JOB HUNTING: STEP BY STEP
Excerpted from Reporting and Writing: Basics for the 21st Century (Oxford University Press) by Christopher Scanlan
To get a job in journalism, in whatever medium, you must apply the same creativity, tenacity and accuracy that good reporting and writing demand. Here are some basic steps to increase your chances of success.
STEP 1: CRAFT A WINNING RÉSUMÉ
A résumé is usually a one-page typed summary of your achievements, education, experience and skills. It gives prospective employers a document they can scan in a couple of minutes, at most, to find out who you are and whether you are qualified for employment with their organization.
Highlight your academic preparation, extracurricular activities, leadership skills and journalism-related activities, such as internships, or school news experience. Skill in a second language, particularly Spanish or Asian languages, is a plus.
List your work experience, even if some jobs have no journalism connection. Explain gaps; employers spot them and wonder whether you were sailing around the world or just goofing off. Find someone to critique it. Check and recheck the spelling. Include telephone, fax numbers and e-mail addresses where you can be reached. Be easy to find. If your schedule, like those of many students, is hectic, let employers know the best time and place to reach you.
Try to keep your résumé to one page. And double-check the accuracy of every fact. Don't inflate your experience, turning an internship into a staff job, for example. Lying on her résumé unraveled a web of deception that cost Janet Cooke, a talented young writer for The Washington Post, her job, her career and the Pulitzer Prize; the discovery that she lied about her educational background exposed the fact that she had made up the main character in "Jimmy's World," a story about urban drug addiction that won journalism's highest award.
Include two or three references on your résumé. (Don’t write “References available on request.” Busy editors want that information at their fingertips if your application interests them. They may also question whether you actually have any credible references.) Select people who know you well as opposed to someone with an impressive title who remembers you only from a cocktail party at your parents’ home. Professional references, such as editors at publications where you interned, are best, followed by journalism teachers. I’d advise against using the editor of your college paper or a friend you worked with at Wal-Mart, as some students have done. Include each reference’s name, title, place of employment, address, phone number and e-mail address.
STEP 2: PLAN YOUR SEARCH
By now, you’ve had enough experience to know what appeals to you in journalism. Sure you want to be a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, but be realistic. Identify three to six news organizations that interest you. Include one long shot, but make most of your picks newspapers that are open to hiring newcomers.
For newspaper reporters, your bible will be the Editor & Publisher Yearbook. Aspiring broadcast journalists should consult Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook.
If you’re interested in online journalism consult E&P’s new Directory of Interactive Products and Services, which lists newspapers with online services. Available in most public libraries, these yearbooks contain detailed listings for every daily and weekly paper and radio and television station in the United States and Canada and the growing online field.
Here’s where you learn the correct names of the newspapers and stations and where to send your application. Be sure to call the newsroom and check for the most up-to-date information, because turnover and promotions often make occupational directories outdated.
STEP 3: SELECT AND PACKAGE SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK
Your work will always be your best résumé. In the newspaper world, they’re known as “clips,” short for “clippings.” Broadcast job seekers send a résumé tape that includes samples of their radio or television stories. Online job seekers can submit clips of their work, but employers also expect to see addresses for their home page or other Web sites they’ve created or contributed to.
How many clips should you send? Not an avalanche as too many people do. You don’t want the newspaper to have to buy a filing cabinet just for your application. Send no more than six to eight stories with your application; an editor can always ask for more.
Select samples that show your range.
In general, an effective portfolio should show an editor you can handle standard journalistic tasks: report and write on deadline, come up with your own story ideas as well as respond to assignments, produce a graceful feature or profile, cover a meeting with clarity. It will be a plus if you can also include a personal essay that can move a reader to genuine laughter or tears.
STEP 4: BEST FOOT FORWARD:
WRITE YOUR COVER LETTER
After you’ve selected your clips, turn your attention to your cover letter, which will be the first item in your application. Like the résumé, it shouldn’t be longer than a page, especially for an entry-level job. The tone should be sincere and to the point. You can be creative, but don’t be cute or overly clever. Looking for a job involves creativity as well as persistence.
Select the aspect of your personality, your background or whatever feature best illustrates who you are and what you’re capable of, and reflect that in your cover letter. Don’t think you can wait for the interview to show what you’re made of and why you’re the best person for the job; you may not get the chance. So express enough passion in your cover letter to cause an editor to say, “I want to meet this person.”
You can also use the cover letter to comment on your clips, briefly, or you can attach a separate sheet or notes to individual stories that provide pertinent background, such as the fact that you had just two hours to report and write a breaking story. And if you were the only reporter to get the interview with the inmate on death row or if your essay was reprinted in Harper’s magazine, don’t be shy about it. If you’re aware of a particular vacancy, you can mention it, but at this early stage in your career it’s best to be open to anything. The last paragraph in your cover letter should be a promise to call the editor in a week to find out if you can arrange an interview.
Your cover letter has to do a lot in a small space: apply for a job and show why you merit consideration. You can find more examples and other job-hunting links at http://www.freep.com/jobspage/toolkit/cover.htm.
STEP 5: FOLLOW UP
After your interview, be sure to write a brief letter thanking the person who interviewed you. If you met the top editors or others you think may play a role in hiring, write them, too. It’s common courtesy and also a way to keep you in the forefront of their minds. Repeat why you want to join the staff, and refer, if you can, to some aspect of the interview. Mention how you think you can contribute.
Good luck!
