Recent College Grad Looking for Job Help

Hi everyone. I am new to this site, but so far have read a lot of good things on here. I was wondering if, with all the knowledge out there, what advice you could give me about getting a journalism job in sports.

I have experience with my college weekly and have written a freelance article. My sports knowledge is vast and I haven't met a sport I didn't like.

So any advice anyone could offer me would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

 

You're probably going to get a lot of snark and gallows humor... and honestly, some of it is warranted.

A similar thread was started just a couple days ago.
http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/66157/.

My advice is to make sure that you really, REALLY love journalism before you make any commitments toward a career in it. Because if you love having your weekends free, getting to bed at a reasonable hour, frequently seeing your family, eating Thanksgiving dinner, enjoying nice meals, being financially rewarded for the work you do and having the ability to make impulse purchases, journalism is the wrong field for you.

 

Before they decide to light you up, here's a couple pointers.

1) Liking sports and working for a college weekly newspaper might not (well, probably won't) quite cut it in this job climate. If you truly want to work in this business, either live at home for a while and try to freelance for your local paper, if that's a possibility, or scour craigslist for internships and low-level paying gigs.

2) In applications, highlight other strengths, such as tech knowledge (computers, camera, video) or high grades.

3) Temper your expectations. It takes a heck of a lot to get hired right now.

4) Stay positive, and good luck.

 

Seriously, go back and get a master's degree. Get a sports information grad assistantship to pay for it.

This is just a terrible time to be job hunting. I've never seen the ranks this thin in almost 15 years in the industry. Unlike others, I believe this is cylical and will bounce back..... but it may take a year or two.

On the other hand, if sports reporting for print is really what you want, there are a handful of entry-level jobs posted on this board that won't demand a ton of experience. Be forewarned they won't pay much .... maybe 20-25K. But it will give you a chance to get real world experience, build or enhance your clip file while waiting for the economy to turn around. I'm sure you understand you'll be covering high schools, little league, community races and that sort of thing. Hey, we've all done it at one time or another. So if you want to go that route, check out some of the jobs posted on this board and apply.

Good luck to you.

 

First, this post will probably be moved (this is for job postings only).

Second, the next comment after this one will say "Don't apply for a print job, get out before you get in." Don't listen to that crap because if this is what you really want to do no one can steer you way. But be aware of the job market before you leap.

As far as jobs, you say you've written a freelance story. I hope you mean some. That connection with the newspaper could help you get a spot as a regular freelancer or as a reference to get a job at a smaller paper.

What internships have you done? Use those editors and writers as a way to help you get a job.

If you really meant a freelance story, you have a long way to go despite having a degree. Degrees mean almost nothing, it's experience that editors want. So you may have to start at a weekly.

Hopefully you have some strong clips from the college rag that would help get you into something.

The best I can say is good luck. I think we all need some right now.

 

If you've written for a college paper and/or strung for a real-world paper, like i did when in university, you'll have a few clips that you can send with a resume.

Heck, when you're just starting out, that's all anyone has. Do whatever you have to to get your foot in the door. In these days of staff cutbacks and such, editors are always on the lookout for stringers, part-timers and the like. It may not be enough to make a living on for starters, but it will give you a start, build some clips, learn, etc.

 

My advice: Get every bit of Web-production, videography, blog and TV broadcast and production training/experience that you can, be it via classes, internships or jobs, and do print freelance work -- or a job in some other field entirely -- on the side.

 

Your best chance is to be willing to work somewhere no one else would be willing to work, for pay no one else would be willing to take. Think Montana and McDonald's wages.

 

Williston is hiring.

 

I believe they want even a little more experience than college weekly work.

 

For the life of me I can't understand how many people come to this board weekly and ask about breaking into the business. I just can't believe people are still going through j-school. I was dumb enough to do it when I graduated two years ago, but things weren't half as bad then. There was at least a chance then. But now, geeze I just feel bad for some of these people.

 

Either that or it's the Information Kiosk's Grand Hall in NoVa spying on us, dissecting our weaknesses and turning us all against each other. It's the first step of ContentOne!