Clips

When you apply for an internship or job, you should have work samples to show. An editor will expect to see clips (published articles) or links to your broadcast work. How do you get stuff published? Check out Freelance: Community Publications.

Include six to eight clips in your application, unless the job posting specifies otherwise. If you’re sending them in print form (as opposed to attaching them to an e-mail), keep them neat and simple: 8 1/2-by-11 photocopies or website printouts, held together with a paper clip. Don’t put them in a fussy folder or binder. And don’t send your originals — you won’t get them back.

Put your best work on top (or at the top of the list, if you’re linking to broadcast or multimedia work) and try to showcase your versatility by including, say, a feature, a profile and breaking-news pieces. Make sure each clip has the name and date of the publication or station or site where it appeared. If your article got special play — say, on the front page of a section or at the top of a news hour — make a note of it.

Broadcast: Demo Reels

If you’re a broadcast student, you should have a “demo reel” (actually a DVD) ready to send out on request. Be sure to attend one of the Career Services workshops — they’re given each semester — on making a demo reel.

Keep the reel to about 10 minutes. Start with a montage of about five or six pieces — 10 seconds each, say.  Show your best work, and include a variety of pieces: hard news as well as lighter work. If you want to anchor, include a couple of minutes of anchoring as well. If you want to show stand-ups and have three or four particularly good ones, montage them.

Consider providing a brief on-camera introduction to your tape, if you have the poise and personality to do it. Take 30 or 40 seconds to introduce yourself and outline what the reel contains (“Thanks for looking at my reel, and here’s what you’re going to see.”).

Label the front of your DVD — include your name and phone number. If you have room, list the contents (“Montage plus coverage of  xxxxx, 1 minute 15 seconds; stand-up in front of xxxxx demolition, 30 seconds” etc.)

It doesn’t hurt to include a DVD in your application, even if you’ve provided a url link to your work in your cover letter. (Some radio and TV station managers prefer to pop in a DVD.) Use a quality plastic cover to protect the DVD when you send it out — the cheap varieties tend to crack.