A female anchor once told me, “News Directors are just like
single men. They say they’ll call, but they never do.”
Nothing drives on-air people nuts more than wondering what
actually happens to their resume tapes after they send them. Did the ND watch
my tape? Is it sitting in a giant pile unopened?
And the big
one.
Is my resume tape good enough? There are no definitive
answers to any of these, but you have to keep one thing in mind to maintain
your sanity.
In many cases, it is not a matter of hiring the best person for the job, but the right person. Here are some of the comments
I’ve heard over the years from various managers after watching really good
resume tapes. Preface all of these with “great tape, but...”“Too old.”
“Too young.”
“Not another blonde.”
“But we need a male/female.”
“Overqualified/not enough experience.”
“Won’t fit with the current co-anchor.”
“I’d rather hire someone local so we can save moving
expenses.”
You get the picture.
It is a lot like that episode of Seinfeld: “It’s not you, it’s me.” In
many cases, the stars have to align for you to get the job. Your tape may be
just fine, but you are not what the ND is looking for. Or your tape may need
some improvement. (More on that later.) But in order to understand how the hiring
process works, we need to take a peek inside the News Director’s office.
Let’s start at the beginning. There’s an opening. The ND
runs an ad in TVJobs.com. (He thinks he’ll save himself a few headaches by
putting the term “no phone calls” in the ad only to have the phone ring one
nanosecond after the opening hits the website.) Then the tapes begin to
arrive.(Let me preface the rest of this discussion by saying that when I made
the transition from reporter to manager I made myself a promise that I would watch
every resume tape as soon as it came in. This promise died a grisly death when
we ran an ad for a sports anchor and had 100 tapes show up in a week.)The tapes
begin to pile up the next day thanks to the wonders of overnight delivery. The
sad thing is, if the job was just posted, the applicant has just wasted fifteen
bucks. ND’s don’t think any more of a tape which arrived via Fedex than one
that was sent Media Mail. The only time to send a tape overnight is when it is
requested, or when you know for a fact the News Director is making a decision
tomorrow.
Okay, back to our story. Now there’s a giant pile of tapes
in the ND’s office, or if he has an assistant, in the assistant’s office. Every
ND has his or her own system. In one case, I as the assistant news director was
asked to go through the tapes and only bring the best ones to the ND. Since he
and I had the same taste in reporters, this worked well. In another case, the
ND watched them all himself, then asked me and the Executive Producer to watch
what he considered the finalists. At another station, the ND piled up the tapes
and invited the whole news staff to watch them after the 6pm newscast and
honestly listened to everyone’s opinion. And finally, I worked as a reporter at
a station that changed News Directors. I noticed the new guy watched resume
tapes with the sound off. When I asked him why, he said “if they don’t look
good, I don’t want them.” (Not being anything close to Robert Redford, I sent
out a dozen tapes the next day.)When it is time to watch the tape, here is what
generally happens. The envelope is opened and the tape, resume and cover letter
are pulled out. The tape goes in the machine while the ND takes a quick glance
at the resume to see the person’s name and the current station or university.
“Okay, we’ve got Joe from Wichita.” The “play” button is hit, and the show
begins.
Okay, your slate has rolled by and your first standup
begins. It had better be your best work or the “eject” button will be hit very
quickly. At this point you’re asking, “How can this be? This isn’t fair! The ND
hasn’t even gotten to my packages yet!” Bud sadly, in most cases, this is true.
Most managers are looking for their own style of on-air person. So your first
few seconds of tape had better show some personality, creative writing ability,
ability to communicate, animation, connection with the viewer. Remember, first
impressions count the most. And, yes, this is a very superficial business. Some
ND’s are very concerned with how you look. Once again, not fair, but that’s how
the business is. So, if you’re lucky your tape is still rolling. If an ND
watches a package or two, you’ll make the short list. The tape will be put
aside. This is generally when your cover letter is read, and this is a chance
for you to shine. A clever, well-written cover letter can set you apart from
one filled with grammar and spelling errors.
So now all the
tapes have been viewed and the ND has narrowed it down to maybe six. In most
stations, the GM will want to approve on-air hires, and in some cases, approval
must come from corporate. The list is narrowed, usually down to three, and the
interview process begins. The rest is up to you.
Things to improve your chances:
-A tape that really moves. A nice montage of standups, a
great live shot, and three great packages. If you’re an anchor, make sure to
include some crosstalk and a good variety of stories. Make sure at some point
in the tape we can see your smile. (If you’re a college student, we really
don’t expect you to have a live shot.)
-Your personality must come out. The world is full of cookie-cutter people; what
makes you different? Don’t tell me, show me.
-Make your first package an enterprise story or something in
which you’ve done some digging. Sadly,
many reporters start with a spot news package. Remember, the police do
most of the information gathering in spot news, so unless the story is really
unique, don’t lead with it. (That’s why most stations let interns cover car
wrecks.)
-A story with some kind of emotion or humor. A lot of times
managers will be talking about applicants and one will say “she’s the reporter
who did that homeless story” or
“he’s the reporter with the waterskiing squirrel feature.” Make an ND laugh or
cry and you’ll be more memorable.
-Anchoring in which your energy and personality comes
through the screen. Too many anchors send tapes in which they are simply
reading. Talk to the
viewer.
And here are some things that can work against you:
-Voice. Nothing takes you out of the running faster than a
wicked accent. No one wants an anchor who sounds like “The Nanny” or Scarlett
O’Hara. (In a bizarre bit of irony, you can’t get to New York if you sound too
Noo Yawk.) If you’ve got an accent, get rid of it and make a new tape.
-The work is not your own. News Directors are like
Columbo in spotting little things
that don’t add up. A favorite trick of a college intern is to “borrow” a local
or network reporter’s package, re-voice it and add his or her own standup. But
it is often obvious this is not the applicant’s work. In one such case a young
man was well into his package when his “exclusive interview” included a sound
bite featuring a hand holding a microphone. The hand had beautifully manicured
long red nails and an engagement ring.
-Misspelling the News Director’s name on your cover letter.
Why would you hire a reporter who is supposed to have attention to detail if he
or she can’t spell your name correctly? If the name is not listed in the ad,
call the station and ask for it. (Even if the ad calls for you to submit a tape
to Human Resources, you want your cover letter addressed to the ND.) Ask for
the correct spelling, and if it is one of those names that can be male or
female, like Terry, Kelly, or yeah, Randy, ask if the ND is a he or she. My
name is Italian and really isn’t that difficult to spell, but I’ve had mail
addressed to “Tonto,” “Toronto,” and my favorite, “Ranno Tanno.” I once had a
phone call for “Mr. Tomato.”
-Getting the call letters wrong in your cover letter. We
realize job applicants send the same cover letter to everyone, just make sure
you match the ND with the station.
-Bars and tone on the tape. For those who don’t know, bars
and tone are used by engineers to set broadcast levels and to chase on-air
people out of master control. They are not necessary on a tape. You may as well
just mail a screaming baby with your application.
-The DVD is blank. Amazingly this happens more often than
you would think. Check each tape before mailing.
-Calls to find out if your tape has arrived. ND’s know this
is an attempt to get feedback and can find these calls annoying. Just use the
US Postal Service delivery confirmation if you want to make sure.
-Beauty pageants listed on your resume. If you’re
attractive, it is obvious on your tape. While I know many pageant vets who are
competant journalists and nice people, there is a stigma that pageant people
are all style and no substance. If you’re going to list a parade of pageant
victories on your resume you might as well just tattoo “high maintenance” on
your forehead. Enter as many pageants as you want, just leave them off the
resume. (I actually worked with one anchor who listed her dress size on her
resume.)
-Modeling portfolio photos. Once again, if you’re
attractive, it is obvious. Sending photos of yourself in a bikini just labels
you as superficial. Sending any kind of still photos is a colossal waste of
money.
-Packing peanuts. Not really a mistake, but a good way to
get an ND in a bad mood. Proponents of packing peanuts often send their tapes
in giant boxes sealed with enough tape to bind Ironman to a chair. The ND
struggles to open the box, then endures an explosion of styrofoam. Since most
stations no longer have maintenance men, this sends the ND to the Chief
Engineer, who presents him with a 1958 Electrolux vacuum cleaner that makes
more noise that the generator on the live truck.
Now a word about feedback. Don’t call for it. A good way to
get some is to include a self addressed stamped postcard asking for it. You’re
bound to get some response. But there are two kinds. Good old-fashioned
constructive criticism is always welcome, especially if it points out something
of which you might not be aware. Make a note of those NDs, fix the problem, and
send a new tape when you do. On the other hand, there are some NDs who seem to
enjoy writing feedback that demeans the job applicant. If you get feedback like
this, ignore it and be thankful you don’t work for someone who would be that
mean spirited.
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