YourTalentRep.com
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Get the job you deserve
I designed this site for those of you who are frustrated by the job-hunting process. I am a 20-year veteran of broadcast news. I was news director in three different shops. I have viewed literally thousands of resume tapes and have read thousands of cover letters and resumes. What I can tell you, with great resolve, is that you need help. You need feedback. When I was a news director, I simply did not have the time to provide the feedback each of you deserved. Now, I am teaching and learning from you at the same time. Your mistakes are my battle ground. Your talent is my passion. I want you to reach your potential. And I hope, in some way, I can help you get that next great job in broadcast news. It is NOT unattainable. However, it is highly competitive. I received hundreds of applications for every on-air opening. You need the tools and skills to help your resume and tape set you apart from the others. I hope you find some insight on my website. Good luck and God speed.
Ingrid Johansen
Ingrid Johansen
ingridjohansen@aol.com
I love broadcast news and especially the people in it. I am most proud of having a gift for finding great talent and helping them reach their full potential. If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me. If you'd like me to help you re-build your resume and/or reel, I am here to help. I will tell you what I think, even if you don't like it. I will treat you with the respect you deserve. If I can help you, I will have something else for which to be proud.
Resume Tips:
1. Apply for a position for which you are qualified. If the job description calls for three years of reporting experience and you have only one, don't apply.
2. The news director WILL READ your cover letter. Be sure it is addressed directly to him or her, with his or her name spelled correctly. Make it concise and highlight your best attributes. Don't bother with the cliches. Those are major turnoffs. Check and double check your spelling and grammar. If you can't get a cover letter or resume done well, why should this person hire you?
3. Be sure to specify in your cover letter and on your reel the position for which you are applying.
4. Put your name and contact information on your cover letter, resume, and reel.
5. Don't put a picture on your resume, cover letter, tape, or envelope. This screams "I want to be on TV." News directors want journalists, not wanna-be-anchors.
6. If this is your first job, don't pretend you have experience you don't have. If your tape is full of stories your intership photographer helped you produce, acknowledge that. I am always skeptical of a "newby" sending a slickly-produced resume tape. Frankly, I assume it was not his or her own work.
7. List accomplishments on your resume that speak to who you are as a person, even if they are not directly related to the field. If you are a leader among your peers or a volunteer for an important organization, that speaks to your character. I often said "I don't hire assholes."
8. Do not try gimmicks. I once received a resume tape inside a shoe box with, yes, a worn woman's shoe. The cover letter said, "just trying to get my foot in the door." All this poor woman accomplished was that she became a joke I have retold countless times over my career. She certainly never got a call back from me, nor I suspect from any other potential employers.
9. If you are applying for a reporting position, don't put any anchoring on your tape. Again, this screams "anchor wanna-be" and is a major turn-off. If you have anchor talent, the news director will discover that in time.
10. Be honest and own your mistakes. If you have had a bad experience, learn from it and be willing to take the hit to your ego. All of us have been there. My only red flag with someone who's made a mistake is if they don't own it and openly discuss how they learned from it. We are all just a sum of our actions. Make your next action relfect your true character, despite any setbacks.
1. Apply for a position for which you are qualified. If the job description calls for three years of reporting experience and you have only one, don't apply.
2. The news director WILL READ your cover letter. Be sure it is addressed directly to him or her, with his or her name spelled correctly. Make it concise and highlight your best attributes. Don't bother with the cliches. Those are major turnoffs. Check and double check your spelling and grammar. If you can't get a cover letter or resume done well, why should this person hire you?
3. Be sure to specify in your cover letter and on your reel the position for which you are applying.
4. Put your name and contact information on your cover letter, resume, and reel.
5. Don't put a picture on your resume, cover letter, tape, or envelope. This screams "I want to be on TV." News directors want journalists, not wanna-be-anchors.
6. If this is your first job, don't pretend you have experience you don't have. If your tape is full of stories your intership photographer helped you produce, acknowledge that. I am always skeptical of a "newby" sending a slickly-produced resume tape. Frankly, I assume it was not his or her own work.
7. List accomplishments on your resume that speak to who you are as a person, even if they are not directly related to the field. If you are a leader among your peers or a volunteer for an important organization, that speaks to your character. I often said "I don't hire assholes."
8. Do not try gimmicks. I once received a resume tape inside a shoe box with, yes, a worn woman's shoe. The cover letter said, "just trying to get my foot in the door." All this poor woman accomplished was that she became a joke I have retold countless times over my career. She certainly never got a call back from me, nor I suspect from any other potential employers.
9. If you are applying for a reporting position, don't put any anchoring on your tape. Again, this screams "anchor wanna-be" and is a major turn-off. If you have anchor talent, the news director will discover that in time.
10. Be honest and own your mistakes. If you have had a bad experience, learn from it and be willing to take the hit to your ego. All of us have been there. My only red flag with someone who's made a mistake is if they don't own it and openly discuss how they learned from it. We are all just a sum of our actions. Make your next action relfect your true character, despite any setbacks.
