One time, I was working with a radio station owner to find a new sports director. The application instructions provided a two-week window in which folks could apply. On the second day, an application came in that blew away the employer. That applicant was hired before the two-week application window had even expired.
There is an advantage to being among the first to apply for a job.
Here are three reasons to submit your application early:
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A sports broadcaster interviewed for a play-by-play job at a university. The process included meetings with the athletic director, assistant AD, marketing staff and coaches of the various sports the person would be covering.
This individual was nailing the interviews – making a great impression in each of them. He was feeling good about his chances for getting the job when he was told there was one more coach to meet. He was warned, “This one is going to be tough to impress.”
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“ESPN and Fox are hiring much younger these days.” That is one frustration shared with me by a long-time play-by-play broadcaster. Another veteran who is struggling to find work laments that sportscasting “is a young man’s game now.”
For these sportscasters, both in their late 40s to early 50s, age has become the biggest challenge to advancing their careers. “Being cast as an ‘old school’ broadcaster is probably a detriment,” says one of them.
If your perception is that it is harder for older sportscasters to find work, your feeling is accurate. It IS harder. However, understanding employers’ trepidation about hiring older voices can help you better present yourself in the job market.
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Are you sending a form letter with your sportscasting job applications? If your answer is yes, stop it immediately.
If an employer is reading cover letters, your form letter will not get you the job. Instead, invest the time to customize your letters and dramatically increase your chances of receiving a favorable reply.
Here are three keys to successfully selling yourself in your cover letter:
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A friend of mine recently applied for a sportscasting job for which he thought he was a perfect candidate. He had the necessary experience and ability, and he knew the market inside and out.
He didn’t even get an interview.
I share this story with you because his response to the disappointment was awesome.
Recently, I received a call from an employer who wanted to vent. He was deep into the process of hiring a broadcaster and even had a clear-cut favorite. However, that favorite was starting to heavily annoy the employer because of all the references he had calling on his behalf.
Another time, the director of broadcasting for an NFL team shared with me a similar story. He was being inundated with calls from references on behalf of a particular applicant. Again, it was becoming annoying. That employer told me that one or two calls from credible references could certainly help a person’s candidacy. Any more than that, though, can quickly become counterproductive.
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You can always do more to prepare yourself in the sportscasting job market. I was reminded of that in a phone call from a friend this week.
This person has an upcoming job interview. He thought I might be able to provide some helpful background info on the employer.
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Many years ago, a college basketball and minor league baseball broadcaster learned that an NBA team was seeking a new radio voice. He quickly assembled his demo and resume package and sent it off to the team. Days later, he received a reply, “Thank you, but the application period has closed and we’re already down to our finalists.”
At this point, what would you do if you were this broadcaster?
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When veteran college basketball coach Josh Pastner was a high school senior, he mailed letters to every NCAA Division I basketball coach. He wanted to be a coach and he was looking for a program that would accept him as a player/coach-in-training. He heard back from just a small handful of folks, but one of them was Lute Olson at the University of Arizona. Pastner went to Tucson, spent four years as an end-of-the-bench player, became a graduate assistant, and the rest is history.
A lot of sports broadcasters approach the job market much like Pastner approached looking for a school. They send demos and resumes to countless employers hoping to hear back from someone. What works for aspiring basketball coaches, though, almost never works for sportscasters.
You might be working hard in the sports broadcasting job market, but are you working smart?Read More
In September 2014, The Beast 980 went on the air in Los Angeles. Just 16 months later, it was announced that the station had been sold and the sports format was being dropped.
That sucked.
It sucked for Tom Lee who had just moved to LA 10 months earlier to take over as PD. It sucked for Jeanne Zelasko and Bill Plaschke who had just started their new morning show the previous October. It sucked for Chris Myers and Wes Clements, who had just started hosting an afternoon show the month before. It sucked for Fred Roggin who had moved to PM Drive a few months earlier. It sucked for Sam Farber who had just become the Clippers radio network host that season. It sucked for Pete Arbogast whose AM sports anchoring schedule fit nicely around his gig as voice of USC Trojans football. It sucked for everyone who lost their job, whether they were on or off the air.
Losing a job stinks. What do you do now?
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