First Jobs: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

BiB Contributor | The Anonymous News Director – April 2011:

Persistence is part of the process of landing your first job. I recently met with a young reporter who calls me often. She even called me three times while I was sitting in a meeting. I finally picked up the phone. When I told her I was in a meeting, she apologized, and kept steamrolling forward with her pitch.

I told her nothing had changed since I last met with her; she wasn’t ready for the job I had advertised. She asked me for a critique. I repeated my previous statement. Two weeks before receiving this phone call, I had given her a pretty thorough review of what I felt she needed to work on before I considered her any further. Stunned, she hung up without saying a word.

Days later, I received another call from her. She wouldn’t get off the phone until I agreed to meet with her. I agreed to meet with her to review her “new” work.
I found the candidate to be rather defensive during the interview. I gave her a current events test; she scored less than 50 percent. Her work hadn’t changed, either. She had only changed the order of the same stories I saw when I last met with her.

Two things immediately became confirmed during this second meeting. First one was the candidate didn’t listen well. The second one was she wasn’t going to be working at my station – ever.

I recommended she try finding a job in a smaller market.

The reason I’m bringing up this story is because I want to drive home a point.

Persistence can pay off, but it has its limitations. Do not keep trying to contact a news director who clearly tells you you’re not ready. If he or she is willing to meet with you again, be prepared. Make certain you can put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise, you’re not going to win brownie points by continuing to call.

The best piece of advice is to understand the news director has many things on his or her plate. Saying “I’ll meet with you whenever it’s convenient” is not being very empathetic of the news director’s time. It’s an aggressive tactic, but it’s also presumptuous. It is basically saying “Pencil me in for an interview because I don’t believe you have no time.” If you make a positive impression, the news director will make the time. If the impression is negative, there is no time. Harsh – but true.