft some more. No one knows it all and there is always something new to learn so if you ever get told no, don't get bitter. Get better.
You can check out some tips on acing your audition in my podcast at the end of the post below.

Other times, it has nothing to do with you. Some the 'no' may be because of the internal policies, politics or specific needs.
You do not know what the potential client is looking for. They might be looking for someone who is tall, someone who is blonde (i know), someone who is well-known, someone who is 'fresh', someone who is 'different'...
It is like going for an audition to play a role in a movie. The casting director has their guidelines. They do not have to s.h.a.r.e this with you. You may be too tall, or not tall enough. Too young, or too old.

Instead of spending precious time worrying about what went wrong, spend more time on being better like i said, and going on to the next one.
Remember that not all jobs or opportunities come from auditions. But you need to lay that ground work so that by the time these opportunities arise, you are selected.

This means while you wait to get on radio or television, prepare!
Get yourself out there. Create. Think. Plan.
Be ready.