do you call or don't call at all

[sports dude]

I have been sending out resume tapes the for a while now, all over the area that i live in. now my question is. there is a station that i want to be at. i saw on there web page the posting for a opening as a photog. but it does not say anything about calling them up. should i call up the station to see if they got my tape or should i just sit back and just wait to see. I drove to the station and dropped off the tape last week.

[Sportsguy]

Often a chief or other hiring person doesn't want to be called. If your tape was good, let it speak for itself. If not, then calling only makes you an annoyance, making your prospects diminish even more.

[Otto Focus]

I say call. I got my first gig by calling production manager and saying somthing along the lines of - I sent you a tape and resume, I think I am right for the position, maybe I can sell myself better in person. I lucked out and he was willing to talk with me and I got the job. Another approach to take is looking for critique. Say " I really want to work in your shop, I sent you a tape and did not hear back - what do I need to improve on to work for you in the future" If it is a specific shop you like, work on the things that the cheif tells you to and keep sending tapes showing improvement. The way I see it they already wrote you off for some reason, so what do you have to loose?

[Tazof99]

If it's local...show up. Deliver your tape in hand! That will make a MUCH better impression.

(in my opinion)

[I DREW A PHOTOG]

i would say it depends on if it is sweeps or not. if it is sweeps i wouldn't call. to much going on. if not wait a couple weeks and then call at night and just leave a voice message, that way it doesnt seem like your bothering them.

[McColl]

Originally posted by Tazof99:
If it's local...show up. Deliver your tape in hand! That will make a MUCH better impression.

I disagree. I've never known anyone in a hiring position to be a fan of surprise visits. It's like having a door-to-door salesman come to your house. Everyone is busy, and it's very likely you'll be seen as a nuisance.

If they don't accept calls, the job posting will say so. Call the chief and ASK if there is a time that you can come down, meet him, and tour the station. Tell him you'll bring a second tape of your work if he's interested.

Good luck.

[shooter mcgavin]

i say call. its not an annoyance in my opinion, but just following up. i think it shows that you are interested in the job and maybe the chief will take notice and look at your tape again. i never pay attention when i see "no calls". first send your paper resume and tape. wait a week to week and a half and if by then you dont hear anything, call. thats what i always did for any job and it works. hope this helps!

[ewink]

I say email.

Shows your interested and the hiring manager can read it at his/her leisure.

If you do call, don't call till June. :P

[freedom]

ALWAYS follow up in some way. Phone call or e-mail, or letter, your choice. But you MUST follow up every application about a week later. If they don't like your work, ask why, that you want to improve to their level. Maybe they picked the other person for reasons beyond your control. Sex, race, etc. Maybe they've put off the hiring decision for a bit. Stay in touch...

[Raiderfan]

What about if the tape goes through Human Resources first? And they say no phone calls please. Then what are you supposed to do?

[Sportsguy]

Originally posted by ewink:
I say email.

Shows your interested and the hiring manager can read it at his/her leisure.

If you do call, don't call till June. :P Yeah, today, this is the way to go. Remind them of your interest, but don't be pushy.

[Baltimore Shooter]

I just saw a listing that said:

"NO CALLS PLEASE. Callers will be disqualified from the application process."

So there ya go.

Warren

[El Guapo]

I say call...just keep it short. There is nothing more annoying than a blabbering applicant who won't shut up.
Also, NEVER drop in without calling first. I HATE HATE HATE HATE unannounced walk-in's.

[vidrock]

Originally posted by Raiderfan:
What about if the tape goes through Human Resources first? And they say no phone calls please. Then what are you supposed to do? That's a good question i'd lake an answer to also. There have been more than one time where Ii sent a tape to HR as the ad said, and found out later it never made it to the chief or the ND. It would be nice to know if the intended person got the tape or not without being annoying......

[ntxshooter]

I say e-mail now telling them you can come in and talk to the chief after ratings are done. Being local helps. I also call the desk and find out who the chief or operations manager is and send them the tape.

[tvguide]

call call call. Don't send your tape to HR even if the posting requires it. Call the newsroom and ask them who does the hiring. Call that person and tell them you're interested in the position and would like to send a tape. Send it and thank him/her in your cover letter for taking your call. If it's a good job, they'll have 10, 20, 30 tapes or more to go through. They'll remember you from the phone call. Follow up with another call 1-2 weeks after you send the tape. Others may disagree but this has worked for me. I've got a great gig in DC.

[jajack71]

I was in Houston for a few days at one of my companies O&O stations. I made contact with a anchor (Looking at the news team profiles) I found that we had a few things in common I emailed her and told her that I will be in town and wanted to see how they operated. After a few emails and a few personal phone calls to her the stage was set. No whenI got to Houston she met me at the station and showed me around and introduced me to all the key personal at that station. She acted as if we were good friends. I had a few tapes in my hand and I was able to meet with the News Operations Mgr. We chatted about the business and what kind of projects that he was working on at the station. He told me that they were not hiring at this point but since I meet with him and that I was from another O&O station the he would put my resume and tape on the top of the pile. Now I don't know where this will get me but, it only took a few emails and a few phone calls to get me an impromtu interview. Now I did not call the HR department directly because you know where that will get me. Now he has my tape and he got a feel for who I am. Hope this helps. Bascailly there are ways to get around not calling direcctly but calling someone indirectly. That's why I'm at my station that I'm at now because of the same kind of thing I just told you about. The thing is I look at tvjobs.com and everyday there are many different jobs. Meaning there are 10 times the people looking you have to getn the edge some how. The people that just lay and wait for someone to call them rarely get called. It's better to be pro-active than re-active. Good Luck

[jajack71]

Sorry about the few typos in the last post. As far as knowing about if the tape get to the CP or ND v.s. going to the HR dept. This is what I do I go to tvjobs.com some things are free to access but a yearly fee is only $30.00. You can look up the station you are applying for and it will give you all the info like who the ND and CP are or the News Operation Mgr. I usually call and make sure that those people are in place. When you call the station the receptionist will just transfer you to the person you are asking for. Send your tape certified mail and get a signature card it's like 50 cents extra. That way you know it reached the hands it was intended for. The only time the HR dept. wants to see you if you are going to be hired they have no interest in your demo tapes and resumes. Are they shooting or editing news ? I think not.This is info. given to me by friends that work as HR Managers.

[Oldhuskie]

Maybe there is a reason your not getting a call back. Do not call or show up unannounced. It has happened to me and I am in the middle of things and had to change my day around. Nice enough guy but you don't just show up on somebodies doorstep. Email is the best way to get ahold of somebody the first time. If they already havee contacted you feel free to give them a call.

[BluesCam]

I think a follow-up phone call or e-mail makes sense, just give them a little time first. Dropping the tape off in person is ok, but give it to the receptionist. Don't insist on bothering anyone else. Bad move. Good luck.