Things You'll Need:
- Resume tape
-
Step 1
Prepare a quality resume tape. You'll want to identify the top three or four stories. Your tape should demonstrate some range--an ability to tell stories creatively, both fun, feature stories and more serious, hard-newsy ones. You should also open the tape with a dynamic montage of standups that illustrate good use of movement, creativity, reflect your personality and also show you looking and sounding your best. You should consult someone you trust in the news business who can objectively identify the stories that will most knock a news director's socks off.
-
Step 2
Land an internship at a local news station. Nothing prepares you better for the "real world" than an internship at a local network affiliate. Here you stand the best chance of actually working in the trenches and getting real responsibilities. At larger market stations or the big networks, you may spend the better part of your day delivering coffee and answering calls from public relations professionals that the reporters don't want to answer. An internship at a local station is a great way to get some impressive material for that resume tape and a possible full-time job after graduation.
-
Step 3
Seek out any work and all work opportunities. There are stories of professionals working for network television who started by traveling long distances to help production crews string cables and carry equipment. Throwing yourself out there to help, unprompted and unpaid, will make a lasting impression. That's how you will build a name for yourself and impress those who already work for the station and actually have the ability to help you get that job.
-
Step 4
Canvas your tape to all stations with job openings that fit your qualifications. If you really want to break into the television business, you need to be prepared to pick up and travel to places you maybe never wanted to visit, let alone live. Send your resume tape to all news directors, address those news directors by name (never To Whom it may Concern), and make sure that your skills and qualifications match those outlined in the job advertisement. News directors don't have time to deal with someone who isn't qualified for the job and never think you are "too good" for a small market because the industry is so competitive that simply isn't the case anymore.
-
Step 5
Don't become discouraged if you don't hear back or are rejected. In this business, it's inevitable that you will be rejected by some news directors. Most of the time, you will simply not hear back from the station. Don't take it to heart--the reasons could be as simple as "too blonde, too brunette, too young, too old." Often the station is trying to achieve a diverse team or a crew that at least reflects the market's population. Consider that the station is doing you a favor by rejecting you and allowing you to discover opportunities that will better suit you.
-
Step 6
Get as much feedback from news professionals as you can. If you have developed a relationship with a news director who rejects you late in the process (after, say, an interview), ask for feedback at that point. If you know others who work at stations ask them for an honest critique of your resume tape and, in general, your work and level of talent.
-
Step 7
Make yourself more marketable by developing a niche or picking up writing skills in different mediums. For example, more stations are investing resources in their websites and online presence. By picking up web writing skills you can set yourself apart from another candidate whose skills aren't as diverse.
