Explained: Applying via the Job Board

Posted by William - 30 Aug 2017
Our Job Board allows extras

Fully activated members of Uni-versal Extras can apply for roles via our Job Board, which is updated daily with fresh opportunities for extras and supporting artistes. We often get questions about how the Job Board works, so we thought we would take a moment to explain and answer some of the more frequently asked questions.

Casting at Uni-versal Extras

If you have not done so already, it’s well worth reading our Explained: Extras Casting Process article to give you a solid understanding of how our processes work when it comes to booking film and TV extras.

The Job Board is an additional tool that allows our fully activated members to put themselves forward for opportunities that they are suitable and available for. When we are casting large roles or searching for artistes with specific skills, the Job Board helps to speed up the casting process so that we can more easily find members who are suitable and available.

Before an Availability Text can be sent to you, our Casting Team first need to match your profile with the role, which we often do directly without you even applying via the website. If you do apply via the Job Board for a role, we can see your application and you will be sent an Availability Text (if suitable) in exactly the same way as if we had shortlisted you directly.

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Put simply, applying for jobs via our website increases the visibility of your profile to our Casting Team.

How to Apply via the Job Board

If you are a fully activated member of Uni-versal Extras, you have access to apply for opportunities via our Job Board.

Before you apply for a role, please make sure that you have read the details in full and that you meet all the criteria. Extras who persistently apply incorrectly, i.e. males who apply for female only roles, etc., risk having their Job Board privileges revoked… so please take care!

If you meet the criteria and are available for all the dates required, click the ‘Apply for Job’ button to apply:

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Once you have applied for a role, the button will change to indicate this:

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When I apply via the Job Board, do I need to keep the role dates free?

No, you don’t need to hold the dates after applying via our Job Board alone, because you are not yet penciled or booked. Everyone we cast is spoken to over the phone prior to becoming penciled so that we can outline the full details and properly check your availability, travel, etc.

When you apply for jobs, you should only do so if you are currently available on the required dates. However it will not be held against you if you are not available when we send you the initial Availability Text, even if you have applied via our Job Board – this is because we do not expect you to hold dates for roles where you are not penciled or booked.

This is very different to when you have actually spoken to us and been penciled or booked, in which case you must keep the dates free as outlined in the Explained: Extras Casting Process article.

When I apply for a role, will I be told if I am successful or not?

If you apply for a role but are never contacted about it, you will not receive any kind of notification in relation to your application. There are several reasons for this:

– If you did not speak to us about the role over the phone, you were never actually penciled or put forward to the production for consideration. There is therefore no need to tell you if you were successful or not, because you were not put forward.
Job Board posts remain listed until the final filming date has passed and all applicants remain in a backup list, even if we are not currently casting additional people for that role. We can therefore never say for certain that we won’t be in touch because there is always a chance we might be!
– We only provide confirmation as to whether you have been booked or not if you have been spoken to and penciled.

Why can’t I apply for jobs via the Job Board?

Only full members can access Job Board posts on our website and apply. If you are not a fully activated member, you will still have access to the main page, but will not be able to apply for individual opportunities. If you see this banner at the top of the Job Board, it means that you are not currently activated:

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For details on activation and how to get activated, please refer to our Welcome Pack.

I am activated but there is a job that I don’t have the option to apply for?

Please make sure that you always read Job Board posts carefully because not all opportunities can be applied for directly – some provide information about upcoming castings or how to update your profile, etc. There are two different types of post:

Roles that can be applied for (you will see an apply button at the bottom of the page)
Notices that cannot be applied for, but contain clear information telling you what you need to do

Here is an example of a Notice that cannot be applied for (even by fully activated members):

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Are the job criteria a requirement and do I have to be within the age range?

Yes, the information that we stipulate is the minimum requirements for the role. You must be within the actual age range or have the appearance of this age range to apply, You must fit all of the criteria.

A job states that I have already applied when I definitely have not?

Don’t worry, this is a good thing because it means that our Casting Team has already shortlisted you for consideration, which means there is no need for you to apply. Just sit back and bear with us.

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A job post is listed but some of the dates have already passed?

Roles remain on the Job Board until the final filming date has passed. This may seem odd at first, but do let us explain…

If you’ve worked in the industry before, you will be aware that things often change at late notice – it’s just the very nature of the beast! As such, all Job Board roles remain listed until the final filming date has passed, which means that even if some of the dates have been filmed already, you can still put yourself forward.

When you apply for a role where some of the dates have already passed, you go into a backup list, which our Casting Team will use if the production requires additional people at late notice – this is something that does commonly happen. When applying for a role, simply ignore any past dates and continue if you are available for all future dates.

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I always meet the criteria, but never hear back?

Applying for jobs is a great way to get more visibility. That being said, because they remain listed on the Job Board until the final filming date has passed, some roles may currently be full meaning that you will not hear back unless we get a request for more extras.

It is also worth noting that we are not always allowed to put the full role details on the website, so even if it appears that you meet all of the criteria, there may be additional requirements that you are not aware of which mean you are not suitable.

Please rest assured that we are working hard to secure you roles in the world’s greatest industry!