Interviews but no job

[wxcookie]

I am having a little trouble with my job search and maybe someone can help me to understand. I have been on 3 job interviews but still I am unemployed. I was praised for having a great resume tape, style, personality, but after the interview is over so are the great comments. Two stations even flew me to their cities and put me up in a hotel. So what is the problem???

[Diplomat]

How long has it been since those interviews?

Most people go through many interviews before landing a job.

Just keep trying. Someone will give you a chance.

smile.gif

[Omega Man]

Sounds to me like you're blowing the interview.
In general, when a station spends the money to fly you in that means you're thisclose to getting the job.

Anything stand out about your interviews that may have cost you points?

[ September 08, 2006, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: Omega Man ]

[wxcookie]

The first interview was April, 26, 2006 and they hired a person with 3 years experience (I have 2 years)the second was the end of July, it is still opened and the thire one was two weeks ago.

[Pro]

Oh Good Lord...

We've all had that happen to us. It's called "having smoke blown up your ass." Don't take it personally. You think that if you "nail" the interview, the job will be yours? Yeah, good luck with that.

There are a LOT of variables that a job interviewee has no idea about or control over. Maybe another candidate nailed it even better. Maybe the company had someone else as thier leading candidate but wanted to interview others as "backup". Maybe something one ND loves about you turns off another - they aren't all alike, you know.

The best thing I can advise is to lose the "this job is mine to lose" attitude. They're gonna hire who they're gonna hire, for whatever reason, logical or not. Look at it as a learning experience. If they invite you to visit the station (on their dime, of course), that's great, you get a free trip and get to meet some new people. That can't hurt and maybe you can learn something. If they hire someone else, well, good luck to them and thank them for their time and hospitality. You never know what a good impression can mean down the road.

[east coast producer]

A top 15 flew my half-way across the country and back home in the same day for a gig -- the EP told me to start looking for apartments; that he expected to offer me the gig. A couple days later, he called saying he wanted someone with experience in a particular daypart, which I made clear before and during that I didn't.

So whatever. I don't think I even picked up frequent flyer miles because it wasn't my typical airline. :(

[Weather Minus]

The BS excuse of look may also have something to do with it. graemlins/face_banghead.gif

If you're a white male and they're looking for a hispanic female, you may be one of those @$$ covering interviews (or vice versa).

[Spike]

Originally posted by wxcookie:
The first interview was April, 26, 2006 and they hired a person with 3 years experience (I have 2 years)the second was the end of July, it is still opened and the thire one was two weeks ago.So you've really only had one interview that you know didn't work out.

As for the other two, yes, it's possible you're still in the running for them. I have gotten job offers as long as two months after I interviewed. The July job is looking less hopeful, but the August interview? Please! Two weeks is nothing. Once I got a call on my cell phone from a manager six weeks after I interviewed--while I was in the moving truck on my way to another job I had interviewed for and accepted in the mean time. I have heard of other people getting calls as much as six months after interviewing.

Thus, you cannot assume from your ridiculously small sample and the pressure of your own impatience that there's something wrong with your job search.

[jrat33]

I quit the TV business three weeks ago after eight years... and I trying to figure out why I waited so long. I got a 12K raise right out of the gate, work better hours, have better benefits, get every holiday off, have weekends off, can leave my job at the office, don't have to worry about people calling me in because of breaking news. My hair is growing back, I'm working out, eating better, and don't have to worry about moron viewers calling me with stupid questions. My boss appreciates the work I do, my co-workers don't squabble about not getting enough "face time", and there are no office politics.

Trust me kid. If you don't get a job in TV, you're better off for it.

[ September 08, 2006, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: jrat33 ]

[Spike]

Originally posted by jrat33:
Trust me kid. If you don't get a job in TV, you're better off for it.Yeah, but would you appreciate what you have now if you hadn't experienced the bullsh*t of teevee?

[Charlie Brown]

Originally posted by wxcookie:
I am having a little trouble with my job search and maybe someone can help me to understand. I have been on 3 job interviews but still I am unemployed. I was praised for having a great resume tape, style, personality, but after the interview is over so are the great comments. Two stations even flew me to their cities and put me up in a hotel. So what is the problem???I was in your boat awhile back. Took me seven months and well over 150 tapes to get my big break. But it happened. Hang in there.

[jrat33]

Originally posted by Spike:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by jrat33:
Trust me kid. If you don't get a job in TV, you're better off for it.Yeah, but would you appreciate what you have now if you hadn't experienced the bullsh*t of teevee?</font>[/QUOTE]Probably not, but not having to live pay check to pay check would have made up for the lack of appreciation

[kycamman]

I quit the TV business three weeks ago after eight years... and I trying to figure out why I waited so long. I got a 12K raise right out of the gate, work better hours, have better benefits, get every holiday off, have weekends off, can leave my job at the office, don't have to worry about people calling me in because of breaking news. My hair is growing back, I'm working out, eating better, and don't have to worry about moron viewers calling me with stupid questions. My boss appreciates the work I do, my co-workers don't squabble about not getting enough "face time", and there are no office politics.

Trust me kid. If you don't get a job in TV, you're better off for it.
I did the same thing a couple of years ago to make corporate video for a large corporation.

Eighteen months later I went back to my old station.. for a nice raise.. and a better job.
I missed the 'juice' of the business after a while. Some won't but I did.

But my company missed me too, and it showed witht the $ I got to come back. So if you find yourself unhappy in your new job, giving your old one a try may be a good thing!

[jrat33]

Originally posted by kycamman:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />I quit the TV business three weeks ago after eight years... and I trying to figure out why I waited so long. I got a 12K raise right out of the gate, work better hours, have better benefits, get every holiday off, have weekends off, can leave my job at the office, don't have to worry about people calling me in because of breaking news. My hair is growing back, I'm working out, eating better, and don't have to worry about moron viewers calling me with stupid questions. My boss appreciates the work I do, my co-workers don't squabble about not getting enough "face time", and there are no office politics.

Trust me kid. If you don't get a job in TV, you're better off for it.
I did the same thing a couple of years ago to make corporate video for a large corporation.

Eighteen months later I went back to my old station.. for a nice raise.. and a better job.
I missed the 'juice' of the business after a while. Some won't but I did.

But my company missed me too, and it showed witht the $ I got to come back. So if you find yourself unhappy in your new job, giving your old one a try may be a good thing!</font>[/QUOTE]I think the big thing that colleges need to start doing is being honest with kids who want to pursue this business. 99% of people in television will not make more than 60K a year. Journalism schools (mine included) focus more on being "journalists" but fail to prepare kids for the reality of the business. The long hours, the ungreatful bosses, living on basically pennies for the first year or so... kids I tallk with right out of college have no idea that is the way they will live for most of their careers.

I made 16K my first year at my old station, and after 8 years there, I managed to crawl up to 34K. Now, I wasn't good enough to move up to a higher level (being rejected dozens of times kind of makes you get the hint). There comes a time when you have to admit to yourself that you just aren't good enough to make good money and move on, like I did. College kids leave their schools with big dreams of making lots of money and being famous. It's high time the colleges inform them of the rough times that are ahead for them, so they can have a couple of years to decide if this is really the profession they want to lead.

[kycamman]

I quit the TV business three weeks ago after eight years... and I trying to figure out why I waited so long. I got a 12K raise right out of the gate, work better hours, have better benefits, get every holiday off, have weekends off, can leave my job at the office, don't have to worry about people calling me in because of breaking news. My hair is growing back, I'm working out, eating better, and don't have to worry about moron viewers calling me with stupid questions. My boss appreciates the work I do, my co-workers don't squabble about not getting enough "face time", and there are no office politics. Absolutely agree that some realism needs to be taught in Journalism school. It's a job you need to either a: find a spouse who's going to make 60K+ b: BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET and live in a bad neighborhood and negotiate a station car c: find a second income producer like an ebay home business (know a guy who does this) home lawn care business (know a guy who does this) wedding video shooter (know several who do this).

And professors should NOT be afraid to say these things, and they should not be afraid to try and steer their students away from these careers if they don't have the talent/knack for doing what we do. Steer them toward PR or corp. communications.

Hopefully one day I'll be that professor. I had a long and winding career track at one place which I don't recommend. Tape room 13k ... Photog 16.5k ... one man band for 24 ... so forth and so on. I feel your pain.

I don't want college kids to do that uninformed.

[Spike]

Originally posted by kycamman:
And professors should NOT be afraid to say these things, and they should not be afraid to try and steer their students away from these careers if they don't have the talent/knack for doing what we do. If you really expect to teach, you need to understand why college instructors don't tell the kids the truth about the business. Most colleges allocate budgets based on the number of students who have declared a particular major. If the number of students in a professor's department or school drops, the department gets less money. They want every student they can get declared under their respective programs.

This is why upper level classes are often restricted to majors only. Departments don't get credit for students who are taking classes in programs for which they aren't declared. They offer the lower level classes to everyone to draw students in, then restrict the upper level classes to force them to declare if they want to take the classes.

If you think you'll be different and won't care about the budget, think again. If your dean gets wind of you discouraging students, your contract won't be renewed. And rightly so. Not only would you be costing your department money, but who wants an instructor who obviously doesn't believe in the field he or she is teaching?

[upandown]

Don't let the cynics hijack this discussion, because it is an important one.

If they flew you in, they were seriously considering the hire, if not 80% convinced. News directors have neither the time nor the mony to waste on flying someone in.

Chances are you blew the interviews.

We had a young woman in my station about two weeks ago. She is very smart in her area of specialized reporting, but still fairly weak in her storytelling. Even so, my boss saw potential in her. He was very high on her. He was ready to hire her. This would have been a major job at what may be the most desirable O&O in America.

She blew it. As he describes it, she spent much of the day explaining what the station could do for her, and what an honor it would be for us to have her stop there on her way to the network and/or national syndication.

Can you freakin' believe it?

Sell yourself, sure. Sell what you can do for the station.

I suggest you replay those job interviews in your mind. What did they ask? What did you say? How did you dress? Don't freak, but don't take it lightly, either.

[ September 10, 2006, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: upandown ]

[s'news]

Originally posted by upandown:
Sell what you can do for the station.
That's it right there. You have to show them that you can do the job that they want done. This should be your emphasis.

One way to get to that is to ask, early on, for more information about what it is they're looking for. As simple as that seems, it often works.

[Weather Minus]

Maybe someone at corporate told the ND/GM to "take a look at (someone)", and when corporate says, "take a look at (someone)" you kiss their butt and hire them. Even if you've already interviewed your choice and are ready to hire them. graemlins/face_banghead.gif

[Spike]

Originally posted by upandown:
Chances are you blew the interviews.
I still don't think that can be concluded from three interviews, one of which was only two weeks ago.

[upandown]

0-3?
Odds not good.

Did this job hunter follow up with thank-you notes?
Those are the little things that make a difference.

I am continually amazed at the large number of intelligent people who lack street smarts.

Originally posted by Spike:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by upandown:
Chances are you blew the interviews.
I still don't think that can be concluded from three interviews, one of which was only two weeks ago.</font>[/QUOTE]

[ September 10, 2006, 06:16 PM: Message edited by: upandown ]

[triumph]

I agree...however - thank you notes?

triumph

[Pinkie]

Originally posted by triumph:
I agree...however - thank you notes?

triumphThank you letters are always a good idea. I've sent them for every interview I've been to and each time I've been offered the job. I know the thank you wasn't what got me the offer, but I know it didn't hurt and showed that I would follow through as an employee.

[ September 10, 2006, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: Pinkie ]

[upandown]

Absolutely.
Are you kidding?
First, it's polite.
Second, it's a nice way of reminding them to make a decision.

Originally posted by triumph:
I agree...however - thank you notes?

triumph

[Spike]

Originally posted by upandown:
0-3?
Odds not good.So you would consider a candidate to be out of the running for a job after only two weeks? Right now it's only 0-1, rapidly approaching 0-2. But not 0-3, not after only two weeks.

[s'news]

A thank you note is a selling point.

You thank them for seeing you, compliment them on how things are being done and then sell yourself once again.

[Roy Hobbs]

Originally posted by upandown:
Absolutely.
Are you kidding?
First, it's polite.
Second, it's a nice way of reminding them to make a decision.

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by triumph:
I agree...however - thank you notes?

triumph</font>[/QUOTE]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Third it doesn't always work that way, but I completely agree with all your points Up.

My situation is unique but in each of my three close calls I interviewed on a Friday and was told a decision would be made on Monday or my info shared with the GM.

In each case I did a thank you e-mail that Monday, since the decision was going to made well before a written one would have arrived.

In two of the cases most of the contact, and tape viewing was via e-mail prior to the interview so that was natural to thank via e-mail.

[The Mockingbird]

Seriously. Get a real job, you'll
be happier in the long run.

[Diplomat]

A thank you note doesn't have to be long. Some experts even suggest a handwritten note for a more personal touch. The important thing is that you acknowledge the courtesy of their time. That can make a difference.

Also--in interviews, ask for the job. A lot of people don't.

[Clubbeat]

It's going to take some time. I agree with many of the posts. Some places, they interview, to cover their asses knowing full well they've already to give the job to someone else. Then there are some stations who like to keep a "pool" of people available, in case their first choice dosen't pan out.

Also, if you're in town, on their dime and can work it out, drop a resume and tape if possible to their competition (without the intervewing station knowing about it). I know people who've done that and it worked out for them...meaning when the station that flew them in and put them up didn't hire them, they simply called the competition, arranged for another interview and got the gig. Yes its a long shot, but like asking for the job in the interview, you never know if you don't try!

[rootboyslim]

I went on an interview once for a job. When I got htere, the ND sat me down and showed me why my tape was not good. He focuse don teh shooting end. I reminded him that I was a one man band but desired to be a reporter and his ship was union, so I could not shoot.

He took me to lunch where he proceeded to spill an entire glass of water on my new suit. The whole day was a disaster. He had me drive to the interview (3.5 hours) and had an expense check waiting for me when I was on my way out. I couldn't answer his questions very well and I knew I had blown the interview as poorly as one could. The ND told me I was not ready for the market and that he could not justify putting me in a bureau position as that needed to be someone who "only showed potential."

The ND told me to walk around anad talk to people about what it was like to work there. THe sportsdude told me the place was a dump and to run. This was the awful day. The ND then offered to have me watch the show in the srudio. I could wait no more to get the heck out of there and I told me I needed to go but thanks. Talk about suicide.

Anyway, the guy calls me a month later, after I had written it all off, and offers me a job as a reporter at the main station. He liked my "potential" and offered a lot more money than I was making. And to boot, I, a white male, replaced a balck female.

So you just never know. I stayed there 12 years, by the way.

[Spike]

Originally posted by RootboySlim:
I stayed there 12 years, by the way.After seeing the way you write, it looks like you lucked out.

[Northern Met]

Originally posted by wxcookie:
I have been on 3 job interviews but still I am unemployed. I was praised for having a great resume tape, style, personality, but after the interview is over so are the great comments. Two stations even flew me to their cities and put me up in a hotel.I'm right there with you...in the exact same situation. Shoot, here's a quote from the ND, Mkt 120: "For the record, you interviewed well, you had a good tape and Jerry and I liked you." The chief met gave me a 45-minute tour of the city and we looked in-depth at apartments. I thought I had it......nope.

Anyone know of any weather openings? Please PM me.

[ September 11, 2006, 06:30 PM: Message edited by: Northern Met ]

[wxcookie]

So what does it mean if you had an interview and you call to see how the interview process is going but never get a call back?

[TAFKA wacowx]

Originally posted by wxcookie:
So what does it mean if you had an interview and you call to see how the interview process is going but never get a call back?Probably means you are no longer in the running...but not always. The ND may be caught up in other things above and beyond the client search.

Or he or she may be avoiding you because they are going in another direction...

I had this happen to me: a WONDERFUL interview, ND practically begging me to come on board, telling how much I would enjoy working there...he just had to meet with the GM and higher-ups and would have an answer for me Monday, Tuesday at the latest (this was Friday). I did not receive a call Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday....I called Friday afternoon and got his voice mail. Waited two more weeks, called him back and left a message with his secretary.

I never did hear back from him. :(

[workin for the man]

So what does it mean if you had an interview and you call to see how the interview process is going but never get a call back? It means you didnt get the job, if they wanted to offer you the job they would get back in touch with you, I think this is pretty simple, Idiot

[Roy Hobbs]

Originally posted by WacoWX:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by wxcookie:
So what does it mean if you had an interview and you call to see how the interview process is going but never get a call back?Probably means you are no longer in the running...but not always. The ND may be caught up in other things above and beyond the client search.

Or he or she may be avoiding you because they are going in another direction...

I had this happen to me: a WONDERFUL interview, ND practically begging me to come on board, telling how much I would enjoy working there...he just had to meet with the GM and higher-ups and would have an answer for me Monday, Tuesday at the latest (this was Friday). I did not receive a call Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday....I called Friday afternoon and got his voice mail. Waited two more weeks, called him back and left a message with his secretary.

I never did hear back from him. :( </font>[/QUOTE]Well, you never know... (smirk)