How to Get a Broadcasting Job
Broadcasting is an extremely difficult field to enter. While writing ability and reporting skills are valuable, there are many intangibles and superficial aspects of the business that come into play. Your voice, appearance and personality will have a huge effect on your career. But you'll still need to prepare yourself with a solid education, an internship and as much hands-on experience as you can acquire before starting your job hunt. Job hunting in the field is different as well, as you will be sending out demo tapes along with paper resumes.
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Things You'll Need
- Access to the Internet
- A computer, preferably with video editing capabilities
- Tape or DVD dubbing equipment, or access to it
Instructions
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Enroll in a university with a reputable broadcasting program. Many universities offer courses in the field, but some have facilities and opportunities that set them apart from the rest. The key is to find a school that will not only teach you the basics, but also let you learn by doing. Many schools have their own broadcast facilities at which students can gain real experience. Colleges with their own radio and television stations that produce their own programs should be at the top of your list.
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Set up at least one internship before you graduate. Many colleges have excellent relationships with local broadcast stations and can help pave the way for you to get experience in this manner. In addition, many networks also offer internships. Most internships are offered during the summer, but some stations will accept interns any time of the year. During your internship it is important for you to sample as many jobs as possible. This is a good way to find out where your goals lie and what part of the field appeals to you.
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Make a resume tape or DVD. While you will also need a traditional paper resume, your demo reel is the thing that will get you a job. Resume tapes offer a sampling of your abilities. Tapes start with a "montage" of on-camera work, which should include short clips of anchoring, live shots and "stand-ups" in which the reporter is on camera during a taped story. After the montage, you'll want to include longer segments of your work, which would include anchoring, reporting or both. To see samples of resume tapes, simply visit a website that specializes in online resume tapes (see Resources).
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Post your work online. There are a few industry websites that allow this, such as Medialine.com and TVJobs.com, for a reasonable fee. Many broadcasting managers who are looking to hire often visit these sites, as it is an easy way to see who's out there looking for work. You can also create your own website and post your work there. Many job applicants email their links to their tapes to managers, but be aware that many stations have rules against opening emails from people they don't know.
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Send your tapes. Old-fashioned snail mail is still the industry standard for job hunting. You can check for job openings at TVJobs.com, which is the most popular site for job leads. And you can simply send tapes to any broadcast station in the hopes there might be a future opening.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't wait for a broadcast station to post openings. Turnover is very high in the industry, so simply send tapes wherever you like. There will always be future openings, and managers do hang on to tapes they like.
Follow the directions in any job posting to the letter. If an ad reads, "No phone calls," then do not call. Most managers can receive hundreds of tapes for one job, and they simply don't have time to talk to everyone.
Beware of independent broadcasting schools that will admit anyone and guarantee a job in the field. Make sure you check any organization's track record before signing up.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit television operator image by TEA from Fotolia.com
