Tips for Recent College Grad

[SportsSmart]

Greetings SJ,

I'm a recent college grad with more than two years of experience as a student writer and editor. I have written more than 75 articles for my school's student-run newspaper, and I have a few high quality clips at dailies, but nothing has come to fruition yet as of getting a job.

I've applied to a few jobs, but there has been no response as of the moment. So I ask, should I keep looking for jobs to enter the field? Or should I find something else that is stable for now in another field and hopefully freelance come fall?

Thanks.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Go back to school and get a real degree.

 

[sgreenwell]

As others have implied, journalism is really rough right now. Brutally rough. As in, I worked for four years before even making more than $25,000, and that came just because I jumped to an Internet start-up.

But if you're really dedicated, I doubt anything we say here is going to talk you out of it anyway. Therefore, I'd definitely recommend getting another gig in the meantime while you use your free time to apply for journalism jobs. I substitute taught for two years - In a lot of states, all you need is a Bachelor's and a background check, it pays $75 per day and it leaves your nights free for assignments. It'll also help you learn how to relate to and talk to kids, which if you're applying for sports jobs with HS beats, is a good bit of practical knowledge to pick up.

 

[TheHacker]

You're going to get a lot of people telling you to look for something else, and while I hate to sound angry and bitter (even though I often am angry and bitter), I'm inclined to agree with that advice.

I know an SE who's hiring right now. He got more than 60 resumes the first day his ad went up on journalismjobs. And remember, there have been waves of layoffs across the business and a lot of those applications are from people with more experience than you. So that's the landscape you're entering.

You may be perfectly capable of doing the job. The last time I hired, I had more than 120 applicants. Lots of them would have worked just fine. I picked three to interview and hired one. Do your best to make your application stand out. Play up your multi-media and social media skills, because that a huge part of the equation in the hiring process for any sports reporting job right now.

But be aware it's a numbers game and the numbers are stacked against you.

 

[SportsSmart]

I've been asked to write for an internet start-up website, but there is no compensation. The substitute idea is an interesting outlet. I have four years of experience working with students, which helped pay my way through school and that was enjoyable.

On a different note, when applying for jobs should I include college clips since my professional clips are limited to a few?

 

[spikechiquet]

Any spare bodily fluids you have...donate them.

Welcome to a ****ty job market! Sorry, but it's just the truth.

 

[dirtybird]

Freelance, apply, freelance, apply...

Try to pick up some sort of day job and get ready for an unpleasant process that could take a while.

 

[sgreenwell]

I've been asked to write for an internet start-up website, but there is no compensation. The substitute idea is an interesting outlet. I have four years of experience working with students, which helped pay my way through school and that was enjoyable.

On a different note, when applying for jobs should I include college clips since my professional clips are limited to a few?

I think a mix would work, unless your professional clips are really stale as compared to the college clips. As long as they're in decent shape, I don't think most places look down on college clips. Your main issue is going to be your competition at this point - Plenty of journalists with much more experience than you have been laid off.

I wouldn't work for no pay unless it's an Internet company with a solid name, like Scouts or Rivals, where you would legitimately pick up some skills and/or contacts. Is there a Patch.com site in your area? I'm biased because I work for them, but they're usually looking for freelancers, and usually willing to pay. (Note: I can't speak for every site. In some areas, they have tons of possible contributors and don't have to pay much / at all, while in others, they don't have a ton of trusted freelancers, and will pay more.)

 

[Dick Whitman]

My advice is all over threads like this, but in a nutshell it's this: Find a way to make yourself stand out from the pack. That might mean another degree like a hard science or economics or law degree. It might mean accumulating a news side background (and even then be more than a generalist - although be capable of being a generalist, too).

Right now, my friend, you might have what it takes, but your resume is short hand to employers, and you have to make it pop somehow. (P.S. I'll let you know how this all works out in a few years!)

Also: Network, network, network. Though I understand that's not easy before you have an in.

 

[flexmaster33]

good luck with your search...it is hard times now to land something full-time, but if you want to give it a go find some part-time position or build a net of freelancers.

I know at my shop, when a full-time spot opens up we look to our network of freelancers first, so I suppose that's the new "foot in the door"

 

[Illino]

Just keep applying everywhere you can. Last summer, I was in the same situation. I applied to about 10 jobs across a 6-7 state area and got offered 4 interviews and two jobs. It took three months, but it happened.

 

[Stitch]

Apply for news jobs. Apply everywhere. Don't just check JournalismJobs.com. Do you have contacts anywhere else? What can you do besides write?

Just don't post that you wasted 20 minutes of your life preparing a clips package that you sent via email and didn't get hired.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

Are you going for the bigger newspapers, ie: college or pro beat? Or are you also looking at lower paying high school beat jobs too?

Reason I ask is that a lot of recent college grads/younger kids think they are beneath working their way up/starting on a high school beat.

Not saying you're one of those, but we've seen that all too often on here.

 

[User 1019]

http://www.goarmy.com/

 

[jfs1000]

Sports jobs at good papers are impossible to find. Hard to break in. My advice is to not limit yourself to sports writing and try news and freelancing. Also, freelance for a weekly but don't take a job at a weekly, I havent seen a guy go from weekly to daily in years.

You have to realize that any job at a daily that serves any type of pro or college market will have multiple journalists down shifting who were laid off. I know guys who cover major college sports who are on high school beats.

Advice? Always keep your eye on the prize --- money, stability, a living.

You want passion, but professional journalists write for money. don't be a fanboi or an activist and do it for free.

 

[Stitch]

Sports jobs at good papers are impossible to find. Hard to break in. My advice is to not limit yourself to sports writing and try news and freelancing. Also, freelance for a weekly but don't take a job at a weekly, I havent seen a guy go from weekly to daily in years.

You have to realize that any job at a daily that serves any type of pro or college market will have multiple journalists down shifting who were laid off. I know guys who cover major college sports who are on high school beats.

Advice? Always keep your eye on the prize --- money, stability, a living.

You want passion, but professional journalists write for money. don't be a fanboi or an activist and do it for free.

I was the last one to make the move.

 

[SportsSmart]

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

Are you going for the bigger newspapers, ie: college or pro beat? Or are you also looking at lower paying high school beat jobs too?

Reason I ask is that a lot of recent college grads/younger kids think they are beneath working their way up/starting on a high school beat.

Not saying you're one of those, but we've seen that all too often on here.

I've been applying for the smaller market jobs that cover mostly preps. I know my place. I'm not egotistical or do I think I'm going to land a great gig right out of the gate. To tell you the truth, I would prefer to start out at a high school beat to gain some valuable experience before moving on to a more prestigious college beat.

I know it's going to take a while, but I didn't go to school and spend years majoring in journalism for nothing. If I give up now that would just be quitting.

So, how would you approach an editor if you were interested in freelancing for them?

 

[BaseballPress04]

Get a job at Walmart...it pays better.

 

[Turtle Wexler]

To freelance:

Right now, contact every paper within a reasonable radius of your area. If it's a small operation, look for the sports editor. If it's a larger operation, they likely have a dedicated preps editor.

Let them know you're in the area, you just graduated from college and you would like to be added to their list of fall freelancers. E-mail them a PDF packet of your work. Features are nice, but be sure to include at least one solid game story, since that's likely what you'll be doing.

If you have experience with a particular sport (say, soccer or lacrosse), let them know that as well. They might have 10 people they can dispatch for football but only one who knows how to cover, say, field hockey. That person is golden.

Know when the fall sports start at the schools in your area (both practices and competitions). Then about two weeks before the start of the season, make contact with the SE or preps editor again. Remind them that you want assignments. They are busy people up to their eyeballs in prep tabs at that moment, so you may have slipped their mind.

If they add you to the freelance list, fill out your paperwork sooner rather than later. You will likely complete a freelance contract and a W-9 so you can get paid. They may or may not issue you some type of press pass identifying you as being with the paper. But get this stuff done at noon on a Tuesday before football starts, not the first Friday of games.

When they send you on assignment, be sure to ask what information they need for box scores. It varies by paper.

Good luck, and be looking for a day job. Not trying to be pessimistic, but as others have pointed out, the odds are not in your favor of landing a full-time sports writing position, especially if you're limiting yourself to a specific geographic area (if you are).

 

[podunk press]

The job market is brutal. You have almost no hope of getting a sports job. We can't even hire part-timers right now.

Take whatever job you can find in any industry.