While hundreds of thousands of people across the country are losing their jobs, many people are considering and hiring they find a job where they can work from home. The advantages of working at home are obvious, like saving on gas, working on a flexible schedule, and gaining the tax advantage of the home office. But with so many "work-at-home" scams online, many are turning to their own voice for a stable, lucrative and profitable career. In fact, according to a new nationwide survey, 72% of those polled said they would consider working from home if they could. The majority of those polled also said a voice over career would be their job of choice.
The voice over business is a very competitive one. Many people have imagined themselves being heard on a radio commercial, and are surprised to learn it's not as difficult as it looks. Chris Kellogg, a radio and voice over professional says, "The competition can be great, but the payoffs can be huge too." You just, your voice, and your mic. "
With today's technology, it's more affordable for someone to build their own voice over studio. "10 years ago, you've got to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to build a studio in your home, but today, with the affordable cost of computers and other recording technologies, many people can start a studio for around $ 1,500," says Kellogg.
The first thing that many people have to learn in order to get hired to supply their voice for movies, radio or TV commercials, or streaming audio ads, is that they must have an attention-getting audio demo. This would be a 2-3 minute recording of different clips of their voice. "Maybe 15 seconds is you on a car dealer ad, and the next, a movie trailer for a hit movie," says Kellogg. According to other experts, even if someone has not done any professional voice over work, they can, by creating an audio sample. There are two ways people can obtain voice over copy for a voice sample. One, is to search the web for sites that actually post sample voice over copy. Two, they can always transmit a commercial that they think they're sound good doing, and record themselves doing it.
Once a voice over sample is recorded, the applicant is now ready to apply for voice over opportunities. There are many places online that offer jobs in the voice over field. "The trick is to find voice over jobs as they come up." To gain the competitive edge, you should not wait long to apply for a job that was just posted, "Kellogg says." There are a few good places (paid and not) to look for jobs and post your voice over profile and samples. "
Being open to criticism is something that all voice over talents should do. Sometimes, voice over talents are said to be, "too close" to what they voice and produce. "It's always good to have a co-worker, friend, or family member give you honest feedback. It could be there critique that helps you land the perfect, 'work-at-home' gig," says Kellogg.