If you want to work in the Television Industry you have to:

1. LOVE TV
You have to love TV with an all consuming passion so you are knowledgeable and opinionated about what works and what doesn't. You have to watch a lot telly, so it helps if it's something you enjoy anyway!

2. BE HAPPY TO BE FREELANCE
Most TV creatives are self employed freelancers who work on short term contracts and go from job to job. It's competitive and insecure and you could have long gaps between contracts. Looking for a job is job in itself!

3. BE TOUGH
It might seem glam but it's not when you've worked through weekends, holidays and non stop for 10 days without a day off! Working in TV is hard work which requires stamina, the ability to work well under pressure as part of a team and also on your own initiative - without losing it.

4. HAVE A DEGREE
You need GCSE’s, A Levels and a decent degree to work in TV. The number of graduates entering the industry is rising and two thirds of people working in the industry have a degree. It doesn’t have to be media studies.

5. BE HIGHLY SKILLED
People who succeed in telly tend to share a mixture of transferable skills and some common denominators, like -

• Good creative skills – in terms of coming up with ideas for new shows and ideas for content while working on them. Ideas are a precious commodity you need to have lots and the ability to think outside of the box.
• Good communication skills both in writing and speaking
• The ability to sell yourself and your ideas to employers
• Being able to handle rejection

6. START AT THE BOTTOM AND DO WORK EXPERIENCE
It’s an unavoidable no matter how well skilled you are. Use your holidays to do work experience to make contacts gain insight and understand how the industry works and observe TV production

7. WORK AS A RUNNER
It's the industry apprenticeship. Work in different companies to make contacts and observe different programme and company styles and learn key skills like contributor and location finding and shooting.

8. CREATE A SYSTEMATIC HIT LIST AND CREATE A CAMPAIGN
Make an alphabetical list of companies – and list who’s who there and email them. Start by targetting those whose programmes you actually watch.

9. WRITE A CLEAR, CONSISE AND CLEVER COVERING LETTER
It’s the first impression you’ll make so you need to get it right. It needs to be clear, punchy and engaging and no more than three paragraphs - they have your CV to find out more. Check your spellings!

10. CREATE A KILLER CV
It should be visually impressive, well designed and written with all the information presented clearly. It should be no more than two pages long and list your skills, relevant achievement and credits. Try not to lie. People in telly have a strange habit of knowing one another and you’ll soon be found out.

For more help with CVs, covering letters and contacts go to the Coaching page