Thursday, January 5, 2012

The 2012 interview wardrobe

I thought I'd help you get the jump on job hunting since you all probably made New Years resolutions to get the hell out of Dodge.

Anyway, this just in: the outfits people are wearing for job interviews this year:

-polo shirts
-khaki pants
-white tee shirts visible under the polo shirts
-docksiders
-jeans

I've come up with this list because just a few days into the new year, this is what I'm seeing on various local news stations. Oh, yes, wrinkled clothes are encouraged as well, so throw away your steam iron and ironing board.

You know that old saying about being in sweeps every day? Well, you guys are on a job interview every day. Today might be the day you knock out a great resume tape piece, or have your best live shot... and there you are, on camera, dressed like you're gonna mow the lawn.

Most of the problem lies with the men. While we are notorious for hating clothes shopping, there's no excuse for not wearing a decent shirt and tie. If, back in the day, I'd dressed like some reporters I saw this week, my News Director would have sent me home to change.

Just as you're in sweeps every day, you're on a job interview every day. You never know who's watching, what stories will end up on the feed, what pieces will go on your resume tape or when you might end up doing something for the network.

You wouldn't wear a tee shirt and jeans to a real job interview, so why do it on camera?

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Re-voicing other packages

Every station does it. They have their local anchors re-voice a network or syndicated package in an attempt to make the viewer think it was their own.

Back in the day we had a service that sent us regular medical packages to voice. Slight problem...they produced all the packages in New York City. We were in the South and inevitably there'd be a sound bite from a doctor that sounded like this:

"Ya need ta tawk to ya doctah when ya hava problem."

No viewer would possibly believe the story was produced locally.

On the occasion they'd send a piece without a physician who didn't talk in Brooklynese, we'd get calls from viewers wanting an appointment with the guy... and then we had to confess he was in New York.

You can get around this problem easily by taking a little time to include someone local in your package. You can still use the same b-roll from the original piece, but don't send up a red flag to viewers that the story is not your own.

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