It’s a competitive industry, it happens. But sometimes job applicants make it tougher for themselves than they should. Here are 5 ways to improve your application, all really obvious but all often ignored.

1. Make your CV as good as it can be.

This should be a given, but strange to say, many don’t do the work to get that CV in tip-top shape before submitting it. Here’s a guide to help you do that, the most important part of which is – keep it short (one page) and sweet (stick to the facts and what you can offer). And make sure you follow suit with your cover letter (here’s a guide to improving that).

2. Don’t overpitch yourself.

If an employer is looking for a Runner, they aren’t going to be interested in someone who describes themselves as a Director.

You may be aiming for that job role, you may have some experience in directing short films or University projects, but the last thing an employer wants is for you to be thinking about your “vision” when the crew want their tea.

So strip out anything in your CV which might suggest you are anything but a runner with runner-type experience looking for runner jobs.

3. If you don’t have what the employer is asking for, don’t apply.

They want you to drive as part of the job but you don’t have a licence? Don’t apply. They are looking for two years’ experience and you’ve just graduated? Don’t apply. The production is based in Leeds and you live in Dorset? Etc etc.

Some people think “well give it a go, what is there to lose?” but that ignores the simple fact that, if the employer has asked for something, THEY DO ACTUALLY MEAN IT! And who knows, if you do waste their time by applying for jobs you’re not suitable for, they may just remember your name the next time they have a vacancy (but not in a good way…).

4. Make it really easy for an employer to see why you are perfect for the job.

Again this sounds obvious but many applicants ignore this. If they want someone who can drive the crew don’t just bury the words “Full clean driving licence” in the CV, tell them clearly (in the cover letter) in words of one syllable: “In my last position, my job was to drive the crew from the hotel to the location”. OK I know, a couple of polysyllabic words in there, but you get the drift.

5. Check your spelling and grammar.

You have? Good. Now do check again, UK English spellings. And then go and find someone else to look at it, just once more.

The reason to check and double check: it is almost vanishingly rare to see a CV posted on the Facebook Runners’ group that does not have at least one error in it, even after the author has claimed to have rigorously checked it! (And it’s “Licence” by the way, not “License”).

It’s a tough old game, as someone once said about something else. Getting your first job in TV is, in many ways, the hardest step to make in a long career journey. Don’t make it harder than it should be though!