First off, your column is an awesome resource for those preparing for better jobs, or a first one, for that matter.
ASK JOE A QUESTION
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Is it OK to list your years as a college journalist when calculating your entire years of experience? I've added four years to the summary at the top of my resume, as I was actively involved with my college newspaper first as a journalist, then as an editor. Also, I did an internship at a large daily during my senior year.
I've read that some people do not count their college years toward experience, and I believe they are short changing themselves. What do you look at as a recruiter? Do you discount college years?
Questionable about Experience
Thanks for the kind words. This column works because of the good people with honest questions.
This is one of the answers that people least like to hear, but my parents raised me to "speak the truth and shame the devil."
Most editors do not equate college-paper experience with full-time work experience at mainstream newspapers.
People who say they have been journalists for X years -- and who then go back to college or even high school -- can be seen as padding their resumes.
We can go back and forth about how hard collegiate journalists work and how, in some cases, their papers are even better than the local ones, but I'm telling it like it is. Working for your college paper is valuable experience, but it is not the same as professional experience.
Happily, there is a simple solution: List your experiences one by one on your resume. Do not try to sum it all up in a number.
Coming Tuesday: He's been blogging in twice-a-day posts on news items and current events. He'd like to turn this labor of love into -- cha-ching -- a full-time job.
