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To ex-journalists who have made career changes...

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by 1GreytWriter, Jan 31, 2015.

  1. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I got my current job at a PR flack/writer at a sports facility on the basis of my old beat-writing work on that sport. A had a very good rapport with a team's PR rep and, even long after I was off that beat and, later, in a different state in a different job, I'd keep up with him on Facebook and we'd trade messages a couple times a year. Eventually I moved back to my home state and after about six months (I had been freelancing but was not as busy as I'd liked to have been), the phone rang -- that old PR rep had been hired as the new top guy at the sports facility and he called asking if I'd like to come work with him. Definitely some luck involved but not completely blind luck -- just by keeping up relations, he knew that I was back in town and available. And I can't really say I'm the schmoozing type who keeps up with a zillion people just to be friendly, but this one guy proved to be the right one to stay in touch with.
     
  2. UNCGrad

    UNCGrad Well-Known Member

    Once I hit my early 30s, I became unhappy being a small daily SE and covering preps. It may be great for others, but I realized I didn't want to do that for a career anymore. I started shooting for small college SID work, and while the hours can be tough (although summers were awesome) and the money isn't THAT much better (though better), it paved a way for me to move into communications at a much higher level in just a couple of years. SID work can be much different at that level - game ops are every bit as much a part of the job as writing the game news release - but I was faster than all of my contemporaries (by A LOT), always knew how and when media needed our info, and easily built relationships that helped me progress to my next step. You say you're willing to move, and if you like sports media and being close to the games, make a real effort at small college SID options. There's a good chance at upward mobility there, and in spring and summer, those jobs open quite a bit because of the turnover.
     
  3. 1GreytWriter

    1GreytWriter Member

    I looked at SID once before, and my problem was that even for lower-level jobs, they were generally seeking sports information experience of some sort, and usually as a requirement for the position. Is there any way around that? I mean, besides not applying for jobs that say something like "X amount of years of SI experience required." Or something.
     
  4. Do you write solely sports? If so, consider covering other things. Branch out.
    If not, I think you'll be limited in what you can do.
    I think Ace posted on this a few months back, scrub your resume of the sports angle. Focus on the deadline work and editing and writing.
     
  5. 1GreytWriter

    1GreytWriter Member

    I'm an editor right now, but I'm working in sports, so yes that's the bulk of my work. I do social media part-time for a startup that can be described in non-sports terms.
     
  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Everything can be described in non-sports terms.

    You compile and edit content on deadline and prepare it for digital and print readers.

    You choose the content and determine how the content is organized and displayed.

    Etc., etc. (Don't say you handle high school sports stories on deadline or edit NFL roundups from the AP wire.)

    Any other skills you can list -- work with/schedule vendors (freelancers); leadership stuff -- do you set any schedules, supervise clerks or anyone?; proficient in PowerPoint , AP style, etc. (Don't assume they know you are proficient in it. The HR bots may search for it on an electronic copy and boot you out if you don't list it.)
     
  7. Sports work is great, for sports-related fields. But for non-sports PR and communications, it can be a career. Phrase, market and present your skills correctly.
    The social media stuff helps. A lot. Running FB pages and Twitter feeds helps.
     
  8. softball29

    softball29 Active Member

    Ahhhh! I wish I had seen all of this a couple of years ago when I was searching and searching and searching.

    I'm one of the ones who has gone from the sports ranks into PR, in an educational setting. It's a lot of learning on the fly with some things (which is a heap of fun, actually), better benefits, better pay, and it's honestly more rewarding at times. I truly believe those from journalism going into PR work the best as we have seen both sides of the coin. I was told it was one of the things that made me the choice at my current job.
     
  9. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    I got laid off from a newspaper a few years ago and latched onto some part-time PR work at my alma mater. It was a good transition into PR because it's a fairly slow pace and I was able to pick up some of the essential skills of a PR flack. Not too long after, I got hired on full-time at a PR agency. Agency life is a million times more hectic, but I got to work with some of the biggest companies in the country and really honed some great skills at that job.

    Since then, I've set off my own doing professional photography and some PR consulting for a tech startup. The skills I gained in the university and agency settings are helping me market myself and the tech company I'm working with. I don't necessarily recommend doing what I'm doing now if you want to have steady income, but fortunately, I'm in a place where I can take the risk that this tech company consulting might have a big payoff. If it doesn't, I'm set up well with some other options.

    To echo softball29, working in a university setting is great. The hours are fantastic, the benefits and pay are good and, for me, it feeds my intellectual curiosity.
     
  10. DeskMonkey1

    DeskMonkey1 Active Member

    Here's the dumb question of the day but I want to hear someone else say it.

    When we say "scrub the sports references from your resume" what we mean is scrub them from non-sports jobs, right? If you're applying for a sports editor job, of course we keep those in.

    Right?
     
  11. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    I would dress them up differently for a non-sports job.
    There is a misconception that sports journos don't know squat about the rest of the world.
    I am not sure how that gained traction but it does exist.
     
  12. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    Boy, this website is a testament that sports journos know a lot about everything, have pretty good opinions too, and know how to turn debates into bloodlettings.
     
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