Application and Interview Suggestions,

[dkphxf]

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?

 

[Dave Kindred]

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/

 

[silvershadow1981]

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.

 

[Stitch]

There is no magic formula.

 

[Ben.Breiner]

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?

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

 

[BobSacamano]

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

 

[dkphxf]

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?

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

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

 

[Stitch]

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?

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

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.

 

[dkphxf]

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.

 

[Stitch]

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.

 

[dkphxf]

Any other advice?

 

[mustangj17]

There is no magic formula.

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.

 

[Mark McGwire]

Any other advice?

Stop putting commas at the end of thread titles.

 

[Ben.Breiner]

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?

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

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

I just finished a first job hunt and these are a few observations.

-Region Matters: most of the interest I got was from places near whichever part of the country I was in at that point. So if you are in Florida, expect less from a preps opening in Iowa than one in Georgia. I'm guessing you could use your cover letter to make it look like you are especially interested in the part of the country the job is in.

-I'm not sure how one weighs interview skills, but I'm guessing it ranks behind the other things. You have to stand out from a lot of people just of get an interview and employers probably won't bring in that many (those skills are the closer, but you'd rather get on a lot of interviews then send out app after app hoping to showcase interview skills). This also doesn't apply if you just try to meet and talk with to editors in hopes of working your way in. If you do that, interview skills are excessively important.

-I don't know if this will help but it could also be beneficial to do some stringing with local papers (perhaps a bigger name paper if you can swing that). It keeps you involved in sports writing and at the very least means that one editor knows who you are.

-It's interesting you mention a college beat, because I'd bet it's not not easy for a rookie to get that without someone recommending you or a mind-blowingly good resume.

Now this doesn't answer the direct question of the thread but I hope you find it somewhat helpful. Also remember that I'm only looking at this from the side of someone going through a job hunt. If someone who knows the process better feels like demolishing everything I said here with their knowledge and perspective, please do so.

 

[Simon]

Honestly, it helps if you're not a huge douche. Clips are clips...but no one wants to work with an egotistical jackass. People want to like their co-workers.

 

[Stitch]

If you're looking at just sports jobs, that's silly, especially if you're out of work.

Look at state newspaper association websites and start e-mailing every editor under the sun with a unique cover letter for every paper. I did that for the state of Pennsylvania for sports editors and got an e-mail from about half of them, and talked with about half a dozen about various opportunities, ranging from sports to news.

 

[Mark2010]

Don't concern yourself too much with platform. More and more people are writing for both print and online, even broadcast. Reporting is reporting. Writing is writing. Interviewing is knowing how to ask the tough questions. Research a subject. If someone is a good reporter, they can learn the details of just about any platform.

The other thing I would add is be versatile. In my job, it's not uncommon for me to write a story (feature, event coverage, whatever), lay out some pages, compile statistics and post things to a website all in the same shift. A person who can do multiple things has more opportunities. So try not to pigeonhole yourself to just one area.

 

[dkphxf]

Does region always matter? What if you're willing to work anywhere?

 

[Turtle Wexler]

I've been reviewing dozens of applications lately and have some suggestions:

-- Triple-check your spelling and grammar. Then have someone else check it. I may not be willing to overlook your typos, no matter how many Ivy League degrees you have.

-- Follow the instructions. If the notice says send a PDF, send a PDF. Don't send me a .docx or InDesign file I can't open. If you can't make a PDF on your computer, it's up to you to find a way to do it. If the notice says no phone calls, do not follow up with a phone call.

-- Confidence is good. Narcissism is bad. It's a thin line to walk, but show me the former, not the latter.

-- If you are young and don't have a ton of journalism experience, don't underestimate the importance of your non-journalism experience. If you have managed people, held a position of responsibility or started your own business, I'll be impressed.

-- That said, if you want to go into journalism, get some experience. Work for the campus or local paper or reasonable equivalent. Do not start a WordPress blog and write about your thoughts on the NFL. That doesn't count.

 

[dkphxf]

Turtle: Do you have suggestions for what makes a cover letter or resume stand out? What do you look at first and what do you use to weed out candidates? For example, if you see a weak cover letter, do you just throw away the rest of the application packet?