Get the Job You Want With Top Media Job Search Tips

Get the Job You Want With Top Media Job Search Tips Get the Job You Want With Top Media Job Search Tips A media job search involves more than just introducing yourself through a memorable cover letter and creating the perfect media resume. You have to get your materials in front of the correct people in order to get hired. These top media job search tips can be combined to give you the best shot at getting the job you want. Targeted Applications Most media pros have occasionally blanketed the country with resumes. If youre looking for your first media job, or if youre sitting at home after becoming the victim of media layoffs, you likely have the time to create these mass mailings. Its true that if you apply to 200 companies, you technically have a better chance of getting a job than if you apply to only 20. There are flaws to this strategy, though. One of the most common media job search mistakes is to send a generic cover letter and resume to every company. Mailing a cover letter that simply says I want a job in media to a radio station in Orlando and a public relations firm in Chicago isnt going to get you noticed. Its better to concentrate on the 20 companies, research their needs, and write targeted letters specifically to each one. If you dont get a phone call from those 20, then expand to the next 20. Contacts in a Company An overlooked research tool is to use contacts within a company to get information about job openings. While the advertisement for a job opening might say no phone calls, that normally applies to the manager doing the hiring. The best scenario is to contact someone you know in a company. If you dont have a friend at a place where youd like to work, try to get through to someone who can be of help. For example, for a TV news reporter opening, call the newsroom. Find out about the person leaving the station, the reason why theyre going, and what kind of experience they had. Also, ask about the news director whos doing the hiring. Learn what skills they want in a news reporter and when theyre planning to fill the job. This knowledge will help you write a cover letter specifically for the opening at this station, which is far more effective than sending something generic. Its up to you to decide whether you should mention that you called the newsroom to research the job. Online Ads The Internet makes a media job search so much easier than in years past. You can quickly scour media company websites or broad-based jobs websites such as Indeed and Monster for openings. The problem with applying only for openings you see online is that youll likely be one of hundreds of candidates for each job. Sure, someone has to get the job, but being one of 500 applicants may make you feel as though you have a better shot at winning the lottery. A better strategy is to use the internet to find out who might be leaving a media job, then applying before the opening becomes official. It takes some work, but if you see someone at a company has posted their resume all over the web, chances are theyre heading toward the exit door. You can be the first to apply and beat all your competitors resumes to the bosss desk. Headhunter A headhunter can help in your media job search. There are two types of headhunters who are common in the industry. The first headhunter is paid by the media company to find qualified candidates for job openings. You can send your materials to this kind of headhunter in the hopes they will pass them along to clients. The downside is that youll likely never know if or when your resume is being sent out. A second type of headhunter charges you for its services. Because youre the client, youll get much more feedback about your work and how youre being marketed for job openings. With most headhunters, their focus is getting paid by someone for their services. That means its likely that your resume is going out with dozens of others, which puts you in the same situation as if youre applying for an online ad. A headhunter might know about unadvertised openings, but its unlikely that youll be the only person the headhunter pushes to get these jobs. Agent Using a talent agent may make you feel like a Hollywood hotshot. However, there are many cons as well as pros to hiring an agent to help in your media job search. A talent agent works for you, but be prepared to pay. You may have to pay upfront fees, but its more common to pay part of your salary if an agent finds you a job. If they also negotiate your media contract, youll probably pay even more, possibly 10 percent of your salary. It takes a great deal of research before hiring an agent thats right for you. After all, youll be forking over money, so you shouldnt sign with just anybody. Some agents have dozens of clients. The best agents will find out about an opening and concentrate on marketing the client whos best for the job. Others will market several clients, not caring which one gets hired as long as they get paid for their representation. Social Media Using social media sites wisely can help you get hired. Your top priority should be to maximize the impact of your LinkedIn profile. Make it as comprehensive as possible and ask current and former colleagues and bosses for recommendations and endorsements of your skills. Return the favor and recommend and endorse your LinkedIn connections in turn. Use your real name as much as possible on all of your social media accounts so you can be easily found and identified. And it should go without saying, but dont post anything on social media you would be embarrassed to have a potential employer see. Conclusion A media job search isnt easy, especially when there are many more applicants than there are jobs in the industry. The time you devote to a well-planned, focused media job search will help you avoid wasting time and money while getting the job you want.