Q. My bride-to-be and I will be relocating to a new city this summer if she lands a two-year museum fellowship there. It's a city where I have no contacts. I plan to hit the streets as soon as we arrive and begin setting up informational interviews with newspaper, magazine and online editors, offering my full-time and freelancing services.
Is this the right plan of action? What advice could you offer about how to do that? (I'm not so interested in the conversations themselves but rather about the process of getting them.)
Mike A. First, congratulations!
Then, let's be clear about the type of interviewing you'll be seeking: straight-up employment meetings. Informational interviews are less direct and are helpful if you have a long-term interest. Go that route only if the employer says there are no immediate openings (which seems likely). And if you get an informational interview,
do not morph it into a job interview.
Study the publications and the community at some depth, prepare story ideas for all of them and ask for a chance to come in and make your pitch. If they decline a face-to-face meeting, be ready to pitch over the phone.
Get the highest degree of engagement you can and try to take things up from there. As you test the local market, trying to find the best opportunities, be aware that you are approaching competitors simultaneously. If any of them would be uncomfortable with you appearing in the competition, you may have to make a choice that avoids a conflict and costs you opportunities with your first choice.
Coming Tuesday: Should an aspiring journalist switch out of an expensive university with a good international relations program for a cheaper school that teaches journalism?
