A radio station in Charleston, SC had an opening for a producer. An individual who was looking to transition from another career into sports radio thought it would be his perfect entry. He told the employer, “If I can have just five minutes of your time to deliver my resume, I’ll stop by on Thursday.” He did stop by. The employer spent several hours with the candidate. That afternoon, he accepted the job offer before heading back home.

Home was Los Angeles, California.

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Years ago, the program director of a sports radio station in Oklahoma City applied for the same position at a Los Angeles station. Management in LA loved everything about him – his knowledge of the format, his ability to manage personalities, his proficiency working with sales and marketing departments – all of it.

There was just one thing that gave management in LA reservation about hiring him – the huge jump in market size from where he was to where they were.

When the trepidation came up in the interview, the PD replied brilliantly.
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ESPN’s announcement last week of major layoffs prompted an email to me from the parent of a student sportscaster. She wrote, “I always thought that now is a good time to go into sports broadcasting/journalism as there are so many different channels on TV and social media. Should I be concerned that ESPN laid off 100 employees today?

The answer: no.
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A highly accomplished broadcaster applied for one of the major college play-by-play jobs that opened in the past year. However, when he applied by emailing resume and audio attachments, it sent the clear indication that he doesn’t possesses the technological skills necessary for the position.

Sports broadcasting jobs today are much more than simply being on the air. They are about creating online videos, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, blogging, live streaming and web editing. A person who can’t upload their demo and resume to DropBox likely can’t handle the multimedia duties required by most of today’s play-by-play jobs.

It’s okay to not know how to perform these tasks. It’s not okay to refuse to learn. Not if you want to continue your career.
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It happens to all of us. You click on a link or video and get a “Not Found” or “Deleted” error message. Bummer.

As the keeper of Talent Pages and personal websites in the STAA Talent Search, I see this all the time. Sportscasters relying on external websites, only to discover their content has been moved or worse, is no longer available.

When your income depends on access to your demo and multimedia samples, don’t allow another business to control how and when it is available.
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Did your Mom ever tell you that you can’t have dessert if you don’t eat your vegetables? My wife and I tell it to our son all the time. You can’t eat just the steak and garlic bread – you also have to eat the peas.

It’s the same way when applying for jobs. You can’t pretend the stuff you don’t like in the position description doesn’t exist.
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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 earlier this year. 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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