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Is Too Much Experience Costly?
May 28, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Social media is such a wonderful tool, if you have a question, just post it and you get all sorts of perspective in the responses you receive. I posed a question to the "Broadcast and Radio Professionals" group on LinkedIn and got some wonderful opinions:
Do you think some companies overlook attempting to hire OMs, PDs and personalities with accomplished track records because they assume they cannot afford them?
Joseph Bargdill: Who knows what is in the minds of potential employers? They may need experienced perspective or just want a body to handle the daily routine. With thousands of applicants ,they do not have time to sift through a bunch of garbage and beat around the bush. As an experienced applicant; become aggressive in your search by saying, "Hey, noticed the job and here is what I'm looking for. If I'm not a fit then it has been good meeting you and if there is anything you need from me in assistance or consultation feel free to contact me." I have found lots of consultation contacts/work by this alone.
Mark Gunn: I've worked with PDs and OMs who made the mistake of making changes for the sake of change instead of getting a really good lay of the land and acting accordingly. There have been some companies who've been burned by people like this. Salary is a consideration as well, but is it a matter of "can't afford" or "don't want to afford?"
Ralph "Allen" Allenbaugh: You can usually only have a win/win when you are negotiating with intelligence. Otherwise you are pleading with ignorance. The best you can do is enlighten someone in the 25 minutes that you have as to why you are NOT overhead, but the REASON that the place exists in the first place. Talent is the star, Music was never the star. Music is an element of programming, News is an element of programming, Sports is an element of programming, it takes the chef to do the recipe, and that chef is called a program director. A real live exciting, compelling personality is the biggest part of that recipe. In my view and philosophy of radio, every daypart deserves a personality! A format is a very loose general structure that helps a personality stay organized in the presentation. So I quickly learned that if all they had to offer me was a job ... I didn't want to work there anyway. I am not interested in rule books, station policy books, morons from HR and GMs who are ex-copier salesmen trying to run radio stations ... if it's not right, don't take the job!
Maurice "Mo Better" Rivera: I agree with Ralph 100%. I've also noticed that those with an established track record have adjusted to the latest trends; otherwise they wouldn't still be in the game in the first place. Sometimes we have to dumb down our resumes to offset the fear that the interviewer feels that we have more experience than they do and could end up with their job.
CC McCartney: Talent with the ability to morph into what's "in" can be on the air forever. In response to the comments about great talent with a track record, I don't think management sees the importance of a great jock as much as they did back in the day. That may be the underlying reason that stations in some markets have become mediocre and stale. It's all about presentation.
Ted Ziegenbusch: The question is absolutely true! I have been given that excuse numerous times in the past 15 years. Before someone jumps to the conclusion that it was simply an excuse, I trust the comments that I later received from numerous friends who were close colleagues to the actual persons doing the interviewing or hiring. If you are otherwise qualified, in my experience, HR people should not assume they know your current pay level or what compensation you are willing to accept without asking. Even on a national platform, I have accepted an opening pay level that was below my years of experience. The end result was a great outcome for all parties involved.
Randy Birch: That sounds about right, Sam, and that's so the guy down the hall who adds nothing to the product can make more money. The biggest problem terrestrial radio broadcasting has now is they think good broadcasters are not important and they can somehow fool the public into not noticing it. Yet each of these stations have tons of sales folks, HR crews who by the way do the work GMs should be doing, IT Engineers, etc. Etc ... that the audience does not even know are alive. They are somehow, in these pea brains that operate most of these Radio companies, more important than the product. Radio is still not the PD business, the consultant business, the music business, nor is it the IT or sales business. It's the broadcasting business where the best broadcasting content wins. The game has never changed. However, those running the game in general, I've found do not know the difference.
Conclusion:
Experience should be welcomed and not overlooked. Many have adjusted their salary desires to the current standards; don't overlook them without at least a conversation. -
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