What exactly are sports journalists qualified to do?!

I don't want to make this overly simple, but if you can do the following, you are a valuable employee.

Be at work. - Do not spend every day with a sniffle or every other Friday out sick.

Be able to do something correctly when you are only told once to do it. - Boss says he/she wants something done, and if the boss knows you can do it without them worrying about, then you are a true asset.

Get something taken care of before it is a problem. - If you can think two steps ahead and take care of something before it is a problem, then you are an asset.

Don't be a slob in your work or an idiot towards women. - Pretty self explanatory, but many people cannot check these off their lists.

Get things done on time.

Dress properly for an interview and work.

Forget writing, if you can convince a person you can do the above, you will be hired.

 

If people believe that all you do is write about sporting events, then it is important that you tell them otherwise.

I've seen thousands of resumes in my day -- a bunch being from sportswriters looking for a new career path -- and the thing that amazes me is how poorly they do the job of presenting themselves in their resumes. Most people feel like they have to tell you the basics in their resume. I want to see what separates you from the rest of the journalists out there.

As for the future, don't wait for it to happen. Everybody can see the direction that your profession is heading so try to stay ahead of the game. Welcome change instead of fighting it and you'll make a place for yourself.

 

Should I mention in an interview that, after putting the paper to bed, I'd put on a superhero suit and fight crime on the streets?

Maybe they'd hire me on as a security guard.

 

1) What is it that you WANT to do with your life?

2) How hard are you willing to work to do that?

 

In addition to the obvious SID and PR jobs, if you are a writer or copy editor, there are plenty of jobs in technical writing or corporate communications that you might be suited for.

Of course, it's a trade off. You might get the 9-5 job and a better salary but be writing about widgets and such.

If you are an editor or in any kind of leadership role, there are lots of corporate jobs that look for that kind of experience. If you plan daily budgets and such that's strategic communications or project management.

Lots of big companies look for project managers to herd all the sheep. They just use different words than we do.

Journalists have lots of good, real-world experience. It's not all just writing a story from a ballgame.

 

Yup, very true.

As for the stigma thing, NEVER refer to yourself as a "sportswriter" in your resume or cover letter. Call yourself a journalist. Really sell your experience with deadlines. Don't just say "I'm comfortable on deadline". Tell them how you turn around 600-1,000 word stories in the span of an hour every night. Recount stories about how you handled big breaking news to show you can deal with unexpected emergencies. In my experience, when most interviewers from non-newspaper fields say "we work on some pretty tight deadlines here", their deadlines are like comfy long-term assignments for a sports journalist. Being specific about what you mean when you say "deadline" will help impress them with your grace under pressure.

If you're sending in clips, pick a nice mix that shows off your ability to write things other than just game action or jock features. Ever helped out and wrote a news story? Send that in. It doesn't have to be amazing; just as long as it's not embarrassing and has good grammar and no typos. When you're trying to get out of sportswriting, a clips package stuffed with APSE-winning sports stories doesn't do as much for you as a portfolio of some good sports stories and some solid/decent news/feature stories. Applying for a technical writing job? Tell them that you're no stranger to organizing vast amounts of information and communicating them to the public in a clear, concise manner (what else would you call taking all the action and stats from a 3-hour prep football game and condensing it into 500 words, all in 30 minutes no less?). Up for a job that involves some customer/client interaction? Tell them how you massaged your sources to get them to cooperate. Look at the attributes that make you a good journalist and ask, "Why am I good on deadline? Why am I good at getting sources to talk?" Oh, it's because you are organized and don't panic under pressure, and you're at reading people during a conversation. Those are the kind of traits that will apply to other jobs, and you need to draw a line between the trait and your work to show the hiring managers the connection.

Cite examples that illustrate your ability to adapt quickly, because it indicates to them that you know how to take the skills you have and apply them to different things, not just sportswriting. If you took photos, shot video, edited copy, did design, play up all of those just as much as your writing. Portray yourself as someone who's good/solid in a lot of things, with writing being your strongest skill. Don't portray yourself as someone who's looking to get out of a dying industry. Convey the idea that you "chose" to apply your considerable repertoire of skills toward journalism for a while, but now you are "choosing" to apply them elsewhere (this works better if you haven't been in newspapers for decades). And, of course, tell them a reason that you actually want that position because you're interested in what that position does, not just because it's a lifeboat off a sinking ship.

 

100 percent correct

 

There is some solid advice here.

Some other things you might have to work hard at selling yourself on include:

1) Hours. If you worked nights for many years try not highlight this as a reason you want to change jobs/careers. If it comes up in an interview, emphasize how it will not be a problem for you to work 9-5, Monday through Friday. You would be surprised at how many non-newspaper people see that you worked on the night shift and think you did this by choice or because you can't function 9-5. Play up that you always reported to work on time in the past and that will not be an issue in the future.

2) Salary. Depending on where you are in your newspaper career, yes salary will be an issue. Many entry-level PR jobs are seen as dues paying and don't pay very well either. If it comes up in an interview, play up how your are eager to use your skills in a new area and feel the company will give you a chance to grow, etc. If you are told the company has had issues with employees taking a pay cut to work there and not working out, that is a red flag that said company pays poorly AND treats its employees bad.

3) Grades. Yes, even if you graduated from college 20 years ago they might want to see a transcript. During your undergrad years, if you majored in the school or local paper and barely maintained a 2.0 you will be either passed over on the spot or need to really play up your real-world experience.

 

I left the business three years ago and the transition was not as difficult as I thought. I had the good fortune, however, to have a nearly 10-year military background backing me up, and that means a lot to prospective employers.

The way I sold my skills to a completely non-journalistic company was to stress my ability to work well with others, to be a self-starter and self-motivated, to be handy with different computer programs, etc., and my ability to deal with daily deadlines and stresses.

You know more than you think and can do more than you think, too. Have faith.

 

Widgets' parents don't leave long voicemail messages about how their widgets work just as hard as all the other widgets and deserve more coverage in the manual.

Seriously, though ... there comes a point at which the "boredom" of writing about widgets is a tremendous tradeoff for more money and time.

 

I only got two of those calls and three emails today. Pretty good Monday. Every single person used the works as hard line.

To me "works as hard" is code for "We know they're not as good but my kid should be in the paper, too."

 

One thing I've noticed about my job is that it has kept me young.

That may not sound like much to go on, but A LOT of people get a job doing repetitive work, get a daily, weekly routine, settle into a groove and never change.

The very nature of what we do — seeing different things, experiencing different people and different emotions — allows us to keep growing as we, well, grow.

Bottom line — we're built to adapt.