Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati
D. Lynn Meyers has been Producing Artistic Director of the nationally renowned Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC) since 1995. The nonprofit ETC, recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, is dedicated to the production and development of new plays and of works new to the region.
Lynn values the opinions of each member of her small staff when hiring. She usually interviews four or five people for a staff position and conducts two interviews. After the preliminary interview determines that an applicant is suitable, she says, “We invite the person back to meet the staff they would have contact with on a daily basis.” She has passed on qualified candidates who did not interact well with their prospective coworkers or who did not convince her that they had a strong desire for the job.
Lynn researches job applicants online and on social media sites. “Frankly, if we find unprofessional behavior, we take that into consideration,” she says. “We always check references—after we meet the candidate so we know what to ask the person offering the reference.”
When faced with two equally qualified candidates, Lynn chooses the person who demonstrates a long-term commitment to be with ETC and a desire to be part of the team. “If we’re impressed by someone we can’t hire, we keep their application on fi le. More than once we’ve called someone back when we added a job opening or needed to re-place someone who didn’t meet our expectations,” says Lynn. She suggests that applicants “should want the job, know why they want it, and be prepared to answer serious questions about their long-term goals.”
What does Lynn tell applicants to bring to the job interview?