Ways to give yourself an edge in the journalism job hunt

Times are getting tough in the newsroom. The digital era overwhelms the media outlets and journalists need to acquire new skills and adapt to a constantly changing environment to generate information that can retain reader interest.

In such changing market realities building a career in the highly competitive field of journalism requires primarily a broader understanding of the market.

Editors in print, online and broadcast media look for journalists with advanced skills in a variety of disciplines, rather than multimedia experts. As the media industry expands, you are required and mostly expected to have writing, editing and reporting skills, but also to be able to create web pages, blogging, shooting digital pictures, shooting videos and do layout. It will be to your best interest if you start acquiring these skills in college, if your school provides an outlet for practicing the craft. You may also volunteer in a community newspaper for the sake of learning valuable skills ‘on the job’.

As a journalist, research is a part of your routine work practices. Before jumping into the job hunt, you should do an effective job research that will help you decide if the job you think on applying is really the one for you. Spend time with the news organization. Check on its affiliations with the journalism community. All this research will help you match your wants with the needs of the organization and such combination may bring you ahead of competition.

Speaking about for your wants, it is extremely important to know what you’re looking for, but also to know what you have to offer. What are your expectations from your journalism job? Are you willing to spend the rest of your life traveling to cover important stories? Do you wish to relocate? Do you have a preference in a specific career path in journalism such as reporting, editing, design etc.? Where do you see yourself in five years from now? All these questions help you see yourself in the profession of journalism and redefine your relation to it. Performing a self-assessment enables you to understand where you stand today and when you want to be in the future. This will give you the motivation to follow your dreams and make them come true.

In your effort to pick up your odds in getting a job in journalism you have to develop a top-notch résumé emphasizing on your academic education, any activities related to journalism, and extracurricular activities. It is absolutely important to include a sample of your clips because often clips are a deciding factor for editors to hire you or not. Polished academic skills are good to show you have the basic knowledge, but your clips will reflect your inclination and love for the craft. So, before applying for the job, make sure you have prepared an exceptional clip portfolio that can show off your journalistic talent.

Finally, more than anything else, more than skills, previous experience, clip portfolio, or a killer resume what matters is you. If you have an emotional bonding with your job, if you are ready to sacrifice days and nights to cover a story, if you love to be on a constant challenge, often at the expense of your personal life, if you can put professional integrity over money, then, with an ability to integrate former knowledge into new information, dedication, motivation, belief in yourself and an open mind you can do anything.

Some important considerations

Often, news organizations have opening for producing or editing positions. Even if your first priority is reporting, take a vacancy in the above position. It’s a good experience.

Even if you are overqualified for a position, you don’t have to worry. All you want is to get your foot in the door.

After an interview at a company you’d like to join, send follow up e-mail or give your interviewer a phone call. This is a good business practice to make a good impression and develop a broad network of contacts.

Even if you’re not hired from a particular company, you can still do freelancing for them. After all, they got an idea of your skills and competencies as well as your personality and character.