Layoffs. Furloughs. Pay cuts. Newsroom closures. 2020 is shaping up to be an incredibly difficult year for journalists and journalism.
Finding a job right now can be especially trying, but there are still opportunities out there, including those I aggregate each week for my free newsletter, Journalism jobs and a photo of my dog.
The newsletter is almost two and a half years old now, and there’s a lot of resources I scour regularly to put it together. Here’s a window into some of those corners of the internet — including industry job boards, social media, interest groups, other newsletters and news organizations’ websites — that could help job seekers find their way during this difficult time.
Industry job boards
In addition to the most well-known site — JournalismJobs.com, which recently went through a redesign and tends to have the best mix of quality local postings — there’s a whole host of other job boards out there catering to different needs.
Public radio and TV job seekers should check out PublicMediaJobs.org. Poynter’s Media Jobs Connection page serves everyone from reporters and editors to educators and nonprofit leaders to TV and other communications professionals. And Mediabistro has more general communications postings, but you can sift through them to find journalism-specific openings.
FROM THE INSTITUTE: Job seekers, find more than 200 openings on Poynter’s job board
Social media
Twitter and Facebook can be some of the more fruitful places to look for positions because it’s free for employers to post there. You just need to know where to look.
Popular Twitter hashtags worth keeping tabs on include #journalismjobs, #journojobs, #mediadiversity and sometimes #PubMediaJobs.
There are also some fantastic accounts by and for journalists of color, including @writersofcolor, which regularly shares freelance and job opportunities; @ibwellssociety, run by the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting that “aims to increase the ranks, retention and profile of reporters/editors of color in investigative reporting;” and @culturedish, which focuses on “cultivating diversity in science writing.”
@SPJFreelance and freelancer Sonia Weiser at @weischoice can help writers find potential news organizations to pitch.
Job seekers can also search for regional openings by looking for local chapters of national groups. Many of these are private, but some like the ONA NYC Facebook page are public.
Bradley Cain, editorial recruiter at Condé Nast, wrote in an email that LinkedIn also “typically gets overlooked, despite how often we may find ourselves logging in.”
“Recruiters rely on LinkedIn to search for candidates with specific skills — line editing, copy editing, fact-checking — so consistently updating the skills portion of your profile, especially catering to a specific LinkedIn job posting, can make a world of difference,” he wrote. “Many of us forget to maintain and update these after college or the first few entry-level jobs, but close attention to details like that can push the process forward quickly.”
Organizations and alumni interest groups
Many journalism organizations have their own boards for their networks. Some are public-facing, but you have to be a member to apply to others.
The Online News Association’s career center is a robust spot for high-quality digital job opportunities. Other niche boards include listings from the Investigative Reporters & Editors, National Press Photographers Association (members only) and Radio Television Digital News Association.
The National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association (members only) and NLGJA: the Association of LGBTQ Journalists, also have their own boards.
If you belong to an alumni interest group from your college or university, those groups may also offer career services to graduates.
Newsletters
Many groups will also share openings in their regular communications with members via listservs or newsletters.
Hacks/Hackers, which describes itself as “a network of journalists (‘hacks’) and technologists (‘hackers’) who rethink the future of news and information,” includes job openings, upcoming events and industry readings in its Sunday email drops.
MEOjobs aggregates dozens of media and communications openings, especially TV roles, in its free weekly newsletter.
Sonia Weiser also runs an Opportunities of the Week newsletter (sent twice weekly for the duration of quarantine) for freelance writers. It’s suggested that subscribers pay $3 a month (or $36 a year) for the service, but she also offers some sponsored spots for those who need them.
“I like to include everything, not just the ones at recognizable ‘name brand’ publications, so subscribers have options that fit their needs and skill levels,” Weiser wrote, adding that she also looks to include extra information like rates when possible.
FROM THE INSTITUTE: Hiring? Post two positions for $99 on Poynter’s job board
News organizations
Sometimes the best way to find a job is to go right to the source. Employers don’t always publicize all their openings so it’s worth zeroing in on your favorite potential employers’ job boards directly.
Some larger national organizations’ job boards include those from Gannett, McClatchy, Dow Jones, The Washington Post, CNN and The New York Times.
Stacey Olive, vice president of talent acquisition at The New York Times, said at an ONA NYC panel I moderated in February that it’s important to find “the right way to get on the radar of someone in the newsroom.”
Having work that makes an impact and growing and developing relationships over time could later serve job seekers during the application process, Olive said.
“If you were to speak to any number of hires over the past couple of years that we’ve had into our newsroom, they may tell you that they’ve been on the radar of someone else in the newsroom for a couple of years,” she said.
Mandy Hofmockel is Hearst Connecticut Media Group’s Managing Editor of Audience and she writes a weekly newsletter, Journalism jobs and a photo of my dog. Reach her at mandy.hofmockel@gmail.com or on Twitter at @mandyhofmockel.
