Earlier this week, I wrote about how you can get a job as a mall Santa, but what if you want to take your acting a bit further? What if you want a real career in show business, not just a temporary role as a holiday character? One of the best ways to get into this industry is to look for opportunities to become a movie extra.

Working as a movie extra allows you to earn a small paycheck while you network with people in the movie industry. Movie extras stand in the background, create a crowds, and otherwise help make public scenes in a movie feel more realistic. Often, you’re only needed for a day or two while they’re filming a specific scene. Unfortunately, pay is usually only about minimum wage (or a flat fee for the day that totals about the same), but there are some added benefits to working as a movie extra:

• You’ll get to meet some of the top talent in the industry. You won’t always have time to make an impression on directors or stars, but if you’re polite and easy to work with, you’ll catch a few eyes.
• Working as a movie extra can teach you the ins and outs of how scenes are filmed, which is good experience if you want to go out for other roles.
• Sometimes, it isn’t just the big names who can help you. Hair and make-up workers, props managers, and even assistants have more time to talk with extras on set, and they could be your ticket to a bigger role.

One of the major benefits of becoming a movie extra is that you don’t necessarily have to live in Hollywood to work in these roles. Make movies are filmed on location, at least part of the time, and while they’re in your city, they’ll need local extras. So, while you can find more roles by moving to California, you might also be able to pick up some work in other locations as well.

I’m a self-proclaimed geek. I love Doctor Who, video games, reading, and lots of other nerdy activities. So, today, I thought I’d give you some career paths you can consider if you’re a geek too! Many people who enjoy these types of activities get a job in IT, but there are other options as well, no matter what your level of education.

• Video Game Testing: If you love gaming, but don’ t have education, you can break into the industry through testing. Getting a video game testing job only requires that you’re hard-working and love games! There are volunteer positions with lots of companies, and once you have someexperience, you can get a paying video game testing job.
• Ethical Hacking: Good with computers? You don’ t have to be a bad guy to get into hacking. You can get hired as a hacker by security companies, government organizations, and others looking to find weaknesses before the real bad guys do.
• Archaeology: For history buffs, working in archaeology is an option. There aren’t just job digging up dinosaur bones. You can also become a museum curator, study cultures, or work in any number of other archaeology jobs.
• Video Edit: Geeks with a knack for audio-visual techniques can consider a broadcasting career working as a video editor. You could help make a director’s vision come to life in television and film or, if you’re interested in marketing, work on commercials.
• Driveaway: If you’re anything like me, you prefer working alone. If you aren’t exactly a social butterfly, one career you can consider is becoming a driver. Truck driving is of course an option, but you can also work for a driveaway company, where you’ll help move RVs, luxury cars, and other vehicles from place to place.
• Science Jobs: Working in science gives you tons of career options. These careers typically require an education, but through your college program, you can try out multiple avenues, like physics, geology, and biology. Best of all, the science jobs you can get with some experience are among the highest-paying in the country.
• Pizza Franchise Owner: What geek doesn’t love pizza? Did you know you could actually start your own pizzaria – and with fewer headaches if you open a franchise location, since the parent company takes care of advertising, recipes, pricing, and more. Opening a pizza franchise requires you to pay money upfront for the rights to have a Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, or whatever restaurant you want to open, and then you’ll pay yearly franchise fees.
• Special Effects Makeup: If you love horror and sci-fi movies, you could get a job working in movie makeup. Help create those grotesque zombies, imaginative aliens, terrifying blood and gore, and more.

None of these jobs sound interesting to you? Think about other geeky activities you love. If you enjoy reading, think about jobs in publishing. If you want to work online, use your smarts to do some online tutoring. Language enthusiast? Work as a translator. No matter what your geeky poison, there are tons of jobs you can consider.

This morning, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominations for the 2010 Emmy Awards, which will air on August 29.

Many of us would love the chance to walk the red carpet at this or another event, getting those 15 minutes of fame and the chance to meet some of our favorite stars. Short of quitting your job and jumping on a bus to Los Angeles, what can you do to start working in the film industry?

Even if you’re not interested in acting or directing, there are a variety of jobs you can do on the set of a television show or movie. Unique jobs in the film industry include prop builder, makeup artist, camera operator, costume designer, stagehand, and grip. These jobs don’t require you to memorize lines, but they do require other skills that could be related to the job you have now. For example, if you work in the construction industry, you have work experience that could help work in prop building or working as a grip, where you’ll be responsible for setting up and tearing down sets. You can also work in script writing, photography, film sound, and production. Although you may not be a household name if you work in one of these fields, you can definitely still win an Emmy Award, and the work you do on a television show or movie is part of the puzzle that creates sometime people really want to watch.

One of the best ways to get into the film industry in any career area is to apply to internships with a television show or film production company. Film industry internships are typically unpaid, but by working for free for a few months gives you valuable experience that you couldn’t get otherwise. You’re able to get your foot in the door with an internship, as well as network with people who are important in the industry. Through networking and building your resume, you can find a paying job in the future.

You should also consider going back to school to study film. Some people have a natural talent for certain film-related skills, like photography, but a solid education is necessary to boost these skills and give you a better chance at being hired. Workers are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, so you need to stand out from the crowd as much as possible.

Have you always dreamed of a career in Hollywood? Whether you want to work in front of the camera or behind it, Hollywood 101 is your essential guide to making it in Hollywood. And author Frederick Levy should know, since he’s done it! He launched his own career without knowing a soul in the business and now he’s showing you how to do the same thing. The book includes a step-by-step game plan for getting your foot in the door and turning your dreams into a “reel”ality. There are also plenty of encouraging anecdotes with real-live Hollywood success stories. Hollywood 101 is available for purchase on Amazon for $14.93 via the JobMonkey bookstore.

Didn’t know we had a bookstore? We do! And it’s full of great titles on working in Hollywood, job searching… and more! Way more… everything from Alaska jobs to sports jobs and resume writing tips to travel books. Just take a look!

Happy Wednesday. As you probably know by now, each Wednesday I post three hot new jobs from our database of job openings at the JobMonkey Job Center. 

The Job Center has hundreds of new job openings all updated daily. Whatever field you are looking and whatever region of the country (or the world) you want to work in, the Job Center has you covered. And best of all, it’s completely free for job seekers to use our Job Center — so come check it out today!

This week, I am spotlighting jobs in the film and music industry. These coveted positions may seem out of your reach, but a great resume with related internship experience or transferable skills from other jobs can go a long way! Learn more from the JobMonkey about the film and music industry jobs.

1. College Representative Jobs, Universal Music Group, Lincoln, Nebraska
Here’s a cool opportunity for a college student interested in breaking into the music industry. Universal Music Group is looking for a coed to be responsible for marketing developing artists to his or her assigned college market. The representative will create buzz within a local demographic by utilizing label-supplied tools and other tools and monitor the effectiveness of various promotional campaigns. The representative will meet his or her targets by establishing relationships with activity committees and clubs; keeping up with artists’ tour itineraries; and assisting Sales Reps with in-stores, merchandising venues, and store promotions. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and organizational skills, knowledge of Legacy, BDS, and SoundScan systems, and strong marketing skills. Eligible candidates must be enrolled in a degree program, taking a minimum of six credit hours per semester (two courses).

2. Product Director – Catalogue, NBC Universal, London, United Kingdom
If you want to take your job search on the road to Europe, here’s a great opportunity. NBC Universal is looking for a Product Director to lead the strategy and creative development of catalogue titles, special editions, box sets, and other related campaigns. The director will also be responsible for defining pricing strategy, developing international marketing budgets, setting revenue targets together with the VP of Finance, developing creative materials and DVD bonus features, developing internal relationships with studio contacts, and more. The ideal candidate will have extensive marketing experience, ideally with a multinational company. He or she must also have strong project management skills, an in-depth understanding of cultural and local practices, and strong negotiation, influencing and interpersonal skills.

3. Director Marketing Services, Paramount Pictures, Hollywood, California
It doesn’t get more Hollywood than working in Hollywood! Paramount Pictures is looking for a Director of Marketing Services to create Screening Programs for all premieres and junkets, order all theatre marquees for the Los Angeles and New York markets, proof gallies for field use, and generate handle all Soundtrack and Book packaging. The ideal candidate will have a BA or BS degree in Marketing, Advertising or related field and three to five years of marketing experience. He or she must also have excellent communication and multitasking skills and be able to work in an intensely fast-paced environment.  Interested candidates must be willing to submit to a background check (Not sure what that entails? Check out these past posts on how background investigations can affect your job chances.)

Did you know that you can search for jobs right on the JobMonkey site? It’s easy: Just go to the field you are interested in and scroll toward the bottom for the link to the job board.

I’ll make it even easier for you every Wednesday, by bringing you three of the hottest jobs in JobMonkey’s very large pool of positions.

Art Director for AOL Music
This new music industry job is for a high-powered, experienced art director who can help the industry’s leading music site continue its success and branch out in new directions as well. The duties of the Art Director include overseeing all aspects of the design for the site, plus supervising the site’s new tour-tracking function, to be launched in ’09.

Wind Customer Manager, GE Infrastructure (expired)
This Green Collar Job in Schenectady, NY is looking for someone to serve as the GE’s primary contact person with its critical customers, to represent customer issues back to GE Wind, and to assist in the implementation of corrective actions for that customer. GE wants someone with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering plus 5 years of experience.

Political Associate
This Government Job is actually a liaison position, based in New York at The D. E. Shaw Group. Their new associate will study governmental and financial developments and make recommendations to senior partners. The group is looking for someone with at least a few years of full-time or internship experience in government, plus a stellar academic record.

Do you fit the bill for any of these jobs? Be sure to bookmark the job board in your field of interest, as JobMonkey updates ads daily. Good luck in your jobs search!