Are you a bold, bright student who loves to brown-nose into people’s business, tell people things that don’t matter and want to find an easy, laid-back job after graduating college using the minimal skills necessary? Congratulations! You might as well have the phrase, “Undesirable No. 1,” tattooed on your forehead because you will never be hired as a journalist with that attitude.
It can be a challenge, finding that first internship, that first job after college when you’re suddenly in the “real world.” You have to be serious and work hard for it. Luckily, many journalists have embarked on this journey before us and are happy to pass down their words of wisdom. Many of the USF St. Petersburg students and alumni interviewed gave similar tips when asked how to land a job in journalism. Here’s what they recommend:
- Hands-On Experience
Direct, hands-on experience in journalism is a must in order to get a job after graduating college. One way to do this is by writing stories for your college newspaper. (The Crow’s Nest is always looking for contributors!) Writing for any publication as a student means you’re familiar with the whole publishing process and that your work has been formally recognized by another entity besides your personal Tumblr page. It works wonders on your resume and portfolio.
Internships are another way to go. Most are unpaid, but you can sometimes earn college credits for taking part in them while in school. Many internship opportunities include getting small stories published. Be wary because this can only happen assuming you’re a star intern, earning the editors’ trust and proving your worth around the newsroom. You get a small taste of the field while still in school.
- Take What You Can Get
There is a chance you might not get your dream job straight off the podium after graduation. You need to apply for every possible job you can possibly think of and could potentially withstand until you actually find that dream job. Assistant editorial manager, library clerk, marketing intern, Old Navy sales associate — you need to be prepared for every possible outcome. If anything, you can freelance for a while, write stories on your own and pitch those to different publications yourself.
Even if you do land the job, you still need to have that open mindset. A small way to leave a big impression is to never turn down any assignment, even if you don’t know how to do it. Turning something down because you can’t do it is a no-go. If an editor asks you to do something and you don’t know how, figure out how to get the job done. Never edited a video before? Go home and learn some editing software. Have to cover a basketball game and know nothing about basketball? Research the rules and some stats. When you’re first starting out, you’re disposable, so if you refuse an assignment, you’re only making room for the next person in line.
- Networking and Connections
Knowing the right person can work wonders. It’s almost impossible to make a name for yourself in this field without help, whether an editor recommends you for a promotion or a professor tells you about a job opportunity and giving permission to name-drop them. Professors and classmates can both help with this. Professors are experts in the field and usually have relationships with people in the industry. Believe it or not, most professors actually want their students to succeed, so surely they’ll help point you in the right direction if you stay on their good side.
- Nail the Interview!
Most interview skills are pretty universal in a sense that no matter what career you’re interviewing for, the questions asked are pretty similar. In turn, you still have to make sure you come to the interview with a list of your own questions for the editor interviewing you. As a journalist, it’s your job to ask questions, so why wouldn’t you in an interview? It’s important to know what exactly the job entails, and what’s expected of you.
- Be Versatile
Versatility is a characteristic journalists need to have in order to keep up with the ever-changing times. The way news is brought to the public is still changing and will continue to change. If you lack the skills necessary to keep up with this change, you might just end up with lack of employment as well.
Learn things like video editing, HTML, photojournalism or social media. It’s one more skill to add to your portfolio. It could be the only difference between you and the guy or gal who interviewed before you. (These are all classes that are offered at USFSP!)
