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What is your job follow-up strategy?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by NickMordo, Jan 31, 2011.

  1. NickMordo

    NickMordo Active Member

    Seem I've always been under the impression that sending a follow-up in the journalism business is a no-no. Editors are busy, the time to hear a response is erratic and can take weeks or (gasp) months. The times I have followed up, I only heard back around one time. It became a situation of, 'Should I have sent that e-mail three weeks after sending my original application?'
     
  2. NickMordo

    NickMordo Active Member

    If I may ask, why does saying a job is your "dream" a bad thing? Not that I necessarily do it now, although I have done it in the past and it got me nowhere, but neither did not including it. Do editors and HR managers just not believe such drivel? And along those lines, is it wrong to say you are a die-hard sports fan as well (for a sports gig)? If it's honest and not a foregone conclusion, why does it hurt chances?
     
  3. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    If you haven't worked in the industry, saying the job is a dream job is silly. Once you graduate college, a job is about accomplishing the task at hand and setting yourself up for advancement.

    Writing that you're a die-hard sports fan makes you seem like a douche. Editors wants journalists, not fans. You might be called upon to cover news and die-hard sports fans who just like to go to games for free might not want that lifestyle ruined.
     
  4. dirtybird

    dirtybird Well-Known Member

    It's not a good idea on several levels. First, they know you want to work in this field since you applied. There are few people saying, "gee, I want to work in some other field with real pay and regular hours, but I guess I'll settle for sports writing." This job attracts people who are passionate for it on some level, or else they wouldn't apply.

    Beyond that, whatever one dreams about, it's not the unpleasant part of the job. No one dreams of shooting photos, keeping a boxscore and covering a HS basketball game all at once. No one dreams of frantically writing/proofreading/laying out pages on deadline. If you wrote that you dreamed about the hard parts of the job that could stand out I suppose. But whatever sort of sports you always dreamed about covering are not the sort of sports you will likely cover in a first/second job or internship.

    As for the OP. I rarely sent followup emails for a simple reason. If they worked most journalists would write them and then editors, already overwhelmed with a mass of applications, would be again flooded with requests for more info. That always seemed like a hassle for the people doing the hiring. Now I'm sure there are some with the time and inclination to respond, but I doubt there are too many.
     
  5. TheHacker

    TheHacker Member

    If I may ask, why does saying a job is your "dream" a bad thing? Not that I necessarily do it now, although I have done it in the past and it got me nowhere, but neither did not including it. Do editors and HR managers just not believe such drivel? And along those lines, is it wrong to say you are a die-hard sports fan as well (for a sports gig)? If it's honest and not a foregone conclusion, why does it hurt chances?
    [/quote]

    It's not a good idea on several levels. First, they know you want to work in this field since you applied. There are few people saying, "gee, I want to work in some other field with real pay and regular hours, but I guess I'll settle for sports writing." This job attracts people who are passionate for it on some level, or else they wouldn't apply.

    Beyond that, whatever one dreams about, it's not the unpleasant part of the job. No one dreams of shooting photos, keeping a boxscore and covering a HS basketball game all at once. No one dreams of frantically writing/proofreading/laying out pages on deadline. If you wrote that you dreamed about the hard parts of the job that could stand out I suppose. But whatever sort of sports you always dreamed about covering are not the sort of sports you will likely cover in a first/second job or internship.

    As for the OP. I rarely sent followup emails for a simple reason. If they worked most journalists would write them and then editors, already overwhelmed with a mass of applications, would be again flooded with requests for more info. That always seemed like a hassle for the people doing the hiring. Now I'm sure there are some with the time and inclination to respond, but I doubt there are too many.
    [/quote]

    This! Especially the second graph from dirtybird. That and Stitch's response both made me think of this commercial ... people who understand you: Priceless.



    Nick, I understand what you're saying ... you want to convey your enthusiasm, but I think that's a given when you apply. And you're correct, I think most hiring editors/managers just glaze over when they see something like that.
     
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