Nothing is more nerve wracking than waiting to hear back from an agency. Whether it's via phone or email, the waiting can be torture, especially if you've interviewed with the agency already but have yet to be offered a contract.
If you've already been out to see many agencies and have been promised that they will contact you soon, you're probably climbing up the walls by now.
It helps to not take things too literally. If an agency says they will call you by the end of the week, they may or may not call you on Friday. They may call you Monday (no legit agency is open on weekends--no exception!) or they may call you the very next day. So while it may be great that they give you a certain time period, don't hold them to it because they more than likely may not contact you when they say they will.
Don't take it personally, it's simply business. Most agencies are super busy on a daily basis and it is easy for them to lose track. However, if you impress them enough and they seem genuinely interested in you, then they'll more than likely get in contact right away.
That being said, if you find yourself in a situation where you have one agency interested in you but you're holding out because there is another agency that you want to hear back from, just know that you do this at your own risk.
When an agency offers you a contract that is a golden opportunity that any aspiring model would die for. While most agencies will let you think about it and/or take the contract home to read it, they won't wait forever. Most will tell you when they need the contract by and there is no asking for an extension.
Whatever you do, do not tell the agency that is currently interested that you are waiting to hear back from another agency. You may as well take your contract and flush it down the toilet if you tell them that! No agency likes to feel downplayed for the competition. So keep that to yourself.
That being said, compare the two agencies in question. On the one hand, you've got an agency sitting right in front of you offering you a contract. On the other hand, you've got this other awesome agency that seemed pretty interested but you haven't heard back and want to know if they want you. I can't say which one for sure you should choose because that is your choice to make but as I see it, if the agency you’re waiting on really wanted you, you'd have their contract in your hands by now. Get my drift?
If the agency that wants you now isn't that great, doesn't have a good rep or if you feel they wouldn't do much for your career, that's different. In that case, you can politely decline their offer. However, if the agency is a fairly good one and does get their models work, don't take the chance of losing out on a guaranteed opportunity just for an agency who has yet to even let you know where you stand.
If you can manage to hold onto the contract from your second choice long enough to hear back from your first choice, then that's great. But if your first choice doesn't call by the time you need to turn in your contract, then you should give the second choice a shot. It may not be what you wanted at first, but it is still a modeling contract and it is still an opportunity to begin your career.
Oh, and while it may be tempting, it is generally in bad taste to call an agency and remind them that they were supposed to call you. If you don't hear from them, chalk it up as a loss and look to the agencies that do want you right now. It may not be something you want to hear but even if an agency smiles at you and says they will contact you that may not be their true intention at all and could just be their polite way of saying that they aren’t interested in you at the moment.
Comments