College Journalists: 14 Things To Do Before You Graduate
By Jennifer Nicole Sullivan
It’s challenging to find a job after graduation, not to mention a job in journalism. But it can be done if you become proactive and prepare. So before you begin your job search, get a jump on the competition with these tips (listed in no particular order).
1. Print business cards: Vistaprint offers nice and inexpensive cards. Include your website and Twitter handle (if appropriate).
2. Create a one-page resume: Nobody wants to read more than that! Check out “One-Page Resumes – 12 Edits to Make Everything Fit.”
3. Create an online portfolio: Include your best clips, multimedia samples, resume (sans address) and bio. Have an online presence. Check out “Portfolio Websites for Journalists: Where to Begin.”
4. Get active on LinkedIn: Keep up with contacts, peers and news sources. Make new connections. It’s your online Rolodex. You might even get a job through LinkedIn (I did!).
5. Get several internships: One is not enough. Shoot for the national media outlets. Publish as much as you can in these positions.
6. Publish work in professional publications: Either through an internship or as a freelancer. Look into Patch.com in your area or other local publications.
7. Regularly save your clips: Always save pdfs and hard copies as you go. It’ll keep you from scrambling around when you need them.
8. Join Society of Professional Journalists: (Hopefully you have already!) It’s great for networking, attending superb conferences and getting valuable advice from committees such as Gen J. Plus, you receive SPJ’s Quill magazine!
9. Attend seminars, conferences and networking sessions: You’ll make important contacts and learn about social media trends, writing tips and industry news.
10. Network (yes, really!): It sounds like a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be. Relieve the pressure with this Woody Allen quote, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Just show up and conversations will happen naturally without the stress.
11. Make friends with other student journalists: Keep in touch after graduation. You never know how you can help each other out.
12. Learn technology: It’s not enough just to write well. Learn to shoot video, edit video, take photos, report on camera, write for online, engage in social media and use design software such as InDesign. And be familiar with HTML and content management systems.
13. Google yourself: What pops up? If it’s undesirable, fix it before future employers see it.
14. Follow the top news outlets (and read more than just the headlines!): Read a variety of magazines and newspapers that contain opposing opinions and points of view. The more you read, the better journalist you’ll be.
(Tips presented at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., in early November 2011.)
Jennifer Nicole Sullivan is a copywriter for Real Simple magazine in New York City. She’s also a fashion, arts and entertainment contributing writer for the weekly newsmagazine Newport Mercury in Newport, R.I. The Dallas native is a former features reporter at Corpus Christi Caller- Times. She has degrees in theater and radio-TV-film from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in English from The University of Rhode Island. Visit JenniferNicoleSullivan.com and follow her on Twitter @trendyjenny.
Tags: advice, career, entry level positions, Gen J, Gen Jers, generation j, Jennifer Nicole Sullivan, job, job hunting, journalism, journalists, Newport Mercury, Portfolio, Society of Professional Journalists, students, twitter, website
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:26 am
A lot of these sound like solid advice to me. But I do have some questions about #5.
This post urges students to land several internships. I can agree with that. The more experience the better — I’ve certainly benefitted from the four internships I’ve worked.
But I can also afford to work unpaid for a summer. What about the many students who can’t — and are already staring at heaps of debt after graduation? (I’m sure it’s an issue that SPJ as a whole addresses this elsewhere on the Web.)
My other question: Why should students shoot for national media outlets?
If I might, I’d like to raise my voice in support of smaller, local newsrooms. These are the outlets helmed by seasoned professionals. Plus, their size means that they can put interns to work covering stories that might be left to bigger guns in a larger outlet.
For me, I’d say that gaining solid experience is more important than gaining exposure. Of course, if you’re lucky, you won’t have to choose between the two.
November 26th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Jennifer:
As a long-ago journalism graduate and a long-time (now retired) human resources professional, I compliment you on the best, most practical list of suggestions I have ever seen. Well done!
November 27th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
I think No. 2 is misleading. In high school, one applies for college with a one-page resume. By the end of college, I think you could/should have more than one page–and include your references! Just my two cents.