Getting A TV Job: Know Your Current Events

What's one of the most embarrassing things that can happen in an interview with a TV station?  You not knowing some major player in a breaking news event (a commonly known president's name, or the head guy at the Federal Reserve), or you not knowing anything about some major breaking weather event that just took place.

Here is an excerpt from the book where we discuss knowledge of current events, along with the importance of that knowledge:

A common problem in news is when a new reporter or anchor doesn’t know what’s happening in the world – they just want to be famous on TV. It is important that you’ve at least heard significant people’s names and have a rough idea of what they do and who they are. That way, when breaking news happens you’ll have a good idea of who the person is and how significant the news is. What is the worst and most embarrassing thing that can happen when you don’t know who someone is and you’re anchoring or reporting? You have to ask who that person is. While it won’t be the end of the world, it doesn’t help your image around the station at all either.

Keep that in mind not just while you are applying for your first job, but also after that as well!

To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.  Remember that until April 30th you can order the book with free shipping by using the code APRILMAIL305 upon checkout.  You can also download the PDF version for about half the price as the printed book.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer

The Phone Interview

In a traditional job (i.e. not a TV job), you will likely get a phone call at some point from a potential employer or a recruiter.  They will ask you a few questions, making sure you are a good candidate for their position.  Eventually you will get an in-person interview and both you and your potential employer will figure out if you are a good match for each other.

In television news, the story is much different.  Most, if not all, of your first (and even second or third) job interviews will be done via the telephone.  This section of the book helps to prepare you for what to expect in those situations:

We just spent all of this time and paper space talking about the in-person interview – but the odds are that more than half of your interviews will actually take place over the phone. Even if you end up with an in-person interview, you probably had to get through a phone interview of some sort first, in order to end up with the in-person interview. As such, this topic is definitely one to consider. 

Some people will literally move across the whole country for their first job without even seeing the station first.  While that is not recommended, it might be what it will take in order to land your first job.  Try to seek out opinions on the station and their building before doing something drastic like that (posting a thread in Medialine asking about the market is a good start).

To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.  Remember that until April 30th you can order the book with free shipping by using the code APRILMAIL305 upon checkout.  You can also download the PDF version for about half the price as the book itself.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

Making A Resume Tape: Watch Yourself

In a previous blog posting we discussed the need to get critiques from people you intern with.  Another great - and very important - way to make your tape better?  Watch yourself.  You will likely be one of the biggest critics you will ever have.

Prior to getting my first on-air job I would practice in front of the camera.  I remember one time where I declared after recording a fake weathercast for my tape that it was "the best I had ever done."  Upon getting home and watching what I had just recorded, I got to that weathercast and was appalled, thinking "that was the worst I have ever recorded."  That appalling weathercast was the one I had declared to be my best.  Watching yourself is very important, here is an excerpt from a section on doing just that from the book:

Sometimes you are your own worst critic. Make sure you find other people more experienced in the business to do true critiques – but also make sure that you are taping yourself as you practice your skills. You do it in different ways, but it is important for all facets of the news industry – be it reporting, anchoring, or weather. 

We talk about the answers to questions surrounding resume tapes, and give you suggestions on how to make the best possible resume tape in "So You Want To Be A TV Star?"  To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.  Remember that until April 30th you can order the book with free shipping by using the code APRILMAIL305 upon checkout.  You can also download the PDF version for about half the price as the book itself.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer

Radio Interview Tonight!

Radio interview on KULT tonight for Northern Iowa University on the book... listen at http://www.uni.edu/kult starting at 9pm tonight.

We'll have more updates on the blog in the next couple of days!  Stay tuned!

~Aaron Shaffer

Designing A TV Resume

One major difference you'll see between a TV job hunt and an "ordinary" job hunt lies in the importance of difference pieces of the puzzle.

One major difference can be found with regard to a paper resume being sent along with your resume tape.  If you were applying to Proctor & Gamble you'd likely format your resume quite a bit differently that you should be doing for a TV job.

Here is an excerpt from the section of "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" where resumes are discussed:

Let’s start with this statement: your TV resume should NOT look like your friend’s resume that is applying for a job at Proctor & Gamble for a middle management position. Nor should it look like your friend’s resume applying for an entry-level engineering position at 3M. Television is all about visuals & being able to sell your product to viewers.

While a boring resume will certainly not keep you out of most people’s lists of the top 10 candidates for a position

– it certainly won’t help you stand out from the crowd either. 

We talk about the answers to questions surrounding resumes, and give you suggestions on how to make the best possible resume in "So You Want To Be A TV Star?"  To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.  Remember that until April 30th you can order the book with free shipping by using the code APRILMAIL305 upon checkout.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer

Free Shipping Coupon Code

If you've been watching this book as a potential purchase, the publishing company just sent me a coupon code (APRILMAIL305) for "FREE SHIPPING," so buy away!  

This is what the email says that Lulu Press sent to me:

Use coupon code APRILMAIL305 at checkout, select Mail Shipping and receive the single book shipping cost free. Maximum savings with this promotion is $4.99. Print and tax amounts are excluded. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer ends on April 30, 2011 at 11:59 PM so try not to procrastinate! While very unlikely we do reserve the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so. Transaction must be in US dollars.

How Long Should A Resume Tape Be?

One big question you'll be asking yourself as you conduct your first job hunt is this:

"How long should I make my resume tape?"

There are many different routes you can go with that question, and here is a brief excerpt from the book on the subject:

So you are wanting a reporter position and you just put together 2 great packages that are each one minute and thirty seconds long. Or you’re a meteorologist who after months of practicing off-air finally got two weathercasts that are about three minutes and thirty seconds long. That means the reporter has potentially only a 3 minute long tape and the meteorologist has what could possibly be a 7 minute long tape. Which one is right? 

We talk about the answers to that question, and give you suggestions on how to make the best possilbe tape in "So You Want To Be A TV Star?"  To find out more about this section of the book  and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" along with more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer

How Many Tapes Will It Take?

One of the first questions an experienced TV news anchor, reporter, meteorologist, or anybody else with tape-sending experience gets from an aspiring TV personality is the following:

"How many tapes will I have to send to get my first job?"

This has now become, "How many DVDs?" or "How many YouTube or website links will it take?" but the basic question remains the same.  This is almost more of a "Zen" type of question, as there is not a very good answer to this question.

I'll give you an example of my own experience, through finding three television jobs.  My first job was the hardest.  Right out of college, even with lots of practice experience, I sent out about 80, yes *eighty*, tapes.  That was a friendly potpourri of actual VHS tapes (about half), DVDs (to those who allowed that about five years ago), and then a small smattering of website links.  Out of those eighty tapes sent out (I just refer, as most TV people do, regardless of the medium sent, to anything sent to a station as a generic "tape").  I ended up with several interviews, and finally got one job offer.  Without that offer, it's possible I never would have even made it into television in the first place.

The second job was much easier, bucking the trend for many.  I was young and cheap, with two years of experience under my belt.  I sent out about ten tapes (only two VHS this time, the rest DVDs or website links) and got several interviews, one near-job-offer, and one actual offer.  I took it and went there.

The third job hunt took a more moderate amount.  I sent out about thirty tapes, a little bit more picky about location and such this time around, and had several interviews/emails/callbacks.  By the way, on the third job hunt I sent out zero VHS tapes, so that was a welcome medium to be now seemingly obsolete.  VHS tapes were by far the hardest, and most time-consuming, medium to record to as you conducted your job hunt - even just a few years ago - and they cost the most to ship too.

To find out more about this section of the book - about the question "How Many Tapes Will It Take?" and other related sections, please click on the "Buy Now" link at the top of this page or click here.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" or more personal stories from the author!

~Aaron Shaffer

Critiques: Get Them While You Can - And Get Your 1st Job!

Many people will intern at a station, or several, before they get into "job-hunting mode" for their first TV news or weather job.  At those internships you will (make sure this happens) tape yourself trying to do whatever it is - be it news or weather - that you want to ultimately do.  The next step after that, and the hardest, is to then submit your best work to the experienced anchors and/or meteorologists that you intern with.  That is how you get critiques, and critiques are you how will get better at your craft.  This is an excerpt from the book that kicks of the section on the value of critiques as you set up your resume tape:

Once you are able to get an internship there are a number of valuable assets you will have at your disposal. Make sure you take advantage of ALL of them! One of those assets is the experience of other anchors and reporters and meteorologists at the station you are interning at. They all have more experience than you and there should be at least one, if not several, who are willing to look at what you are doing and give you their advice on how to get better. If you are in news, try putting together a package using video other people have shot – but write your own script. Put it together in a package format and see how it looks. Then let someone else critique your voice & writing style. If you are in weather, use the weather show from the 10pm news and record that. 

The section goes on from there, and can be read in-full in the book, So You Want To Be A TV Star?  Critiques are essential to getting your first job, especially when you still have time to get in and record new material before your internships end.

Check in soon for another post & excerpt from the book!  If you are interested in seeing more of this book, you can purchase it using the link at the top of this page.  You can also visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer 

Preventing Bad Shows & Improving Rapidly... An Easy Way To Make A Good Impression!

A quick way to start off your new TV job on a bad note is to have major mistakes right away.  If it's your 1st job, you'll have some mistakes that will inevitably happen - but there are ways to cut down on the chances of those mistakes being make. 

This is an excerpt from a  section of the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" in which some methods of avoiding bad shows are discussed.  It is called "Ideas For Preventing Bad Shows & Improving Rapidly."

A common way to help prevent bad shows for both news and weather people is to practice behind the scenes. This is particularly important if you are going to be an anchor of any kind. In weather, once you learn how to make a show and fit it with the “look” of the station you are working for, then try to run through it a few times to get a feel for how the weather segment should go. Get a feel for how much time you will need to get through your slides, and be ready to adjust by adding or subtracting as much as possible. Keep things simple until you are ready to be more advanced. The same can be said for anchors. Load up the teleprompter and go practice in the studio. See what the cameras look like, get comfortable in the studio, and make sure you are comfortable with the writing on the teleprompter – including the font and font size. Every station sets up their teleprompter differently, and you should plan on this new one being different from anything you’ve ever read.

That is a starting point - and there is much more about that topic in the book.   You don't become a top-notch anchor magically, it takes time & LOTS of practice!

Check in soon for another post & excerpt from the book!  If you are interested in seeing more of this book, you can purchase it using the link at the top of this page.  You can also visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer

Dealing With Creepy People

You see them every day, and you know who they are.  You're probably thinking of a couple that would qualify right now as you read this.  The "creepers." 

In TV you are exposed to a number of strange circumstances, many of which are not covered in your traditional college textbooks.  One of which is how to deal with creepy people around you at work - be they viewers or co-workers.

Here is a short excerpt from one of the final sections of "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" - titled "Dealing With Creepy People."

This can be a funny subject… or it can be a deadly serious subject. You’ll encounter a couple of different classes of “creepy” people in TV. Some people are harmless and just don’t know how to interact with others – likely a few work at your new station. Some are beyond harmless and could pose a threat to injure you or even worse. 

If you start to get personal emails from viewers pay close attention to their subjects and their senders. Make sure you keep copies of anything, and if it starts to get serious make sure to mention them to co-workers. If someone declares they “love” you in more than a “I love your weather presentation” type of way, that is a sign things have taken a turn for the worse...

Stay tuned to your surroundings when you do get that first TV job, and make sure to keep track of anything "unusual" around you.

Check in soon for another post & excerpt from the book!  If you are interested in seeing more of this book, visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer

Why The Book?

It all started as a joke.  A pessimistic friend says something about how hard the TV news industry is to work in, and I respond in turn by creating a one-word book.

The title?  So You Want To Be A TV Star...  Written by Aaron Shaffer.

The one word?  Don't.

As I was creating that one-word book it dawned on me that despite the negative side of TV, it can be a fun adventure that keeps you on your toes.  There is rarely a dull moment, and you get to explore the country.  I started to realize that despite the fact that the original title was a joke, this book could actually be used to do some good for people looking to get into the industry. 

Here are the first few lines as they are written now:

Don’t.

Those were the first words (or the first word) of this informational book as I initially envisioned it. Why do it? Why put yourself through the torture of finding a good school, spending incredibly large (and rising) sums of money to go there? Then, after all of that, putting yourself through the torture of finding a job! That list doesn’t even include the things you endure once you are finally lucky enough to *get* a job!

 I finally relented, though, while thinking about the fact that there are some pretty incredible things that likely made you decide to be a television personality - and made many others of us choose that path as well. It likely wasn’t any of those difficulties listed above – but an entirely different list of things. Maybe you are interested in fame and fortune – or perhaps you are interested in the fact that your new-found celebrity while working at a TV station will help you in your quest to start a network of volunteers. Maybe you just really like asking questions and working on a tight schedule or deadline.

You can see that I've changed my tune quite significantly (thank you, pessimistic friend) since the beginning.  Right now the state of the television industry is quite pessimistic, but there *are* jobs to be found.  Using some of the tips in this book you can set yourself apart from, as the post below states, the "job hunting hoards."

If you are interested in seeing more of this book, visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer

Setting Yourself Apart: The Job-Hunting Hoards

So you've always wanted to be on TV and you're hoping to get that first job in the next few months?  You're not alone!  Thousands of people across the country will try to do the exact same thing as you in the coming months.  You need to figure out how you can set yourself apart from the job-hunting hoards!

Here is an excerpt from So You Want To Be A TV Star on setting yourself apart from those job-hunting hoards:

FINAL TOUCHES ON YOUR RESUME TAPE

Once your tape is complete, it is very important to go back and watch your tape on your own DVD or VHS player (or computer if you are using your own website or a site like YouTube). It may seem funny to re-watch your tape after you have spent all this time putting it together, but there are many benefits to re-watching your tape. First and foremost, make sure it works! There have been cases where a news director receives a tape that doesn’t work and instead of calling you and asking for a new one, the news director will toss your tape into the trash. You definitely do not want to be yet another one of those stories – nor do you want to be the one other people think of as they read this section...

...Additionally, you do not want to try to squeeze a wide screen picture into a standard height/width ratio. Too often you will see a resume tape that has all of the right touches. It has flashy graphics – but not too flashy. It has neat transition effects – but not too neat. It is well-edited, well thought out, and well put together. The one downside is that they happened to work at or intern at a station that records in high definition widescreen formats and tried to record their widescreen material, without cropping the edges, onto a standard 4:3 format screen. Make sure that this description is not what you are doing. If you can’t figure out how to change the format of your video, make sure you take the time to search online or find a friend or co-worker who can help you change your video format to the proper dimensions.

Keep that in mind as you conduct your job hunt! If you are interested in seeing more of this book, visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer