Things that aren't on your resume can get you a job

I'll never forget the young woman who strutted into our newsroom for an interview. And yes, I do mean strutted. I half expected her to stop at the office door, do a 360 turn, and say, "Dress by Herve Leger, shoes by Manolo Blahnik, bag by Louis Vuitton."

Get this... after her catwalk act, she sits down, looks me in the eye, and says, "Hey, I know I'm really attractive."

She had an impressive resume and a good tape, but she didn't get the job because of what she didn't have. Modesty.

(That's something often missing from cover letters as well. If your letter talks about how great you are, it's time for a re-write.)

One of my all-time favorite people got the job because she sat down and said this. "I need someone to help me take my work to the next level." In this case the gal had a lot of raw talent and she knew it; she also knew she needed help, and was big enough to admit it. Nothing changed after we hired her, as she was often in my office asking for an opinion or dragging me into an edit booth to check out a story in progress.

When job hunting, your talent or potential is obvious on your tape. (And if you're attractive, that's obvious as well.) So your interview is the opportunity to show a News Director you don't know everything and are willing to take direction. You may actually be a great team player who brings a lot to the table, but the "show and tell" aspects of television apply to interviews as well. Your tape shows me what you can do. Your words tell me what kind of person you are.