Dear Grapevine,
When an ad reads, "No Phone Calls" that really doesn't mean you shouldn't call, right? I would think News Directors would want reporters who are aggressive. So what's the 411?
-J.D.
Dear J.D.,
Yes, "no phone calls" is secret management code.
Seriously, no phone calls means don't call. Don't email, fax, text or communicate with anything other than your resume tape. Just imagine you're a News Director with 300 applicants... do you want every one to call you about the job? And would anything other than what's on the tape sway your opinion?
I have one ND friend who automatically disqualifies people who call when they're not supposed to. He says, "If people can't follow simple directions, I don't want them."
Send your tape and fuhgeddaboudit. If they want you, they'll call.
Dear Grapevine,
Do News Directors first look at the tapes that are sent via overnight delivery?
-Linda
Dear Linda,
Nope. Half the time they're opened and stacked up by an assistant. And honestly, no ND cares how your tape arrived. Save your money.
But here's a trick. If you know someone at the station, send the tape to that person and have it hand delivered to the ND.
Hey Grapevine,
I sent a few hundred emails to News Directors and hardly any of them responded. What gives?
Jack
Dear Jack,
News Directors get hundreds of emails each day and simply don't have time. And with fear of computer viruses, many managers are not likely to open emails from people they don't know.
You've still gotta send the tape.
Dear Grapevine,
I'm a college student about to graduate and have no way to edit a decent tape. Our campus equipment is awful. Any ideas?
-Class of '08
Dear eighter,
This one's easy. Call the Chief Photographers at the local stations in your market and ask to hire a photog to help you put your tape together. It will look a lot better and not cost as much as you might think. Photogs are a very kind and helpful lot.
Got questions? We've got answers (or at least opinions.) Send 'em to tvnewsgrapevine@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment