INTRODUCTION

There are hundreds of collegiate broadcast journalism and mass media programs in the United States, each graduating out their share of degree holders each semester. At any given time, statistics show that well over 100,000 college students are majoring in these fields with more than 15,000 entering the job market at the end of every fall and spring term. Even if every currently employed broadcast journalist walked away from her job today, there still would not be nearly enough positions for all the students about to graduate from college. Compounding this problem is that there will be another 15,000 broadcast journalism majors leaving school next semester, as well as the one after that.

Many of these graduates will choose employment in a related field, like film production or public relations. However, there will still be far too many aspiring newscasters for the limited jobs in broadcast journalism. This is the primary motivation for you to create a portfolio that sets your work apart from the others.

There are three primary components to your job portfolio. They are:

■ A cover letter, tailored specifically to the employer you are targeting.

■ A resume that highlights your education, work experience, and other factors that could help you get the job.

■ A demo reel of your best video work. Radio employees will naturally create an audio reel instead of video.

This chapter illustrates what is needed for each of these elements, how to pull the information together, and how to present your work in the best possible manner. Before we look at these components of the portfolio, we will first conduct a brief self-assessment to narrow your employment search.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Let’s start with the assumption that you are a college student in a university-level broadcast journalism course who wants a career in that industry. That’s why you’ve enrolled in your specific college classes, honed your writing skills, learned how to report and produce news packages, and spent time reading this textbook.

As graduation looms, it is time for an honest self-assessment of what specific job you would like to pursue, what type of work environment is ideal for you, and what skillset you can readily bring to your new employer. By evaluating these criteria honestly, you can target your job search more precisely.

First, what specific job would you like in broadcast journalism? An easy delineation is those who want to be on camera, like reporters and anchors, versus those who want to be behind the scenes, such as assignment editors and producers. Another distinction may be made between those who focus on editorial skills, such as reporters and producers, versus those who are technical, like directors or graphics artists. For every on-camera position, there are many more jobs at the television station that are just as vital but are simply overlooked because they aren’t seen on a daily basis.

Second, what type of work environment is ideal for you? Small market television stations are the starting point for most college graduates, so that is an obvious answer. But not all small markets will be right for you. Alaska has two of smallest markets, Juneau and Fairbanks. They may have openings, but if you can’t stand the cold weather, Alaska is not the place for you. Similarly, you may have deep family connections to an area (like the West Coast) or a specific metropolitan area (like Dallas-Fort Worth). If you are geographically tied to a location like one of those, it makes little sense to apply for jobs in Hartford, Connecticut. It might work on the professional level, but your personal happiness would suffer in the meantime.

Finally, what skillset can you readily bring your new employer? Let’s say you are a fledgling behind-the-scenes director who hates sports and does not want to anchor. Sure enough, a local station wants a sports anchor. Can you do the job? There is a mindset that you should do anything to get your foot in the door, but if you misrepresent your skills and do poorly at the job, nothing is gained except a bad experience for both you and the news station.

The best advice is to think of your perfect starter job, then think of what compromises you are willing to make. If you want to be an on-air reporter in the Midwest and have the skills needed for the position, then you should automatically target the television stations there. If you find a job that doesn’t quite fit the criteria (let’s say it’s in Idaho), ask yourself if you can take the position. With the competition out there, you can’t be choosy. However, you can be very honest with yourself about your career. Looking for jobs in far-flung locations (think Guam) with positions that you don’t want (you’re an assignment editor, they want a videographer) in unmatched skillsets (oh, and you don’t know how to shoot or edit) is not the best use of your time.

COVER LETTERS

A cover letter is generally the first thing the news director will see when he opens your portfolio or email attachment. Notice that the news director is the hiring manager for most news operations; one of the administrative duties is to make sure the station has the best possible talent in the newsroom.

Cover letters are ideally a page long, very rarely two pages or more in length. A sample is given below, but as an overview, the cover letter should be tailored to your prospective employer. Never send a generic cover letter, as the job postings will vary from station to station. Instead, craft the letter carefully, telling the news director why you are the best person to work in her newsroom. There will only be three or four paragraphs which will roughly follow this sequence:

■ Paragraph One tells the news director what job you are applying for, how you found out about the job (you saw it on their website or a job clearing board), and that you are interested in the position.

■ Paragraph Two briefly offers the highlights of the attached resume. If you’ve had a prior internship with the company, received a national student award for your reporting, or have completed an editing certification beyond what was required of your college coursework, this is the time to mention it.

■ Paragraph Three expands on Paragraph Two, adding more details of your background and why your skills make you a good fit for their newsroom.

■ Paragraph Four thanks her for her time and closes out the cover letter.

Errors in your cover letter can lead to the news director automatically tossing your entire portfolio into the trash. The most obvious mistake is when applicants have misspelled words or typos in their letter. After all, how can a news director trust you to be accurate with news copy under deadline pressure when you can’t write a simple cover letter? If you want to have your application discarded immediately, misspell the news director’s name. It happens more frequently than you might expect, but the remedy is simple; get the right information from the station’s website, spell everything (including the news director’s name!) correctly, and proofread your work. In a job that requires accuracy, you should display that skill now.

RESUMES

Creating a resume is now easier than it has ever been. Online templates are offered on multiple software programs and Internet websites, allowing job seekers to literally just fill in the blanks. The downside, of course, is if you merely use an online template that is also being used by other people applying for the same job. Once the news director sees multiple resumes with identical formatting, none of those applicants will advance to the next round.

If you use a standard layout, add some subtle variance to make it stand out. That doesn’t mean you should submit it on bright orange paper (white, cream, or even a light grey are acceptable), but shift some of the elements around, change the standard bullet points, and take the extra time to make sure the resume presents you at your best.

Despite the formatting issues, each resume will have the same sections:

■ Heading. This includes your contact information, which will mirror what you’ve listed on your cover letter.

■ Objective. This part is optional. If used, it concisely identifies the position you seek.

■ Education. This will show your degree, school, and graduation date. You may also include your GPA or a short list of the relevant classes you completed.

■ Work Experience. In reverse chronological order, list your relevant employment experience, including internships. Be sure to put your job titles and dates of employment.

■ Skills. Relevant items would include knowledge of a foreign language or software certification.

■ Honors and Activities. Student clubs, community organizations, or professional activities should be listed in this section.

■ References. List three to five names with their contact information or note that they are available on request.

SAMPLE REEL STRUCTURE

Sample reels are still made, although many students and professionals are avoiding them entirely in favor of YouTube, Vimeo, or other online formats. The advantages of using a website for your material are obvious: You can update the material any time you like, your files are available at all times for anyone to see at their leisure, and the possibility of losing or damaging the DVD is nonexistent. If you opt for a website to showcase your work, you should absolutely give the address on your cover letter and resume.

However, some news directors still want to see a DVD. In the 2000s, it was acceptable to mail a VHS tape so it could be played in the office or at home. Tapes rapidly fell out of favor to DVDs, which are still preferred by some employers. Simply put, if the job posting calls for a DVD as a demo reel of your work, you should edit one for your application. Here’s how you structure it.

The DVD should open with a menu listing the following information:

■ Your contact information (name, phone number, address, email address).

■ A montage of your best clips, looped so the viewer can catch highlights of your work.

■ A submenu of your work for that job, such as reporter or videographer. Four or five packages should be listed.

The total amount of material should be no more than ten minutes. Most news directors will only watch the first package, so load only your best work. The advantage of using a linear VHS tape was that the viewer had to follow the order of your stories as you edited them. Since the viewer can choose any package to watch first on a DVD, all of your material must be top-notch.

WEBSITE STRUCTURE

The best news about website structure is that it still very fluid, thus allowing you to experiment with fonts, layouts, and structure. Like the DVD, it should contain your contact information, a montage of your best work, and multiple examples of your work. Since the website is organic and can always be expanded, it is acceptable to put many more packages on it. No one is really expected to watch every frame of video, but if they have a choice of solid material, they are more likely to contact you for a position.

But unlike the DVD, let’s consider a brief list of what you should avoid putting on your website. These items include:

■ Links to any controversial content.

■ Any negative or derogatory comments by either you or someone commenting on your work.

■ Any material that is not worthy of a demo reel.

The rationale behind these suggestions is simple. A link to any controversial content will quickly brand you guilty by association. Further, if someone holds a grudge and posts negative comments about your work, it will impact how a viewer sees it, even if it is good. Be sure to block comments from appearing (or at least screen out the bad ones as they come in).

The final advisory is the trickiest one to follow. Just because you shot some rudimentary video in your introductory classes does not mean it is worthy of getting you a job in broadcast journalism. The temptation of being able to post as much video as you like can be overwhelming. The reality is that you can put up ten packages, nine of which are amazing. But if the tenth package isn’t up to professional standards, it can derail your chance at a job. Screen your work carefully and only permit the best examples to be placed on the Internet. Once it’s out there, it’s impossible to bring back.

SUMMARY

The sheer number of broadcast journalism majors entering the job market annually is daunting, as the marketplace simply cannot absorb them all. To improve your odds in this highly competitive environment, your portfolio must stand out from all of the other students from your collegiate program and from the other schools as well.

A professional portfolio contains three elements: A cover letter, a resume, and samples of your work that can be delivered via DVD or website. The cover letter must be personalized to the specific station to which you are applying. The resume and work samples can be more generic, so you don’t need to write a new resume for each job application.