Git' a Job!

[oaktree]

Have you applied for a radio gig lately, online or by sending a "package?"

What do you think when you receive 1) Nothing as a response 2) a form letterof "thanks but no thanks," 3) a form letter signed "HR Dept." 4) legalese, like, you're doing THEM a favor by applying for a job, 5) a form letter that turns you into a bureaucratic number with the warmth of "Dear ____________________ 6) a "thank you for applying" form letter that says at the end "Do not reply to this email" and 7) a line about "somebody will be in contact if you meet our requirements."

Should employers do something a little bit more personal, though not becoming aircheck coaches?

What do you think you'd like to see either as a reply, response or a "sorry, Charlie" rejection?

How about the "No phone calls, please" line? Do you think a PD (or other department employee) should at least respond to a job applicant or just blow him/her off?

That could be "automated" - just saying, but with more dignity than you being "just a number."

Wonder what you would do.

 

[MarkAndrews]

Change careers...seriously!

Most of the fun is gone from the biz...and I seriously have misgivings about encouraging anyone to pursue a broadcast career anymore. Security? Heck no!

Frankly, I don't think many stations have anyone left in the building to even give a confirmation of receipt anymore...Very sad... The automated application process is not confined to radio, either.

I've spent the last 10 years doing educational and industrial narrations. And I've been my own boss for nearly three years now. I still miss being on the air, but I really like this role a LOT!

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

What do you think when you receive 1) Nothing as a response

Especially after sending a cover letter and resume for one position both online, and via mail? And checking back, asking for the number of the hiring manager to speak to and getting nothing?

Tells me they don't care. And it's a big, well... "F You," to the applicant.

(I've only experienced that once, for the record. May be for radio, may not. Just you take your wild guess on that.)

6) a "thank you for applying" form letter that says at the end "Do not reply to this email"

;D

I don't know. I've grown up treating job applications seriously. I show a sincere interest and check back. You'll never find a grammatical mistake on anything I send. Each cover letter and resume is crafted for the particular job and station. I've put hours into researching the perfect cover letter writing and formats, so if it can't be acknowledged from the many others who DON'T do these things, what can I do about it? I've actually learned that positions listed on the company job banks aren't always serious, anyway. They're just posted for the sake of it.

Want the job, but don't seem desperate. Never want it too much.

 

[Radio Pro]

I'm thinking that the "it's who you know/who knows you" connection is today's application process.

I've known quite a few radio peeps that got their next career move based on
a mention to someone looking to hire.

 

[johndavis]

What do you think when you receive 1) Nothing as a response

Especially after sending a cover letter and resume for one position both online, and via mail? And checking back, asking for the number of the hiring manager to speak to and getting nothing?

Tells me they don't care. And it's a big, well... "F You," to the applicant.

(I've only experienced that once, for the record. May be for radio, may not. Just you take your wild guess on that.)

6) a "thank you for applying" form letter that says at the end "Do not reply to this email"

;D

I don't know. I've grown up treating job applications seriously. I show a sincere interest and check back. You'll never find a grammatical mistake on anything I send. Each cover letter and resume is crafted for the particular job and station. I've put hours into researching the perfect cover letter writing and formats, so if it can't be acknowledged from the many others who DON'T do these things, what can I do about it? I've actually learned that positions listed on the company job banks aren't always serious, anyway. They're just posted for the sake of it.

Want the job, but don't seem desperate. Never want it too much.

I used to work for a complete tool of a PD who would grab his stack of phone messages at the receptionist's desk and stand over the garbage can and throw away any message from someone who wasn't either his boss or a record promoter. He wasn't really that busy, he just didn't care.

Where I work now we filled an opening for a morning show sidekick a couple of weeks back. The biggest problem that the manager had was the sheer volume of applicants. People who had no business applying for a top 10 market morning show (the listing was pretty specific about the experience required and the type of person they were looking for) applied anyway. I'm not talking about someone who did mornings in market 265 sending in a resume - we had people who had never been on the air before sending in a resume on a morning gig.

From what I understand everyone who applied got a response, but given about 100+ applicants, I'm sure it was a form letter from HR. Even if the OM (who is awesome to work for) had wanted to give feedback to those who didn't make the cut, it's hard to remember who is who after going through that many airchecks. And this was a real gig where several candidates auditioned on-air after it was posted, not a cya job posting. (and for the record, they hired from out of the market and out of the format - the audition nailed it)

 

[oaktree]

A form letter from HR is fine, but even "automated", it still represents the image and impression of a company -- be it mom and pop, small cluster or major corporation. It doesn't take much to fix an job-bot to at least 'personalize' a send back, after someone took the time to carefully and meticulously did their best work (and spent money, in many places) to send you that package.

Be you the first applicant or the 100th, not everyone needs to be treated like a market 265 voice tracker looking to do mornings in a top ten market. Yes, it takes time to cull those 100 auditions and the broadcast school "grads." But maybe a more personalized, not a "we have to do this for our EOE policy file," would give some hope and meaning to good people really trying to get through the riff raff.

That can be done pretty easily, I'd think. At least have the courtesy to put a logo on it, for gosh sakes.

And yes, people need to have some sense -- which shows the irrelevancy of radio (and other industries) now, more than ever.

I remember a couple of times interviewing people for "traffic positions" at various radio stations.

Some people wanted to be announcer types, so, they were dismissed -- the job didn't apply to them. And they were politely told so.

But what was galling, was a room of five I'm sure very nice people from all walks and styles of life -- from the obviously down-and-out to a few who looked like they just did a floor show at the Trop Bar & Grill and Semi-Private Club down the street who honestly thought that "Traffic" mean doing "road reports" on the ray-dee-oh or worse, driving the flashy looking station van to "give away prizes and stuff." Not to mention being on "street teams" at remotes "like K xxx does. That would be "sooooo cool."

I mean, I realize not everyone is cut out for this gig, and, yes, it's going to take a lot of disappointed, upset "American Idol" embarrassments until you come up with that "diamond" you want representing you, but when a company doesn't take their image seriously enough, how can we expect others to do the same when applying for a job?

It cuts the odds, tremendously, and makes it difficult for some, like those who posted here, who really do have "what it takes" and be taken seriously after all they do to "make it right," just to become a number and blown off. Just sayin'.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

You didn't say it, but can we assume this is a posted job opening you responded to (as opposed to sending in an unsolicited application and demo)? If it's the latter, I don't think you should hold someone responsible for not responding. If it's the former, my process was to keep a response template in my computer (or with my assistant) that acknowledged the application, thanked the applicant, explained the volume of inquiries made it impossible to provide a custom response, and that only people who made it to the next round would be receiving further notification.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

If it's the former, my process was to keep a response template in my computer (or with my assistant) that acknowledged the application, thanked the applicant, explained the volume of inquiries made it impossible to provide a custom response, and that only people who made it to the next round would be receiving further notification.

As a guy who decided a number of years ago that the moving had to stop, and left the radio business to "stay put" while the kids grew up, I have been through the application process in several lines of work. You guys are living a sheltered life!

This is rather standard H.R. practice nationwide in every kind of business you can imagine.

One reason is employment non-discrimination law. The burden is on employers to treat EVERYONE equally. If you get a acknowledgement of your application back in five days, and I get mine back in 10 days, I can drag them through bureaucracy and courts for years. I was discriminated against. So what is the answer? Do nothing for everybody and thus no one is treated worse than someone else.

Second reason is the bold new "bean counter" world we live in. These boards are full of complaints that bean counters are ruining radio. I have news for you. I don't care if you work for a hospital, a company that makes cell phone antennas, a company that sells and services personal computers, or one of these national companies that runs almost all the garbage truck in America: All of these people will tell you the bean counters have ruined their business. And the bean counters say: Do not respond to employment applications. That is a useless expenditure.

Welcome to the marvels and wonders of free enterprise, 21st Century style.

 

[radioboy]

I'd choose a rejection letter over no response any day. At least then you don't have to waste any more time pursuing that gig.

I used to work as operations manager for a company that only owned one station (in years past they had owned a couple of others.) I did respond to all the job applicants, but made sure all the letters of response (which were not form letters) were mailed out on the same day.

Interestingly enough, in a couple of instances we tried to hire applicants, only to discover we either couldn't reach them or they never returned our calls.

There are a few stations that I think I would enjoy working at, but my home is paid for, my family is here and my wife has a fairly secure job (we think!) so I wouldn't move solely to take a radio gig at this point.

 

[pendy923]

I wish it were better out there.

A friend of mine in the pharmaceutical business related to me that they had a job opening for a sales position and guess how many applicants they had??? ....... 3800. That's not a typo.

I can't speak on radio companies not responding to applicants, but as a market manager in radio, if anyone is interested I'd be happy to post a few bulletpoints on my perspective when it comes to hiring air talent. I've read hundreds of resumes/ CL's, and listened to hundreds of air checks and knowing what might land your resume/check into the "bad" pile or the "good" pile might be helpful in a tight job market.

If I do, some of you might say " well, that's a no-brainer ..." but please trust me, I've seen the same mistakes over and over again that land applicants in the "bad pile".

Good luck everybody.

 

[Pinegroves]

I used to send out reel to reel airchecks and back then I would save the rejection letters. I still have them.

 

[Snafu]

When I was on the other side of the desk everyone who contacted me about a job heard from me, be it a personal letter, e-mail or phone call (the type of contact honestly depended on how serious a candidate you were). If that meant I was back in the office on a Saturday or Sunday (or both) all day, then that's what it took.

Now that I am on the outside looking in I see that NOBODY takes the time to be that professional anymore. Its not just the radio business, its everywhere you look. Companies and their HR Departments, radio stations and their PDs no longer consider it part of their job to contact everyone who has contacted them. In most cases they don't even make the attempt.

Its a shame, but another sure sign that civility is crumbling.

 

[Realist]

The biggest problem that the manager had was the sheer volume of applicants. People who had no business applying for a top 10 market morning show (the listing was pretty specific about the experience required and the type of person they were looking for) applied anyway. I'm not talking about someone who did mornings in market 265 sending in a resume - we had people who had never been on the air before sending in a resume on a morning gig.

When I was hiring on-air folks, this was the biggest problem. People with little to no on-air experience were applying just because they thought it would be a fun gig. We'd get club DJs, people who were MCs at state fairs, kids in broadcasting school who had never worked at a radio station, etc. We would get submissions from VO people when we needed a jock. We'd get people offering to voicetrack when the post specifically said NO VOICETRACKERS.
So after going through all those who were underqualified, contacting the few who were actually qualified and interviewing, going through all the red tape that the HR dept requires when filling a position, and doing my regular job, I really had no time to go through and type up personalized "thanks, but no thanks" letters and mail them out.

 

[DominiqueRadio]

i worked a PD once for an entire year to hire me. He was the type that really liked being bothered week in and week out by me. Said it proved to him I really wanted it. Within that year I said constantly if he ever wanted me to stop bugging him I would and to just let me know. Nope, when he finally did call me one day it was for the job.

 

[cspotrun]

there are lots of good posts here, but it all boils down to this...Remember what it was like when YOU(the PD) was out of a job??? How would you like to be treated the next time YOU are looking for a job?? you want to be treated with DIGNITY & RESPECT and HONESTY.
PLEASE...
Don't post a Job opening, AFTER, you've just hired someone.(just to satisfy the eeo).
Don't post a job opening..WHEN YOU KNOW, THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HIRE ANYONE.
Don't post an ad for "Future Openings"- i've NEVER seen this result in a JOB for ANYONE, in the "Future or Anytime"!

i always try to follow up after a resonable amount of time, by e-mail, to find out IF they have filled the position, so i can move on. it seems like 9 out of 10 times they've either done nothing, or moved the midday or night guy UP to the position they placed an ad for. hey! thanks for wasting everybodys time!

there is alot of pain out there from people who were layed off in Radio, i don't think they need to be "Jerked Around" again by this same industry when looking for a job.

 

[Wildstyle K]

How would you like to be treated the next time YOU are looking for a job??[/i] you want to be treated with DIGNITY & RESPECT and HONESTY.
PLEASE...
Don't post a Job opening, AFTER, you've just hired someone.(just to satisfy the eeo).
Don't post a job opening..WHEN YOU KNOW, THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HIRE ANYONE.
Don't post an ad for "Future Openings"- i've NEVER seen this result in a JOB for ANYONE, in the "Future or Anytime"!
[/quote]

Alright, I did have some thoughts on this topic, and I already have it typed up and ready to present, but just decided not to post it after all. However, I did have to acknowledge a few things said by cspotrun because some of the very simple requests he presented can apply to MANY area's of life!!!

What I've quoted, once again, is just SIMPLE common sense - and should be applied in ALL areas of employment - whenever possible!!! Another very simple way to avoid unnecessary problems...