Electronic clips for job applications

[goldy220]

Hi guys, this is my first post here, but I've been browsing around here for a few months now.

I'm a college Senior and am getting ready to get my first non-intern newspaper job. I've prepared my resume and I've finally caught up with my clips. I was taught to put them on 11x17 then reduce it to 8.5x11. Recently, I've noticed a lot of jobs online request to send the resume and writing samples through email.

What's the best way to do this? I don't work at the paper anymore, so copy pasting the text from the archives isn't really feasible. I was just going to scan the 8.5x11's into PDF files...does that seem alright?

Thanks

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I know I've said this numerous times on here, but I'll repeat again since it's always worked for me.
Since about my junior year of college, the only way I've submitted clips is this:
Cut the story into a standard word file. Make sure any text -- from headline to subhead to byline to story -- is included (I generally make the headline a few point sizes larger.
No, it does not show the placement of the story on its original page, but it is essentially impossible for any person you're emailing clips to to have compatibility problems.
It also makes it easier when you're including any possible notes on the story in question.

 

[Stitch]

I know I've said this numerous times on here, but I'll repeat again since it's always worked for me.
Since about my junior year of college, the only way I've submitted clips is this:
Cut the story into a standard word file. Make sure any text -- from headline to subhead to byline to story -- is included (I generally make the headline a few point sizes larger.
No, it does not show the placement of the story on its original page, but it is essentially impossible for any person you're emailing clips to to have compatibility problems.
It also makes it easier when you're including any possible notes on the story in question.

So do you use a separate file for each clip?

As for myself, I just exported the clips to PDF from the Web site's archive and saved them in a folder. My packet comes in around 800 kb.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

I know I've said this numerous times on here, but I'll repeat again since it's always worked for me.
Since about my junior year of college, the only way I've submitted clips is this:
Cut the story into a standard word file. Make sure any text -- from headline to subhead to byline to story -- is included (I generally make the headline a few point sizes larger.
No, it does not show the placement of the story on its original page, but it is essentially impossible for any person you're emailing clips to to have compatibility problems.
It also makes it easier when you're including any possible notes on the story in question.

So do you use a separate file for each clip?

As for myself, I just export the clips to PDF from the Web site's archive. My packed comes in around 800 kb.

Yeah, separate file for each clip. When I was still applying for jobs fairly regularly, I would keep clips in a separate file on my computer, and I could attach them (along w/ my resume) and shoot it out. I can email a clip package to a potential employer in about 2 minutes.

 

[zebracoy]

What's the best way for creating PDFs? I've finally caught up with a bit of this technology nonsense and still am having trouble doing this myself.

 

[sportsnut]

So lets say your sending out four clips you should attach 5 word files? 4 for each story and another one for your resume?

Also in regards to a title on each file should it be

game preview.doc
game story.doc
feature.doc
profile.doc
nameresume.doc

or can you just add a few stories to one file and call it Sportsclips.doc?

 

[Stitch]

What's the best way for creating PDFs? I've finally caught up with a bit of this technology nonsense and still am having trouble doing this myself.

If you have a Mac, it's pretty easy. Select print from the file menu and there is a button the the box that pops up in the lower left corner labeled PDF. Just choose Save as PDF.

 

[mdpoppy]

What's the best way for creating PDFs? I've finally caught up with a bit of this technology nonsense and still am having trouble doing this myself.

Use InDesign and export it as a PDF.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

So lets say your sending out four clips you should attach 5 word files? 4 for each story and another one for your resume?

Also in regards to a title on each file should it be

game preview.doc
game story.doc
feature.doc
profile.doc
nameresume.doc

or can you just add a few stories to one file and call it Sportsclips.doc?

I've done it both ways, although I generally just sent (using your example) five documents. Generally, in the body of the email, I would just make it clear what I was sending as attachments. It usually worked out just fine; certainly never had any complaints.
As far as the naming, I just went with something I knew I would remember just by the name itself. If the story was about Bob Johnson, it would usually be something like Johnson0604, the numbers corresponding to its run date.

 

[Leo Mazzone]

I hesitated to share this -- feel like I'm ceding some sort of competitive advantage. But convert all your clips to PDFs, (save under whatever name you want) then export your cover letter and resume to PDF (under whatever name you want). Use PDF Sam (Google it) to merge all your PDFs into one file and save to a PDF as your name.
Attach and send.
Voila.
Everything in one neat package for a potential employer to scroll through or print out.

 

[zebracoy]

And for those whose papers don't use InDesign or Macs?

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

And for those whose papers don't use InDesign or Macs?

That's sort of why I use a straight word filing system. If a place you're applying to doesn't have some version of a word-based system, you might not want to work there anyway. They have bigger problems.

 

[mdpoppy]

And for those whose papers don't use InDesign or Macs?

You don't need InDesign or a Mac to open a PDF -- just Adobe Acrobat, which every computer should have. That's why I said use InDesign to make your file and EXPORT it as a PDF.

I don't disagree with MU's point, but I really think a PDF should be just as common of a file as a .DOC. Maybe I'm wrong ...

 

[Stitch]

And for those whose papers don't use InDesign or Macs?

You don't need InDesign or a Mac to open a PDF -- just Adobe Acrobat, which every computer should have. That's why I said use InDesign to make your file and EXPORT it as a PDF.

I don't disagree with MU's point, but I really think a PDF should be just as common of a file as a .DOC. Maybe I'm wrong ...

PDF's should be common. If a paper can't open PDF's, then it's behind the times. The real question with PDF's is size. My PDF files are 4x the size of the same text in a word .doc. Some systems just can't handle a meg or more coming in.

 

[mdpoppy]

And for those whose papers don't use InDesign or Macs?

You don't need InDesign or a Mac to open a PDF -- just Adobe Acrobat, which every computer should have. That's why I said use InDesign to make your file and EXPORT it as a PDF.

I don't disagree with MU's point, but I really think a PDF should be just as common of a file as a .DOC. Maybe I'm wrong ...

PDF's should be common. If a paper can't open PDF's, then it's behind the times. The real question with PDF's is size. My PDF files are 4x the size of the same text in a word .doc. Some systems just can't handle a meg or more coming in.

If, in InDesign, you export them as the smallest size, there's really no quality lost and my files are about 100K each. Though, then again, mine are just my story alone -- not sure if you guys are taking the whole page, with other stories on there and all. I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on the original files so I could cut the other junk out.

Either way, if you REALLY want the job, send hard copies in addition to the e-mail. It can never hurt ...

 

[zebracoy]

You don't need InDesign or a Mac to open a PDF -- just Adobe Acrobat, which every computer should have. That's why I said use InDesign to make your file and EXPORT it as a PDF.

I don't disagree with MU's point, but I really think a PDF should be just as common of a file as a .DOC. Maybe I'm wrong ...

No kidding, dude. And my question was not about opening them, it was MAKING them WITHOUT the aid of a Mac or InDesign.

 

[Stitch]

Try PDFCreator at http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

I haven't used it myself, but it's free.

 

[Stitch]

For those who want all of their clips in one PDF, it's easy on a Mac. Use preview and the sidebar. Drag pdf's from one sidebar to the other in the big document. And just drag and drop in the big pdf sidebar to arrange everything.