Getting a Radio Job: The 2021 Basics

I want to help you break down the largest barrier between you and your next (or first) on-air radio job. I’m Mike Couchman, Program Director for JOY FM & BOOST RADIO (based in St. Louis). Our two brands just finished national searches for two key positions. Well over 100 applied for our jobs. Less than a dozen got to a second interview. More may have if they sat on my side of the process. Failing to anticipate how a decision maker would hear and view their submissions was the border wall they erected needlessly. Let’s chip away at it!

• Your audio demo is your highest priority. If you’re applying for anything in the Programming department, the PD likely cares more about your audio than anything else you will submit. Your audio demo is how you hook them into wanting to learn more about you. In my chair, I don’t care what else you bring to the party if your audio demo doesn’t show promise. So….
  • Make it obvious and easy to find your audio. If I have to hunt for a link or attachment, I might miss it. Go out of your way to make your audio instantly playable. Bold your font. CAPS LOCK IT. Do whatever it takes to draw attention to your audio. (Kid you not, 80% of the radio people who applied for our recent openings didn’t send ANY audio! Unless their resume’ screamed “worth a listen,” I didn’t write back to ask.)
  • At best, you have 10 seconds to capture my attention. Some PD’s might say five seconds, some might say 30. In any case, you don’t have a lot of time. Make sure the very first thing on your file is your absolute, unique best. If your audio demo as a whole is the hook to the rest of what you offer, then think of the first 10 seconds as the hook to get me to listen for 10 more seconds.
  • Don’t start with anything that anybody else could do. Don’t start your demo with weather, or you hyping a concert, or doing a station liner. UNLESS: you’re showing off how you can do the basics uniquely. If you’re schlocking a car dealer remote in some kind of entertaining way that makes me want to lean in and listen more, then sure, maybe start with that. Otherwise, I and most other PD’s (for most positions) want to hear how you handle content, phone calls, etc. The whole “Content is King” thing.
  • Consider customizing your demo to the station and position. Listen to the station and the daypart you’re applying for. Like, if it’s a morning show, prioritize your content breaks over your intro-talkover breaks. If it’s a tight music-intensive station, showcase your breaks that pack big punches in small bites. If you’re applying at a Christian station, don’t make your first break out of the gate about how smashed you got with your BFF.
  • Less is more. Three minutes or less. Leave me wanting more. Assuming you got me past the first 10 seconds. If you actually get me to listen to all three minutes, I’m likely very interested in getting to know you.
  • You don’t have professional audio? Fool me! Getting that first chance in radio is hard and rare, no doubt. In an age where we can produce Hollywood quality video on our phones, you can find a way to simulate an aircheck even if you haven’t been on the air. Our afternoon guy on BOOST googled “what is an aircheck” when he applied, because he had no prior radio experience. He watched YouTube videos and created an audio demo that was better than half the applicants from radio. His final product sounded just as legit as anyone else who applied. That’s your bar. (Sidenote on this point: sometimes, prior experience is nonnegotiable. If you don’t have what’s needed for a certain job, but you show potential, smart PD’s will let you know they’ll circle back to you when something at your level opens up. They may also know who else you should talk to.)
• Do your homework before the interview.
  • Invest time into learning about the station. Browse their website and social media. Listen. Make notes about what you like, what you have questions about, etc.
  • Educate yourself on the market and possible competitors.
  • Ask questions. About the team. About the culture. About the job’s details. About the listeners. From where I sit, there’s no such thing as too many questions. You may not get to cover them all on a first interview, and that’s a good thing! If you handle your part well, you’ll have questions left for your second interview, your third, etc.

Your curiosity about my station will pique my curiosity about you and your potential to fit our team.

I’ll never forget interviewing a person who had an amazing audio demo, perfect resume’, and impressive cover letter. Our first interview flowed soooo smooth. I was like “this person is speaking my language! They’re the one for the job!” I hardly wanted to interview anyone else. When we got to the part where they could ask questions, they didn’t have any. Because things had gone so well up to this point, I told them to spend time with our brands and have questions ready during Round Two.

Round Two came. At our stations, the management team is in this part of the process (not just me). They didn’t get to experience the first-interview magic that I did. Candidate did not recreate the magic this time around. They hadn’t listened, and had barely even browsed our websites. (Despite having two weeks to try.) My bosses on the management team got the impression that this person didn’t have initiative. And if they didn’t have it now, how likely would it be that they would have it if they actually joined the team? Which leads me to…

• Follow up. Ideally, if you’re a strong contender, your PD will be eager to move things along. But most of the people in chairs like mine spin a lot of plates these days, so don’t be afraid to ask where you stand if they don’t tell you. The person I mentioned above never hit me up again. Maybe they sensed that they blew it. Maybe they lost interest. Maybe nobody ever told them it’s good to check in. I may never know.
  
  Usually, as you’re wrapping up each interview, the PD will lay out what next steps look like. If they don’t, ASK. “What steps might be next?” is solid. Or you might say, “when can I expect to hear from you?” Or “Can I check back in with you after a week?”
  
  This part of the process is a bit like dating. There’s no one-size-fits-all rule here. Like with any relationship, clear communication is key. You can’t go wrong with sending a follow up “thanks for your time” note, or an actual card in the mail (#classy).
  
  I almost lost out on a job because I played it too cool. It wasn’t my intention to be “hard to get” or anything, but I inadvertently put out that vibe. I thought the interview process went well, but never firmed up when they might make a decision or what a next step would be. Three weeks passed and I figured they’d moved on. Just in case not though, I texted the PD. He was like “you’re our favorite! But we didn’t hear from you, so my boss assumed you weren’t interested.” I had to eagerly assure them I wanted to be on their team. I overcorrected to make it clear I was serious. The teams you want to be on are the kind that want to know YOU want to be on their team. Don’t leave it open for guessing. But also, don’t be too thirsty. (Good luck finding the balance!)
• Filter all of your efforts through “stand out.” As in, what part of your presentation will give you the best chance at standing out from the dozens (or even 100?) other applicants. I purposely used the word “unique” twice when talking about your audio demo earlier. In some cases, your best work still won’t be enough. I’m sure it’s great! But this is where you might want to get creative.
  
  I got my foot in the door at WKQI/Detroit by researching the PD. I low key picked the brains of people he knew and learned he was into aviation. So along with my audio and resume’, I mailed him a toy airplane and a cover letter that might have had one too many flight puns. My aircheck was probably no better than many others, and maybe he wouldn’t have even listened to it, but a toy airplane at least got me on his radar. (I got the interview and eventually the job.) Use discretion…there might be a fine line between standing out and seeming like a stalker!

You could get all this 100% right and still not get the job. Make peace with it. It means God has something better for you, though it won’t always feel that way in the moment. Best wishes on minimizing the barriers between you and your next adventure!