You're Sending Me What? 15 Aircheck Dos, And Most Importantly, Don'ts!

Oh, the joys of putting together the perfect aircheck: Sifting through hundreds of hours of audio until the sound of your own voice sends you dangerously close to the brink of insanity; finding just the perfect few breaks that balance your awesome personality with perfect formatics. Then, finally, after all the tedious searching, skimming and editing, it's done. You've created a masterpiece! Or have you?

I recently posted for a position at my radio station (Z90/San Diego) and was horrified at some of the responses I received from applicants. Not because these folks lacked talent -- I actually found a few gems -- but because so many job seekers were just doing it wrong ... really, really wrong. Some were newbies who simply didn't know the basics of how to assemble and send out an aircheck, but others were seasoned pros who should know better.

So I channeled my frustration into positive energy and took the liberty of coming up with a simple list of dos and don'ts when applying for a gig. I can't speak for every PD or every format, but if you're looking to work at Z90 or Magic 92.5 in San Diego, consider this your aircheck cheat-sheet:

Do: Keep your introduction e-mail short and to the point -- small paragraph or two, max. Be brief and considerate of my time.
Don't: Write your life story in the e-mail. I'm super-busy and going through hundreds of submissions.

Do: Make your e-mail personal. Take two minutes to find out what my actual station name is (not just call letters), and what my name is.
Don't: Start your e-mail with "To Whom it May Concern" or "Dear Program Director." That just shows me you're lazy or simply don't care. How can I expect you to do sufficient show prep before your show on a daily basis, if you can't even take a few extra seconds to find out the name of my station when applying for a life-changing position at my company?

Do: Make it easy to get to your audio. Attach a small mp3 file or a link to one aircheck online.
Don't: Send me 12 different breaks, each its own audio file (people really do this!). Or a link to a website where I have to spend time "searching" through two-dozen different audio demos to find your "Top 40 Aircheck." PDs shouldn't have to "work" to find and play your audio.

Do: Send an aircheck that's between two and four minutes long.
Don't: Send an aircheck that's over four minutes (unless it's for a morning-show gig), because ain't nobody got time for dat! I had one applicant send me a 40-minute piece of audio last week; audio of him interviewing a local artist. Are you serious right now? Cancel my promotions meeting, I gotta listen to an aircheck for the next hour!

Do: Send an actual "aircheck." That means send me a series of breaks you've done, speaking on the radio, over song intros, edited tightly together. I can't believe I have to explain this, but after this last of week of submissions, it's become apparent some folks need some basic explanation.
Don't: Send me 10 minutes of you interviewing a local artist, reading PSAs, or telling corny jokes on YouTube (this all happened last week!)

Do: Send me clean, non-distorted, clear audio.
Don't: Send me audio that sounds like you're talking through the drive-thru intercom at Arby's. Again, I'm flabbergasted I have to even explain this!

Do: Start your aircheck with you.
Don't: Begin your aircheck with useless imaging and show "opens." Just today, I listened to a two-minute and 30-second aircheck, in which the first 32 seconds was a show "open," fashioned with various movie clips and phrases from the station VO guy. I don't care how amazing your opening theme song is, I want to hear you, and you only, and don't have time for anything else.

Do: Include you -- your breaks, your bits, your phone calls, your content.
Don't: Include any other imaging. Unless you're also gigging for an Imaging Dir. position at my station, production library whooshes and swooshes in between every break are just unnecessary and sound amateur. No lasers needed. No "pew-pew!"

Do: Put your best break first.
Don't: Make your first break a solicit to be caller nine to win a family-four-pack of tickets to Fun World. You sound like everyone else.

Do: Make your resume simple and easy to read: Company, title, dates of employment. One page.
Don't: Write a book. Every PD knows what a MD's "duties" are. Including detailed descriptions like, "Scheduled music, previewed new music, brought the log into the studio each day, reconciled the log, discussed music with record reps, etc." is not needed and clutters up your presentation.

Do: Some intel and recon. This is a small business and after all, it really is who you know. Find a common colleague, friend, programmer, or other industry pro that may have an "in" at the station, or with the PD, and use that relationship to your advantage.
Don't: Discount the power of knowing someone on the inside.

Do: Give it a few days, even a week, before following up.
Don't: E-mail the next day and ask "Did you get my stuff?"

Do: Be patient and realistic.
Don't: Get impatient or take it personal if you don't hear back right away ... or ever. Finding the next talent isn't the sole job of the PD; he/she still has a million meetings, events and maybe even an air shift. If they're like me, every day is a battle to finish a mountain of tasks, while wearing multiple hats. Finding their next hire is just one of a 100-plus duties that the PD is juggling. Working at the station may be number one on your priority list, but depending on the position, "hiring you" may lie somewhere near the bottom of the PD's list of things to do.

Do: Ask for feedback from the PD! You may not get the gig, but you've already succeeded if you've been able to improve as a personality. Ask the PD for specific action steps you can take -- how you might improve as a jock, and also how you may improve your presentation, aircheck, package, etc.
Don't: Expect feedback if you don't ask for it. I usually don't provide unsolicited critique, but when an applicant asks, I'm happy to provide insight.

Do: Send your best stuff, in a simple e-mail, that includes a three-minute aircheck.
Don't: Overthink it. At the end of the day, your talent will speak for itself. Don't blockade your talent with long e-mails, over-detailed resumes and cluttered up audio. Make it organic and pure, and let your talent shine through, unobstructed.

So You Reeeeeaally Want This Gig? How to Stand Out and Break Through:

So you're convinced the job you're applying for is the dream gig, and you'd be perfect for it! There are so many things you can do to get the attention of the PD, if you're willing to put in the time and effort.

I look back on one of my applicants a few years ago who blew us all away (including my GM), with his unconventional methods of shouting, "Hey! Look at me!" Besides sending us the basics, John Moug did an amazing job showcasing his creativity, work ethic and real desire for the job with a string of out-of-the-box, witty and attention-grabbing stunts. At the end of the day, his on-air presentation was about equal to that of our top-three applicants, but he managed to power ahead of the pack through his dynamic and one-of-a-kind extras!

It all started when we received a big box with a giant piñata inside. Complete with a baton by its side, this was a custom piñata shaped as our competition's logo, with a note that explained how John was fired up about coming to San Diego to "beat the crap outta our competition." I remember the staff, including our GM, had so much fun pulverizing that piñata in the parking lot that day.

Then, it got even better when John sent us a custom link to his all new blog that was dedicated to him getting the gig at my station. The insane part, was that the blog was filled with custom content, all centered around John's desire for the job, content John would add and update every day! We had so much fun checking back each day to see what new, crazy stuff John would post. One day it was a hilarious parody song, all about what it would be like to work with Z90 (it was really well done); another blog post featured a video of him spray painting the Z90 logo on his car. I later found out it was "peel-off" paint, but wow, did it get our attention!

Though the website I'm describing no longer exists, John did keep up another one of his "I want this gig" blogs, and it can be found here: wewantktfmmornings.wordpress.com

Doing all that extra stuff was a ton of work, but it separated John from the rest. John's special additions were a real life, real-time example of the kind of creative things he's capable of doing, which speaks volumes more than just a three minute mp3. Now, don't get me wrong, if you're not the right guy/gal for the gig, you could send 100 piñatas and it won't make a difference. But if you know you've got what it takes for that next gig, think about some things you can do to sprint ahead of the other top candidates.

Finally, one Do and Don't for the Programmers

When I was a teenager and just getting into the business, I'd spend hundreds of hours (and dollars) sending out tapes and resumes to stations, and hardly hear back from anyone. This was really disheartening. I promised then, at 17 years old, that I would never be "that guy."

I don't care how "bad" or out-of-format an aircheck is. If someone - anyone -- took time out to send me their stuff, it's only right to, at the very least, acknowledge that I received it and say thanks. After all, I asked for submissions, they sent theirs. Getting back to the applicant, however brief the response is, is just the polite thing to do. Always get back. Don't be a dream crusher.