Kade Reed was tired of not hearing back on his job applications so he changed his approach. Doing things differently paid off. Reed is joining Mountaineer Radio at Eastern Oklahoma State College as an on-air host and play-by-play broadcaster.
“There are tons of play-by-play and color commentary opportunities, as well as so many chances to learn and improve in all facets of radio,” Reed enthuses about his new job. “The ability to call college basketball games as well as other collegiate sports is a dream come true for me.”
Hitting the sportscasting job market
Reed is a 2021 graduate of Northern Arizona University. He joined STAA in May and applied for the EOSC job in August.
“I found the position the same way I found a lot of the positions that I applied for — through STAA Job leads,” Reed grins. I applied as soon as I received the email and saw a role that I thought would be a great fit. About a week later I was contacted over the phone to schedule an interview.”
Reed follows fellow STAA member Spencer McLaughlin at ESOC. McLaughlin left last month to join the play-by-play team at Southern Utah University. The position Reed inherits includes a daily on-air shift. “It is mostly music focused but can include some sports,” he explains. “I’ve never had an on-air music shift, but I am happy to learn more and always like a challenge!”
Not hearing back
The first three months of Reed’s post-graduate job hunt were challenging. “I started my job search in May and I went all out applying for jobs,” he remembers. “I became very frustrated as I wasn’t getting the type of responses I was hoping for. My applications were going without feedback and the few replies I did get rarely ended in an interview. I took this frustration and I used it as fuel to do whatever I could do to make sure that I was putting my best foot forward in an attempt to get some sort of response.
“I had a conversation with [STAA Owner] Jon Chelesnik a few weeks before applying for the ESOC position. During that conversation I realized I wasn’t showcasing myself in the best way I could be. Because of this, I completely reworked my cover letter to not only showcase myself better, but to tell the employer why I wanted to work with them. I made it a goal to try and stand out and do a ton of research whilst writing my cover letter to make sure that I could get an interview for a job that I really wanted.”
Preparing for the interview
Reed also made sure to take a clear mind into the interview. “Making a personal connection with the interviewers was something that I prioritized. And making sure I was relaxed so I could speak to them in a conversational way was very important to me.”
The connection Reed felt with the folks at ESOC was mutual.
“I have been passionate about sports media since I was a kid, so starting my career with such good people and having the opportunity to jump right in on-air is exactly what I have been hoping for,” he grins.