After 30 years in human resources and recruiting — including running recruiting for a large broadcast group and now spending the last 7 years owning my own media recruiting firm, Carver Talent — I’ve come to one undeniable conclusion: Recruiting is less of a profession and more of a front-row seat to the greatest reality […]
The media industry loves to talk about urgency. Breaking news. Quarterly revenue. Ratings books. FCC deadlines. Digital growth. Talent wars. But when it comes to hiring? Some media companies move like it’s 1997. Post a job. Wait. Pray. Interview the same recycled applicants their competitors already passed on. Drag the process out for 6-8 weeks.
Landing a General Manager role in today’s broadcast landscape isn’t about having “been around long enough” or “running a tight ship.” That baseline is assumed. The real differentiator is whether you can convincingly blend operator discipline with growth-minded aggression—without sounding like you’re trying to be two different people in the same interview. Stations don’t just
5 Ways Television Station GM Candidates Can Separate Themselves and Win the Job Read More »
Yes, I’m old enough to remember when resumes showed up in the mail. And get this, we posted job ads only in the local newspaper. Yikes… Actual newspapers and snail mail. Resumes delivered by the United States Postal Service. To an office. In an envelope. On expensive “executive” resume paper that could double as a
Recruiting Used to Be a Profession. Now It’s a Software Filter. Read More »
There are certain phrases in recruiting that sound polished, reasonable, and professionally neutral… and still immediately change the temperature of a conversation. In media recruiting, “mutual parting of the ways” is one of them. To be clear: it is not automatically disqualifying. But it is close enough to a disqualifier in practice that experienced hiring
Stop Saying This in Interviews: “Mutual Parting of the Ways” Read More »
The media industry is one of the smallest “big industries” in America. Television, radio, digital, streaming, sales, engineering, creative, executive leadership — everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. There’s no six degrees of separation here like the Kevin Bacon game. In media, it’s usually one or two phone calls before someone knows your background, work
Media Industry Recruiting: 10 Smart Tips, Tricks, and Career Hacks That Actually Matter Read More »
There’s a funny thing that happens in recruiting — especially in media. A recruiter reaches out to a candidate about a “confidential opportunity,” and within five minutes the candidate wants: All before agreeing to a 15-minute conversation. We get it. Candidates are busy. Smart people protect their time. The internet has also trained everyone to
Why Recruiters Don’t Hand Over the Keys to the Castle on First Contact Read More »
There’s a special kind of chaos happening on LinkedIn right now. Not the cringe hustle-posts. Not the “I’m humbled to announce…” essays written like hostage notes. Not the AI-generated thought leadership from people who haven’t had an original thought since Vine died. No — the real disaster is this: People desperately want better jobs… while
Your LinkedIn Inbox Is a Graveyard — And It Might Be Killing Your Career Read More »
The media industry is fast-paced, competitive, and constantly evolving. Whether you’re aiming for an on-air role, a production job, or a leadership position at a local television station, interviews in this field go far beyond rehearsed answers. Employers are looking for creativity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of how media connects with audiences. Here’s how
So, where do we go from here, legacy broadcast television? I recently published an article titled “Extinction Alert? – Recruiting Into Local Television Today. Is “The Great Resignation” Real?” If you missed it, please find it here …And also consider checking out the follow-up piece anonymously listing comments received from the article at the Carver
Life After “Extinction Alert” Article…What now? Read More »
