The Industry

     Roller coaster of a day. Up and down and over here and over there. This job hunting thing is getting to me. HOWEVER, although I’m slightly discouraged right now, I am far from giving up. It’s that weird feeling I’ve described in the past. In this business you can have a great looking resume and cover letter, but it all comes down to talent for the majority of the jobs and that is when you get the “Ego-Crusher”… which sounds like a monster truck you would see on SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY. So today when I received an email from Amanda Niblett about her journey she gave me hope and I thought now is the perfect time to share it with you!

Amanda is another twitter friend. Through a couple 140 characters or less conversations I asked if she would be willing to contribute to the blog. She said she was game for it and here we are. This is Amanda’s story:

I graduated from the Radio and Television Arts at Nait with honours.  At Nait, our last semester is a 4 month practicum and I did mine at ROCK 105.3 in Medicine Hat, which was awesome but there is never a job guarantee out of a practicum, so after my four months I went home to Edmonton and applied.

Every single day I was sending resumes and airchecks and cover letters out to stations. I applied for jobs I wasn’t even qualified for. I drove hours for interviews.  Which is a piece of advice I took to heart. If you can be somewhere in person for an interview, do it.

It took me four months to get a shot. In the time it took to get my first real job in radio I almost quit. More than once.  I even had to get a retail job to start making a little bit of money. Finally a job posting came through my email for a swing announcer position in Slave Lake. My first thought was  “YES!” and a part of me could feel that this was going to be my first job.

Sure enough, I waited and had an interview and landed the job and then I moved out here. I think it was like, a week, maybe two until I had to start. My first day was December 20th, and I was filling in for the midday guy, doing contests, and other regular features that went daily. If that wasn’t the scariest and best way to start in the industry I don’t know what is.
I guess I don’t really have any tips or tricks or secrets. I applied. I gave up. Then I applied some more. Sometimes it’s who you know, and sometimes it’s the timing, and sometimes they might be looking for someone who is the complete opposite of who you are. But finally the person they’re looking for is you. I guess just don’t give up.
I know it’s hard and I know it’s discouraging when you’re passing out resumes on a daily basis and no one even gets back to you. But keep on pressing, ya’ll. It pays off.

In the meantime, send demos to Program Directors in markets and stations you’d like to work in. Get feedback. Try to stay in the know about the industry.  Milkman Unlimited has a great industry news section that is updated every day.

Stay on top of what stations you’re applying to are doing on air and in their promotions department. Know the stations, and the companies. And seriously, don’t give up. If you love it - Don’t give up. And also, small towns aren’t that bad. In fact, they’re kind of awesome.

Amanda Niblett
Swing Announcer, Newcap Radio

Besides graduating from different schools and having different internships, I am following in Amanda’s footsteps. This is one of the reasons I had to post Amanda’s email today. Just like she says in the first couple paragraphs, I am sending out resumes  and my demo’s daily. I have yet to hear anything back (which is the most frustrating thing, although I’m sure it’s better then a flat-out “You’re horrible”) and she’s right, persistence is key. I mentioned it before about fearing going back to the Deli where I worked for almost 2 years, but I think it’s inevitable. This is a tough business to crack into (hence the day twenty-nine… don’t think it would be a very effective blog if I got a job on day four, so let’s call this my plan!) and there is nothing wrong with working until you get your first radio gig! 

The other thing that I think is worth re-iterating is the point Amanda makes about trying to interview in person! Talk about eerie. My Mum and I were literally just having this conversation earlier this afternoon about how I am going to get my butt to Manitoba, where there is a great starting position open. I have to admit, after giving this some more thought, I truly believe this is going to be one of the only ways to showcase my drive and determination for this position (Just so you know, upon reading that last sentence my Mother will come running to me, dancing and stating, or rather singing “I TOLD YOU SO”… I warned you).

Small markets are great starting points and Amanda says so above. In what medium/large market would you fill in for the midday guy on your first day?! The opportunities are endless and this is what excites me about small markets and they should excite you too. If you think you are going to start out on air in the major markets like Vancouver or Toronto, you have another thing coming (unless you know a lot of people in high places, to which I say theres a link to my resume on the left hand side of the page… HIRE ME!)

Thanks so much Amanda for sharing your story and I wish you all the best in your career. If you would like to hear more from Amanda you can listen for her on Newcap Radio or follow her on Twitter, like me! 

Until tomorrow radio people.

-Mitch

P.S. Remember there are archive pages on the left hand side of any page that categorizes all the posts. Daily Posts, Advice and Extras (non-radio related, fun stuff). If you want to read all the posts starting from Day One, you will find them all there and I highly encourage it… no, I DARE YOU! SNAP! The advice is pouring in this week and I am going to try and post an “Extra” every day. So prepare to take the awesomeness level from 10 to 11!