Today we had an excellent presentation from Justin Kings, the head of news for Metro Radio, CFM and TFM. Justin has worked in the industry for the past 25 years, with a vast array of experience.  He has trained journalists for Heat magazine, carried out projects for the BBC, as well as been heard by millions of listeners while working on the news. His news team has been nominated for numerous awards, as well as wining the prestigious Sony Radio Academy Award.

His presentation was an interesting look into the many roles within a news team and the many backgrounds that can be usefully applied to them. Many people jump straight to the role of presenter when they first think of news, as well as radio in general, but there is much carried out behind the scenes, such as producer, sales, personal assistants and many more.

Once we got information about the roles, we were told how to have the best chance of getting them, with luck and persistence playing a big part! It’s always great to have CV full of qualifications and experience, but they must be catered for the role you are applying for and never just a one-for-all. Also its great to include reasons why they should hire you, and what you can provide, whether its feedback on how to improve them, or what new ‘thing’ you can bring to them.

The main parts they look for:

• Someone who is really enthusiastic about the role
• Listens to the radio
• Someone who brings bags of ideas
• What they bring to the table
• What is their unique selling point
• Short and bespoke cover letters
• Short and bespoke CVs
• Someone who has their foot in the door, however far
• Experience in hospital or student radio (behind the mic time including podcasts)
• Blogs and Twitter accounts

And dont forget to just be yourself!

Check out #GTBEvents on twitter to see more!