4. BE PERSISTENT IN CHASING YOUR FIRST JOB
If you're looking for advice here at SoYouWanna.net, you're already in a crowd of millions, but if you're looking for a job in TV news, you're not alone either. A study by some top journalism professors found that the average TV News Director gets 60 applications for every entry-level hire. So what does that mean? It means pack it in, Sparky, this line of work ain't for you.
Just kidding. You probably won't find too many vacancies for Network Anchor on the Web, but there are a number of easy-to-navigate search engines that let you know what jobs are open and where. The American Journalism Review has an excellent, searchable database that lets you plug in location, job description, and salary requirements. The National Association of Broadcasters lists nationwide openings, and the Radio-Television News Director's Association is a pretty good jumping off point for seeing what's out there. TVjobs.com offers a searchable job database, but you have to register and pay $20.00/yr. Finally, the Society of Professional Journalists and The Rundown offer fairly good background information on what's going on in the profession and how to get started.
When you do start sending out résumés, the routine is pretty much the same as when you found your internship: get the specific name of the person to whom you should send your material, and follow up after a week. Just like in any job, blind mailings with generic greetings probably won't get you very far. If you send résumé tapes, make sure to strictly follow whatever guidelines are listed in job ad.
When you do get that first call back, treat it like a hot story. Follow up quickly and do your homework.
