The Industry

      My eyes burn from staring at the computer all day writing cover letters and resumes… luckily there’s a Visine for that! No but seriously yesterday I mentioned that I should probably send out some more packages, or I’ll never get a job, so that’s what I did all day! I’m not going to lie, cover letters will be the death of me. There is only so much I can tell you on a page! Gah! However, applications have some tricks!

I talked about packages all the way back on day one, but there is more. That just covers what goes into your application package, not how it should look. There are a couple things I do that I think are crucial when sending out packages.

1. Effort. This seems obvious to me, but for some it doesn’t. Take the time to make everything look the same. That means same font and size writing on your cover letter and resume. Consistent information, for example, same contact information, similar layout etc. I personally like to have a fancy looking resume. I like to add colour, eye-catching titles and the rest, while of course not distracting the reader. Also, if I’m actually mailing the application I will make sure to have a crisp design on the front of my demo’s CD case. My friend made a cool picture of a old tape, and I photoshopped my contact information onto it. I then label the ACTUAL CD in case it get’s separated from the case.
2. Business Cards. Get them, have them on you, staple one to your resume, put one inside the CD case, have your name on everything you include in the package. I just got new ones so that it includes this blog… 250 cards = $65 bucks, money worth spending. You are a brand, market yourself!
3. Labelling. Like I have said, make sure your name is on everything! If you are sending in an application through email (which is more likely then not), there is an extra step. First, NEVER EVER EVER NEVER send a word document in an email. Some people might not have the same version of Word as you, and therefore they might not be able to open your resume and then “Bye, Bye Mitch Hawes… I had a good feeling about you… but oh well!” So, always, always, always, convert your cover letter and resume into a PDF. It’s super simple, everyone will be able to open it and no one can edit your information! Next you should label your cover letter, resume and any other documents as follows “Your Name, Position, Type of Document, Year” for example “Mitch Hawes On-Air Resume 2010”. This way the employer knows all the information before even opening the file!

These are just things I do. Again, this is where you should try and get creative! Make it so your entire package is hard not to remember! Another tip you should keep in mind is to subscribe to the major broadcasting companies. Astral Media and Rogers for example want you to apply for positions on their websites. The great part about this is that you know they are receiving all the information they need but they also have a cool feature. When you give your email, for Astral at least, they ask if you want updates on job openings! How easy is that… they come to you! So check out all of the broadcasting groups as I have found the majority do have a service like this.

This is how I spent my day, hopefully these tips help!

Happy applying!

-Mitch