Application and Interview Suggestions,

I didn't know exactly where to post this, but I had a few questions about how to get hired. I'm sure others on this board have some of the same questions. Here's something I wanted to throw out there. (I think it would be a good idea to sticky this thread because it could help a lot of people.)

What percent of actually being hired comes down to certain things? Do you think editors place most importance on experience (i.e., if you're hiring someone for a college beat, you want someone who's worked on a college beat before), quality of clips or interview skills? What's most important? How important is each element? Is there something I'm missing here?

 

I wrote a bit about the process in this week's column on the Nat'l Sports Journalism Center website...

http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/on-a-good-little-paper-and-the-lost-art-of-the-cover-letter/

 

This is excellent. Three years and change at my current shop and I'm in this same position - trying to get hired somewhere else. I'd be interested to see what the veteran reporters and sports editors of the board have to say if it hasn't been said already.

 

There is no magic formula.

 

Are you looking for a first full-time job or to move up? I could say more about the first than the second.

 

Share everything you know about the first, if you don't mind. I'd love to read it.

 

I'm looking for my first full-time job.

 

Are you applying for any jobs on the news side? What type of clips do you have or internships? Do you know people in the business? Like I wrote, there is no magic formula.

The key to many positions is just getting in the door and making yourself know to editors in a good way. You don't want to be remembered as just a pest, but as someone who has the goods and deserves a shot.

 

I'm applying for just sports jobs. I have plenty of internship experience along with feature stories, enterprise reporting and gamers from many different sports. I don't know too many people, but I did go to a reputable journalism school, which should lend my resume some clout.

 

Resume means little, especially without a full-time job. I thought you did an MLB internship? Did you network with other reporters?

Don't limit yourself to news. The longer you're not working full time in the biz, the less attractive you will be to hiring editors. Get your foot in the door somewhere, even if it is covering fender benders at the local gas station.

 

Any other advice?

 

It's different for every job. This is going to sound ridiculous, but when I applied for a social media job at an agency, I didn't do an actual cover letter. I wrote a bulleted list of skills sprinkled in with random facts like

- Dominant at Madden Football
- Eats Taco bell 3x a week

I got an interview. Gotta get their attention somehow. Of course it is different with journalism jobs, but you can always get someone's attention.