MLEC
Radio Broadcasting Program
Job Search Considerations
By this time you should know that getting a job in the radio industry isn't easy. There are a certain number of jobs total, and not many at that. The majority of jobs are already filled and for a new position to come available, somone needs to be fired, quit, retire or die. That may sound cold, and it is, but that's the reality. To be able to get a job, there must be a position for you to fill.
Once you know of or hear of a job opening, it's imperitive you send out a current package as soon as possible, ASAP, Stat! It will cost you a dollar and a half to send a cassette and a resumé in a standard envelope. It will get there, on average, in three to four days. Splurge and spend an additional dollar and a half. For three dollars you can send a US Postal Service two-pound pack. It's guraranted to arrive in two to three days and they supply a fairly nice, brightly colored cardboard envelope large enough so it won't be necessary to fold your resumé. Just pop in your employment package and send it.
Before you send your package out though, do some research. Call the station you're applying to. Get the name of the current Program Director. It may have changed since the last printing of whatever guide you're using came out. No matter what else happens, ask how to spell the person's first and last name. Jim may be spelled J-Y-M, and Smith may have an "E" on the end. Get it right! Find out what the person in charge likes to be called, and use the proper title. Some Program Directors like to be called Operations Managers. Address them in the manner they wish to be addressed. Be sure the mailing address you have is correct. Above all else, get the name of the station's receptionist. It's important. More on that in a minute. See if the station is broadcasting on the Internet. If it is, listen to it. There are quite a few stations available on broadcast.com
Get all the information on the station that you can. Frequency, call letters, motto, staff member's names, format and anything else you can think of. Most of this type of information is available through the FCC Database Search routines from Elliott Broadcast Services. Take notes. Write things down. You may also want to call the station's request line at 2:30 in the morning and chat with the overnight air-talent. Get the scoop on the station, whether the opening is still available and what the Program Director is like. It may come in handy later, say during an interview.
You've done everything mentioned above and sent out your package. You're now going to call and speak with the Program Director as you said you would in your cover letter. The problem is, when you call, you can't get through to him or her. They're busy, in a meeting or are avoiding talking to people looking for a job. People like you. Try to get through a few times. Be persistent but not a pain in the neck or elsewhere. If you still can't get through, wait two days and call again. This time, when the receptionist answers, use some of your terrific voice-over talent and say with a touch of urgency, "Hi, Betty, this is Bob. I need to speak with Jane right away." Betty is the receptionist, Bob is your name and Jane is the Program Director. Obviously, replace these names with the correct ones for your personal situation. Sometimes you'll get caught on this. More often than not, you'll be put through directly to the person who you've been unsuccessful in reaching for a week.
Regardless of the outcome of your conversation, anytime you do get to speak with a person from whom you are trying to get a job, send them a thank you note. Nothing elaborate, just a simple "thank you for speaking with me on Thursday morning." It makes a big impression. It also puts your name in front of the Program Director one more time. Do this if you speak on the phone or in person. Being nice definitely pays off. Be nice.
Having a gimmick sometimes pays off. One job applicant I know of sent his resumé and demo tape in a small cardboard box filled with individually wrapped pieces of bubble gum. When opened, the box exuded the aroma of bubble gum. People passing the office could smell it and wandered in to ask for gum. Every time it happened, the Program Director thought of the person who sent the box. Probably thought of the person every time their child came home chewing gum. It was a good gimmick.
More than anything else, get your feelers out and make contacts. Ask people you meet in the industry if there are any job openings available anywhere. If you want to work in a specific city, call all the stations in that city and ask if they have any jobs available. Get your foot in the door and go from there. Call the DJ's late at night on the request line and ask what's available around town. Check out all the available job listing services on the Internet you can find. If possible, read R&R every week. Look for ownership changes and station sales, format changes and the job listings in the back. Any scrap of information is worth checking if you really want that job.
Decide what you will accept as a job. Be realistic in your expectations. If you have minimal experience and moderate skills, don't expect anyone to fly you to Chicago, LA or New York for a chance as a morning show host. Regardless of what they told you at Big Bad Bob's School of Radio Science and Trash Retrieval, it isn't going to happen. Don't expect a big salary or lots of perks. That isn't going to happen either. If you want an on-air job and you're offered a part-time, overnight board operator position, will you take it? Better decide ahead of time. It may be the only offer you get at first.
What you can expect depends upon how much you are willing to do. If you've worked hard at learning your trade, maintained your skills and are determined to get a job, you probably will. If your air check is sloppy, your resumé messy and your cover letter has misspellings, don't expect much of anything. On the other hand, unless you try for the job you want, you'll never know what might have been. Get out there. Get the job you want. If you get turned down, find another position you like. Keep trying. Be determined and persistent. Good luck!
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Lovell Consulting, Miami, Florida, USA.
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This page was created on 3 November 1995 by
John Lovell,
Radio Broadcasting Instructor
Miami Lakes Educational Center
Last updated on 10 April 1998
