Practicing your radio voice and mastering the broadcast format are only the basics for finding a job in public media.
"How do you get a job in public radio?" was posted recently on Quora, a Q&A website that aggregates topics and enables users (usually experts) to collaborate, edit questions and suggest edits to answers.
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The resounding answer to getting your foot in the door is to start local. Lars Schmidt, director of talent acquisition at National Public Radio, suggests the best route to get experience is working with member stations in your community. Chris Stehlik worked his way up to database manager at KPFA radio in San Francisco by starting out as a volunteer.
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To find current job opportunities, regularly check career websites of the big names in public radio - NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, Public Radio Exchange, etc. Many organizations also advertise jobs on Current.org, a site dedicated to people in public media. Twitter hashtag #PubJobs also features a list of current opportunities in public media.
- Network on social media. "Get to get to know people within the system," Schmidt said. "Many of us are actively involved in social media so you can follow chats like #PubMedia to begin getting to people and building relationships."
Image CC-licensed on Flickr via OCV PHOTO.