How to Get a Job at a TV Station
There are many more jobs available at your local TV station then just as an on-air personality. Accountants, bookkeepers, receptionists, mail clerks, public relations officers, and sales people are all needed to help a TV station run smoothly and stay in business. If you are looking for a career in any of these fields--or as a news anchor, reporter or weather person--finding a job at a station can be easier then expected. As long as you meet the job requirements, apply correctly for the position and present your most professional appearance on an interview, you should have a good shot at getting the job you are looking for.
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Instructions
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Look up the jobs that are available at your local TV stations. Most have job opportunities listed on their Websites. Going to a station's Website can alert you to any open positions. It is important to know the call letters (such as KHQ or KXLY) for the TV station you wish to look up online, as most will have URLs based on those call letters. You can also find job listings for TV stations by using specific media career Websites such as the National Association of Broadcasters, the Radio Broadcast/TV Broadcast or the TV Jobs Website.
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Read job listings carefully and apply for them exactly as the potential employers request. If you are looking at an opening for a news producer or on-air personality--and the ad asks you to submit your resume along with a tape--be sure to include a tape with your submission. This tape should include clips of your previous work producing or on-air. It is an important way for the person hiring to see if you are compatible with the needs of the station. It is also important to pay attention to statements such as "No Phone Calls" or "Please no emails." They are put onto the job ads for a reason.
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Be sure that your skills match the skills that the TV station is seeking. Some jobs, such as front desk receptionist or building maintenance, may not require a specific level of education or background experience. Others--such as news producers, production assistants and master control operators--require very specific training to handle the jobs they are required to do. This means the hiring managers for these types of positions will only be interested in interviewing applicants who have that specific training and meet the requirements to handle the job.
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Dress and act professional when called in for an interview. Do not show up to see the manager of the accounting department and immediately start asking to see the on-air talent or ask if celebrities ever come to visit the TV station. A lot of the time, working at a local TV station is very similar to working at any other place of business. It is important to act professional and responsible.
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Be prepared for a very high-stress work environment. If you work at a local TV station that produces its own newscasts, you can end up dealing with a lot of situations that can be very stressful. If you are the receptionist, you will have to deal with calls from viewers who do not like your programming, are upset that you are not airing their favorite show or want to know information from a newscast that may or may not have come from your station. If you are in sales, you will have to deal with clients that did not see their commercials air correctly, that saw a competitor's commercials air next to theirs or feel they have been overcharged for their commercials. If you work in the newsroom, you will have to deal with breaking news situations, continuous coverage of weather or sporting events, any of the problems that can arise during a live newscast, and calls from viewers who feel they have a story that should be on the news.
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