Sound Advice

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As someone trying to break into the radio industry one of the things you will spend most of your time doing is looking, and applying, for jobs. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the amount of hours I spend a week trawling through the internet looking for positions to apply for. The truth is they’re advertised everywhere and anywhere: job sites, linked in, production company websites, training sites, forums and even social media.

So how does a budding young broadcasting whiz tackle the tricky skill of applying for jobs? Through perseverance and by learning from your mistakes. The BBC Academt recently held an event called The Finalists giving advice on how to break into the industry from some of the trainees currently on the BBC Production Trainee Scheme The event was held in collaboration with ITV and Channel 4 with the support of Creative Skillset and also featured talks and workshops from Simon Wright, Marsha Witter and Simon Devereux.

Here are their top tips on how to be successful in applications, assessment days, and face to face interviews:

• The application question “Why have you applied for this role?” does not mean “Why are you interested in the industry?” Be specific about the organisation you are applying for.
• Sell yourself on your application, but don’t over-exaggerate a particular role so that it becomes a lie. Chances are you will be found out.
• Stand out from the crowd by not using stock phrases like “I’m a really good team player I can work equally well by myself”. Listing the company or organisation’s values as your own – e.g. “I want to inform, educate and entertain” – is generally frowned upon.
• In group exercises at assessment days, don’t be the tyrant who demands to be the leader. Listen to other people as well as stating your own opinion.
• The observers at assessment days are more concerned about how a group task is completed rather than the end result. It’s about the process and journey, not the finished article.
• If you’re nervous in a face to face interview, don’t be afraid just to take a pause and breathe. It’s important to try and relax.
• When talking about your own viewing or listening habits, be authentic. You don’t need to mention something obscure if what you really like is primetime and popular.
• If you don’t get the job or the place, remain professional – it’s nothing personal – and keep applying!

It’s that last piece of advice that I think is the most important. You know when job applications say: ‘We’re looking for someone with a genuine love of media’. Well I think this constant job search is a test of that. You do have to be driven, and I believe you do genuinely have to love what you do to keep trying with it over and over again.

For more advice check out the BBC Academy website here.