Your acting career starts with an audition. This is because it is the venue where casting directors look for talented individuals that will soon play a part in a commercial, show or movie.

Auditions are held on a regular basis so you should hire an agent or get this information by reading the newspaper like Variety.

On the day of the audition, dress neatly and casually. Get there early so you will have to compose and relax before your name is called up.

When your name is called, give to the casting director your headshot and resume then do your thing on stage. Most auditions will require you to do a one or two minute monologue and then read from a part of a script. Some will give the audition script days in advance so you can already practice it.

You will then be interviewed so don't be shy and answer each question to the best of your ability. If they accept you, then that is great! If they feel you have the talent but not for the part they are looking for, better luck next time.

Most auditions take about 2 hours and aside from the casting director, there will be others watching. If you happen to miss the audition due to an important matter, see if you can arrange a private audition. It is even possible to send your audition by mail by sending them the tape or uploading your video to their website.

While the audition is the starting point of your acting career, you should do some research so you know who they are and their reputation because there are scam artists who use this to victimize people. If they charge you an entrance fee to attend the audition forget about it. Should everything check out, do your best to impress the casting director.

Being accepted during the audition does not yet guarantee you have a part because you are part of a pool of talents that will be closely be examined by the network executives. If you don't get the part, they may offer you another position and this could be a supporting role or one of the extras in the set.

Is it demeaning? Not really and don't forget that this is how some actors and actresses first started before being given the chance to play a starring role. After the project is done, you can add this to your resume.

Landing a part is not easy and you will probably be rejected plenty of times before someone finally says otherwise. So attend additional acting classes and offer your services elsewhere, which is the best way to sharpen your craft.

When another audition is scheduled, forget about what happened before and just stay focused on the task at hand. As an actor or actress, you have to be a professional because that is the norm in the entertainment business.

Just come to the audition prepared and play the part to the best of your ability for a few minutes which may sometimes feel like an eternity. Who knows? Maybe this time things will be different so you can walk out the door with a smile on your face and look forward to a promising acting career which you have been dreaming about for a very long time.

Talent can only get you so far and in the entertainment business, your acting career also requires experience. So how do you get that?

The best way is to go to an audition and hopefully land a part. Don't think about how much they will pay because the objective here is simply to build up your resume. If you are able to do that, it won't be long before you get a big break.

You can also gain experience by participating in an amateur production. If you are still in school, join the dramatic society or the youth drama club.

To discover your other strengths as actor and your weaknesses that you can improve on, it will be a good idea to sign up for an acting class.

Should you live in a city that does not have a major theater company or studio, you have to take a big leap and move either to Los Angeles or New York where the big names of the entertainment industry are located.

You don't have to do all the work by yourself to gain experience as an actor. An agent can help you look for small gigs to help you get started. You just have to find one and then impress this person so he or she can use their contacts to find work for you.

Just be careful when you are looking for an agent because there are some who will ask money from you upfront. If this happens, walk away because an agent only gets paid when you have a job. They usually get 10% of your gross salary and that is for each project.

Work experience is not the only thing you need when you want a spot on television, the theater or the movies. You also have to know how to write a resume and get a few good headshots because what directors see on paper is also what they consider after you perform your monologue.

You should have someone review it and make changes if necessary. Some people make the mistake of writing one that fits a theater or television feature rather than for a commercial or a film so you should make different versions and use them at the right time.

If you are not ready to go for an audition, try finding work as a member of the crew. This will give you the opportunity to get to know everyone because most veterans are more than willing to help newcomers.

This will make it easy for you to audition later on when you have built a relationship with the casting director since you are not a picture or a piece of paper but someone they already know.

There is no guarantee that you will get the part whenever you go to an audition even if you have attended acting classes and worked on other projects in the past. The only thing you can do is prepare for it when there is one coming up.

If you are able to stay on course, it won't be long before someone will give you a part. What you have to now is do your best even if it just a small part because everyone will be watching how well you performed.

Did they make a good decision in giving you a chance, only time will tell but a good job could finally get your acting career off the ground.