The $23 Dress

The $23 dress in pink, blue, purple, green & red. 

Let's talk about that $23 dress meteorologists are wearing. Its clean lines, figure-hugging fit and bright colors make it the perfect dress for TV anchors, reporters and mets. The price can't be beat. The black on the side panels creates a slimming effect that is a female anchor's best friend.

That dress illustrates one of the biggest headaches professionals, primarily women, who make their livings on television have: finding affordable, clothing that looks good on-camera. It's harder than you could ever imagine.

Before you roll your eyes, read on.

RELATED: Learn From CBSLA Makeup Artist Mark Starr How To Do Eye Makeup For Television.
RELATED: On-Camera Wardrobe Tips For Women

DOWNLOAD: 10 Wardrobe Tips For Women On-Camera

Things College Grads Must Invest In To Get Hired In 2014

A good resumé isn't enough anymore.  To get noticed and hired in this competitive job market you need to take an aggressive and creative approach to marketing yourself.  Yes, that's basically what you're doing: marketing yourself to potential employers.

Image via Tulane Public Relations

I tell aspiring broadcast journalists this all the time: have a paper resumé, a digital portfolio, a strong social media network and a YouTube channel with examples of your work.  You wouldn't believe how many interns I have met who want to go into TV and yet their college professors don't tell them they need a demo reel.  I digress.

There is a great article on Forbes that explains 8 Things Today's College Students Must Invest In To Get Hired and the advice is outstanding.

Here's a quick summary: 
A Professional Headshot - you need this for your LinkedIn profile.  Delete all the drunk photos of you at the game.  Take it a step further and take the photo on the day you got your hair done.

A Stellar LinkedIn Profile - It shows up in Google results and recruiters are scanning this network to see how you tell your professional narrative.

A 3D Brand Bio - something that tells the story of your work, your life and your world.

Professional Clothing - so important.  Professional accessories are great gifts for college grads.  These don't have to be expensive, they just need to be quality pieces that makes a phenomenal first impression.

Recommendations - these go a long way in proving you're a strong candidate.

Good Stationery - you need these for thank you notes.  This was another gift suggestion I had for the recent grad.

A Video Bio - if you can produce a compelling video that engages a recruiter, think about the impression you'll make.  Again, it's no longer solely about the resumé.  You need to take it a step further.

A Career Coach - these are helpful.  There is no one formula for success but it's good to talk to someone who can offer objective advice on all aspects of your career from your presentation and appearance to your resumé and actual body of work.

Check out my internship survival guide for detailed information that you can apply not only to your internship but also to marketing yourself for that first job, as well.

What to Do AFTER Your Internship to Ensure Success for Years to Come

We have focused on what to do during an internship.  What about after you have completed your term?  

There are certain steps you should take to remain a "former intern in good standing" and stay connected with your colleagues. 

Brazen Careerist outlines "7 Things Smart to Do After Your Internship Ends."  All of it is great advice.  First and foremost author Ashley Mosley reminds us the importance of the thank you note.

"As your internship comes to end — or even if you’re already gone — it’s your duty to personally thank everyone you worked with during that period. Recognition is important, even if you didn’t thoroughly enjoy the working experience.

Verbal thank yous aren’t enough, either. Go with the handwritten thank you note. For each person you write, provide specifics about what you appreciated. Maybe they showed you the ropes on a new project or made your lunch break more bearable by sharing a table with you. Whatever it is, avoid a canned response."

Smart words from Mosley.  Thank you notes are HUGE.  Not only do they express your gratitude for the experience but they also serve as a reminder of who you are to the people you worked with while you were interning.

Again: Those thank you notes are important in more ways than one. 

I also like Mosley's suggestions about keeping in touch and being honest about your experience.

Don't follow up with a former intern supervisor when you need a referral.  Drop an email or tweet every so often just to say hello.  

Internship of the Week
ESPN is looking for a Statistics and Information Intern for Fall 2014.  Note that ESPN is posting this position in the Spring.  You should remember this: start looking for an internship a season or two in advance of the actual time frame in which you hope to do the internship. 

Professional Thank You Cards
Here is small collection of Thank You cards.  Any of these are perfect to serve as your professional thank you notes. 

How To Turn An Internship Into A Full-Time Job

Derek Harper, me, Cody Winstead

For some a successful internship means parlaying the experience into a full-time job. One of the best producers I have ever worked with was Cody Winstead who did exactly that.  He was a CBS11 sports intern, became a full-time (and outstanding) sports producer for CBS11 & TXA21 and is now a sports producer with Silver Chalice productions in Chicago.

How Did Cody Do It?
It sounds simple: he was smart, creative, proactive, eager to learn, kept his ego in check and was always willing to do whatever it took not just to get the job done but to kick ass while doing it.  These are all essential elements for success in not just sports media but any industry.

Unfortunately, too many interns seem to drop the ball when it comes to mastering these simple steps that seem like common sense.

Let's dive a bit further. In a guest post for CareerBliss.com, Ashley Mosley, the Community Engagement Manager for InternMatch, outlines specific things interns can do to turn their experience into a full-time job.

Here's an excerpt:

• Become irreplaceable: How do you add value to the company? It’s your duty to go above and beyond to ensure your coworkers and manager can’t imagine how things would run without you around. While you may still be at the bottom rung as an intern, there’s still a lot you can do to find your niche within the company and seize opportunities to move up.
• Network: Kickstart your networking efforts by making a point to attend all company events. Introduce yourself to coworkers at lunch, or invite some full-time employees to coffee for an informational interview during which you can learn about their professional experiences and goals.
• Take advantage of every opportunity: Standing out at your internship often means becoming a “yes” man or woman. If there’s a seminar or training opportunity available to you, adjust your schedule to make sure you’re in attendance.

Great advice for any industry. These principles work. Trust me.

Want More Internship Scoop?

For more internship advice, check out the internship section of my blog for advice on what to do, what not to do, what to wear and more.

 

What Professors Don't Tell You in School: The 7 Deadly Sins of Sports (& Media) Internships

In the minds of many, I have your dream job.  For almost two full decades (GULP), I have worked in professional sports for the Rockets & Cowboys AND covered every sport imaginable in Houston, Guam, Knoxville and, currently, in my hometown Dallas.  It's fun, exhilarating and unpredictable.

It's also nothing close to what you think it is.

I have shed some light on a day in my TV life in covering the Rangers 2013 season opener and offered tips to ensure a successful internship in my series, How to Win Your Internship and Parlay it Into a Successful Career. 

What about the Seven Deadly Sins of a Sports Internship?  Brian Clapp offers hilarious advice on succeeding in a sports internship in a blog post of the same title for the website WorkinSports.com.

Here are a few of my favorites "sins" along with my two cents:

$14,000 a Year + 45-Plus Hours a Week = Your 1st TV Job!

I can always tell when graduation is upon us.  About this time of year, I receive a slew of email from soon-to-be May grads asking for advice and networking suggestions on how to break into the TV news and sports business.

The email typically has an optimistic tone.  I love it.  There is nothing like that naive enthusiasm a 22-year old who is about to "take media world by storm" has.  That enthusiasm usually turns into stone-faced sobriety when I share with said 22-year old (or the relative that is doing the work for him or her) just how brutal this business is.

Here is the advice I had for someone whose uncle emailed me more than two years asking for help breaking into the television news business.  It's disappointing his niece didn't have the initiative to get in touch.  Regardless, the  response I sent then pretty much holds true today.  There are a few things, however, I should update.

START NOW BECAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY TARDY FOR THE PARTY.
If you're a college senior asking about job opportunities in March with a May graduation on the horizon, you're already behind the game.   I feel, you need to have an internship in place by the first semester of your senior year.  If it's not for college credit, that's okay.  Volunteer one day a week somewhere.  You can put it on your resume.

In addition to that, you need to be submitting quality material to hiring managers that Fall.  Even if they are just "feeler submissions",  sending your work, writing the cover letters, working on that all-too-rare phone interview can only help and prepare you.  The more you do, the better you get.

BE READY TO WORK.  REALLY HARD.  AND NOT GET PAID.
I can't tell you how many aspiring TV journalists tell me "I want to be an anchor".  "I want to be a sideline reporter for ESPN."  "I want to be the next {insert network reporter/anchor here}".

You and almost everyone else wants that job.  That is an awesome goal to have and you can absolutely do it and be the best the person who has ever done that job.  I am living proof that you can have goals, reach them, create new ones and be happy doing so.  BUT, you have to work your ass off to get there.  When I tell wannabe network stars that I started out shooting, reporting, editing, producing and anchoring in two small markets, I am met with colorless, blank stares.

"You mean you shot with a camera?" they ask.
"Yes.  It IS television," I respond.
"What if you just got a manicure?" one May grad once queried.
"Girl, I couldn't afford a manicure," I deadpan.
CRICKETS.........

That really happened.

Granted, quality news cameras are much smaller and easier to work with than the 40-pound behemoths I lugged all over Guam and Knoxville in the mid-90's.  The point here is, very few talented individuals start television careers at the network level or in a top 10 market.  Sure it can be done.  I work with an incredibly talented producer who got a job at my current station following his college internship with us but he is in the minority.  You have to be ready and willing to do a variety of jobs you may not like to get the job you want.  All that experience gives you credibility and will help you later on in your career.

And, yes, the money starting out isn't good.  Flat out it's sucks.  I had a friend who was a weekend sports anchor in a small market who lived in a mobile home and qualified for food stamps.  She worked 50 hours a week and made $14,000/year.  This was in 2009.   Competition is stiff and hiring managers will be quick to tell you there is someone out there who will do your job for less money.   The truth is, they're usually right.

NETWORK.  BE NICE TO PEOPLE. 
I started my television career as an assistant sports producer at the great KHOU in Houston.  I was basically a glorified intern but I busted my ass to earn my $7 an hour.  I worked with the most awesome group of pros that I am still friends with and see in a professional capacity today.

I bring this up because television and sports journalism is a very small, big business.  Everyone knows everyone.  Really.  There is so much movement in the industry that the news assignments person that you couldn't stand could be the assistant news director or the network producer at a place where you're applying for your dream job.

I'm sure I've burned countless bridges in my career but I've tried my best to be a professional, treat people with respect and maintain relationships with former colleagues.

I bring this up because I've seen a slew of interns over the years that I wouldn't dare recommend to a hiring manager.  Sure, those interns didn't think they needed to impress me with hard work or diligence but they should have.  You never know who knows whom in this business.  We've had interns at my stations through the years who were awful yet put us as references on their resumes.  Former colleagues I've known have called me about them.  While I didn't say a disparaging word about these particular interns, I did politely suggest another candidate.

On the flip side, I've written graduate school letters of recommendation and given dozens of phone interviews for former interns who were just awesome at what they did.  They went above and beyond the call of typical intern duty at excelled at it.  They were absolute pleasures to recommend and it's thrilling to see them working and succeeding in this industry now.

DO WHAT YOU CAN. NOW. 
You might not have the job you want but that doesn't mean you can't do it in some form or fashion right now.  If you want to be a news or sports reporter/anchor, do it.  Create a blog and develop a voice and some perspective.  Request a credential for a local high school or college basketball game.  Cover the game and create a multimedia feature story on a particular player or something compelling about the squad.  Put it on your blog and offer to link that story to that school's website or paper.

Start a video blog on YouTube.  Get on there and talk about various topics: the Saints bounty controversy, Tiger's comeback, etc.  Offer your unique insight on various topics.  This will help you get used to just "talking" in front of a "camera" while trying to be succinct and coherent.  (It's tougher than it looks).

All of this enhances your body of work and gives you an edge.  If you're a senior reading this and just starting to think about this now, you're a little late.  Get going on this TODAY.  Kick some ass tomorrow.