Filed under Journalism Job Hunt …

Mar 15 2013
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Interviewing, Journalism Education, Journalism Job Hunt

Hey, J-Students, stop trying to do everything!

Elizabeth R. Miller over at the Knight Blog compiled some advice for new journalists trying to get a job. The tidbits come from Aron Pilhofer, editor of interactive news at The New York Times, and Cindy Royal, associate professor at School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, during a SXSW panel.

The whole list is worth a read, but what stood out to me was this advice:

1. Lose the jack of all trades. Go deep with one tech skill

A lot of students are coming out of universities prepared to do several things moderately well, Pilhofer said. “It’s both fortunate and unfortunate – it’s unfortunate because you aren’t seeing specialists… the ‘jack of all trades’ approach has a limiting factor built into it.”Instead of encouraging students to learn a little bit of everything, he advised that it is better to be extremely well versed and develop technical skills in one particular area, whether it’s audio, video, web design, etc.

So many times, young journos are told they have to master everything — social media, programming, blogging, SEO, etc. — it’s refreshing to see the perspective that specialization is a trait to strive for. It’s something I envision more and more news orgs will be doing as well, as niche targeting becomes not just the norm but a necessity for survival.

 

For more news and views on the future of journalism, follow @szuminsky.

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Mar 14 2013
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Journalism Education, Journalism Job Hunt

‘The Onion’ beautifully skewers stereotypical Comm resume

What makes satire so great is how effectively it can cut to essential truths. Journalism educators were gifted a perfect example of this today when The Onion (America’s Finest News Source) offered up the brilliant article: “Company Immediately Calls Job Applicant Upon Seeing ‘B.A. In Communications’ On Résumé“

If you’ve ever tried to impress upon a student that they actually need to, you know, do something, this is the post for you. At Waynesburg, we stress and stress the importance of co-curricular activities (the student newspaper, radio station, television productions, etc.) as a way of building a resume full of actual accomplishments, rather than the flotsam and jetsam The Onion piece so deliciously skewers:

“I don’t know how this is possible, but it says he has experience in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on both PC and Mac,” said sales developer Brenda Juarez, explaining that she had to do a double take after reading the line in Wilhelm’s cover letter explaining that he had “both professional and personal experience on multiple social media platforms.” “And on top of it all, he’s taken the classes Introduction to Communication, Writing for Mass Media, and Interpersonal Communication. I mean, this guy’s on a different plane altogether.”

It would be a lot funnier if it didn’t show up — nearly verbatim — on so many resumes.

 

 

For more news and views on the future of journalism, follow @szuminsky.

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Mar 06 2013
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Journalism, Journalism 2.0, Journalism Job Hunt

Sonderman: Is freelancing dead?

Jeff Sonderman, a voice a respect a great deal (and whom I cite often in my research), offered a few musings on The Atlantic Write-For-Free-Gate. Sonderman buried his interesting contribution at the end of his post, where he asks a pretty provocative question: Is freelancing dead?

Will there ever be a secure living in freelancing full-time, in an age when so many other writers are happy to publish for free? Or do writers need to accept that their skill must be leveraged into other income opportunities like book deals, speaking fees, etc.?

As someone who has done a good bit of freelancing — but never made it my full-time source of income — I’m not sure how to take Sonderman’s question. I can’t say I fault his logic.

The Web has killed many things that used to be staples — I’m looking at you, Travel Agent — is the freelancer on the path to a similar fate?

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Mar 04 2013
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Journalism, Journalism 2.0, Journalism Job Hunt

From the Horse’s mouth: What news orgs want from job applicants

Over at The Atlantic, Bob Cohn, in reflecting on the applicant hunt for “several dozen” jobs that went to young journalists, realizes that today’s job hunter needs to be, well, everything:

What we’re looking for, I’ve come to realize, is people who can do a bit of everything: report and write stories; write headlines and deks; select and crop photos; fact check and copy edit the work of others; make charts and graphs; oversee social media; manage outside writers. (And hey, can you do some coding?)

This change reflects — or dwarfs — the other changes going on around news orgs everyday:

This transition from vertical job descriptions to horizontal job descriptions is perhaps the most profound change in newsrooms that are full of change. I can’t say whether this is a sign of trouble or triumph for journalism. Probably both. But it is definitely a matter of fact.

Don’t fret, j-students, because Cohn lays out just what kind of new hire he’s looking for:

The best hires possess a kind of creativity and entrepreneurialism that my peers and I surely didn’t have at that age. Today’s young web journalists are learning to frame and write stories in innovative ways. …

What might that innovative way of framing stories look like in a job interview? Cohn tackles that a few graphs later:

We also look for a candidate’s ability to make lateral connections across topics. In interviewing business writers, we might ask about tax policy and retail trends but we’re most interested in how candidates think about non-business topics–and whether they have the instinct to apply a business or economics lens to everyday subjects.

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Mar 02 2013
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J-Scroll, Journalism 2.0, Journalism Job Hunt

Social Skills a Must for Job Hunting in 2013

In their roundup of do’s and don’ts for those applying for a journalism or communication position, Christine DiGangi of SPJ warns that a professional social media presence is no longer optional.

DO include links to your website, relevant online profiles and anything that helps an employer learn more about you. DO include your twitter handle alongside your name, email address and phone number. In this industry, it’s just as relevant as the standard contact information.

Read the full list of helpful tips here.

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