I just received a heart-breaking email from a former major market pro, who has been having a very difficult time finding a job, any job:
"I've sent cover letters and resumes to numerous on-line ads (allaccess.com, allaboutcountry.com, etc.) and don't even get the courtesy of a response. Perhaps I'm overqualified? Nah! That's just an excuse. Perhaps I've moved around too much? Perhaps I've been out of work too long? Perhaps the business simply has no need for me anymore? I've applied for "marketing" positions with a few companies like Reynolds and Reynolds, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Limited Brands but it's almost impossible to prove that what I know about reaching and motivating listeners has any applicability to a retail environment..."
This sad message just made me realize that I need to be thankful for MY blessings, a gig I love (you, too?) .. and that it's about time for my annual re-read of the book "What Color Is Your Parachute."
Have YOU read it lately? Trust me, it's worth it.
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Thanks!
7 years ago
1 comment:
I found your blog about 6 months ago and I check it pretty regularly - it's
a good perspective on radio events.
You mentioned that you read What Color is your Parachute each you. You may
want to elaborate on the value of that book to help the visitors to your
site that might not be familiar with the book. My brother gave me that book
a few years ago and it totally changed my perspective on job searches. I
haven't landed the perfect job yet but it's made my search process much less
stressful and helped me deal with a few issues in my current job.
Regarding the email you got about your friend's job search, I can definitely
relate to that (except for the part about being in a major market!). About
5 years ago I started to think maybe I should pursue some non-radio work, I
assessed my skills and thought marketing and PR would be a good field to get
into. Like the emailer, I felt like I had some good transferable skills,
and, when you get down to it radio is all about marketing. You would think
companies would want a radio savy person for their marketing or PR company
but that's not neccessarily the case.
I did get some interviews and even a couple job offers, which I turned down.
But like your emailer said, sometimes it's hard to get a response of any
kind from the companies. Radio also has a stigma. For me, being associated
with a morning radio show can be a barrier in some cases - prospective
employers might form an opinion of you based on the show rather than your
individual merits. In other words, rather than looking at my skills on my
resume, they see the show name and think of prank calls and dirty talk and
sophomoric humor.
One lesson I learned from a job search is you will either find a job you
like or you will appreciate the one you have more. I don't know if I love
my gig, but based on the "research", it's the best situation I can be in.
There's a lot of radio conventions and seminars for people to learn how to
become better radio people. But, maybe a seminar or convention for people
who work in radio but want to transition into something else would do well.
Hopefully your emailer will find something soon that makes them happy but I
just wanted to email you and let you know that I also feel like that book is
a helpful resource.
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