Being a theatre box office manager is an exciting opportunity. You’ll work with people, solve problems, and play a key role in bringing the arts to life.
Here at Spektrix, we work closely with box office managers every day – in fact, many of us have worked in the box office ourselves. We’re in your corner, in your current position and in future roles to come, wanting to see you succeed every step of the way.
So, we’re here to help you feel confident in your next interview, too. Whether you’re interviewing for this type of position for the first time or moving laterally to a new organization, let’s dive into some actionable tips to help shine the spotlight on all that makes you a great fit for the role.
A theatre box office manager leads the box office team in ticket sales, customer service, and operations.
Typical accountabilities include:
The scope of a box office manager’s role can vary depending on the size and structure of the theater. In some cases, your box office may be a team of one or two, while elsewhere you might have a large staff. Especially at a smaller organization, you’re likely to wear many hats in this role.
The more you know about the theater you’re interviewing for, the better you can speak to their exact needs. Even more importantly, you can get the information you need in order to know if this job will be right for you.
Go into the interview knowing these key points:
If you can’t find any of this information online, make a note. It could lead to a good question to ask about in the interview.
One of the most effective ways to sell yourself in a job interview is to bring real, tangible data into the picture. Let’s think about how to do this in the context of the box office.
Which sounds more impressive to you? “I’ve sold a lot of tickets to customers over the years.” versus “In my current role, we typically sell 3,000 tickets per week and over the course of the past three years, we’ve seen a 5% increase in ticket sales.”
Using actual numbers in your job interview (as well as your resume) makes a huge splash. It demonstrates that you have a proven track record, shows that you think strategically about measurable outcomes, and encourages employers to see you as an asset. The more specific you can get in how you talk about your work, the more it will resonate.
Whenever possible, bring along quantitative data that shows the impact you’ve made in your current organization or in previous experience. This is where your arts management software comes in – in fact, the metrics that you’re currently tracking in your regular reports are a great place to start.
Some ideas for data points to use include:
Of course, be mindful of confidentiality best practices within your current organization, and don’t share anything that would be considered private. If you focus on numbers that relate to you and your work this should come naturally.
It’s not all about hard numbers. As a theatre box office manager, a lot of the value you’ll bring is in the “soft skills” and other attributes that can’t always be easily quantified. But you can still collect qualitative data on these as you prepare.
During your prep, brainstorm experiences or accomplishments from previous roles that you want to talk about.
This could include times when you’ve:
This exercise will especially come in handy when an interviewer says something like, “Tell me about a time when…” but you can also apply your examples to more generalized questions.
As with any performance, rehearsal can really pay off. Practice telling these stories out loud to yourself before the interview so you can come off super confident in the room, even with your nerves abuzz.
“Okay, so do you have any questions for us?”
Don’t ignore this portion of your theatre box office manager interview – it’s a golden opportunity to shine. Good questions will show the interviewer that you care about the work and that you are ready to dig into it.
Moreover, the interview goes both ways – you want to learn if the theater meets your criteria for your next career move. You are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.
Here are some examples of good questions to ask:
Have a few questions prepared, but also don’t be afraid to ask questions that come up throughout your discussion.
Box office managers have a thrilling and fulfilling job, playing a critical role in the theater’s operations. If you embrace data right from the start (even before day one), you’ll be able to demonstrate the kind of strategic thinking that enables box office managers to succeed.
By reading this post, you’ve already taken the first step in gathering the information you need to go into your interview feeling prepared and confident. Break a leg, and we look forward to seeing where your career goes.
Melissa Ragsdale (she/her) is a Marketing Content Producer at Spektrix.