Own your superpowers, get used to rejection and soak up the wisdom around you, say journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Vox Media, New York Times and CBS
Every young journalist inevitably faces their biggest fear: getting into their first newsroom of the "real world".
From the beginning, it is an intimidating process — blindly entering your name into the lottery, pitching yourself to anyone you already know in the industry, and cold emailing every professional with their email readily available to the public.
To guide you in this process, as a journalist soon to graduate, I spoke with 11 media professionals based in New York City, the media capital of the world, and garnered some advice on how to go about launching your journalism career.
New York University assistant professor and contributor to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Guardian, Hilke Schelmann, said, "Think of every job as a research project. How did others get there? Who is the right person to call?"
Bloomberg recruiter Rob Boehm shared a similar sentiment: research people and get in contact with people who have already done what you want to do.
In the same vein, Emily Harris, deputy art director and designer for Penske Media Corporation, said to cold email everyone. Look up and email people you admire. Ask for informational interviews.
For Vox Media's Andrew Losowsky, his "edge" was internet culture and community-centred projects. Host of The Complex Sneakers Show, Brendan Dunne, used his footwear industry knowledge combined with storytelling skills to develop his niche.
"The ceiling is relatively low if you find the right niche,” Dunne said.
If you are having trouble identifying yours, think of an area of expertise in demand in journalism right now — AI, audience engagement, social media, gamification, etc. — and work your way towards acquiring skills within it. If you have completed concentrations or minors throughout your education, you already have your superpowers. So flaunt them.
Writing coach and editor at The New York Times (NYT) Bill Ruthart said, the more you can dabble in everything, the better.
Similarly, from The Athletic, Ryan Mayer said, "Step your foot and have a hand in everything. Start in smaller markets where you’re doing everything."
While this approach differs from focusing on a specific niche, University of Oregon Chambers professor in journalism Damian Radcliffe provides a solution that marries the two: think of it as a "T," where you have a broad skill set and build expertise in an area.
NYT reporter Hamed Aleaziz also said, "Be able to go anywhere and understand people will reject you."
Joel Webber from Bloomberg said to think of life as a video game: "You are in skills acquisition mode. Anything that interests you, what you're good at, what you want to do, acquire skills in those areas."
As artificial intelligence and automation proliferate in the industry, they are also impacting hiring processes and interviewing. In one of Bloomberg’s interview rounds, for instance, the interviewee responds on video to their computer flashing questions. Other places simply use an automated phone call.
Numerous places gave a friendly reminder that, if rejected, it’s ok (and totally normal) to apply to a job or internship again the next year and even the next. Do not be discouraged.
According to WSJ reporter Jack Pitcher, finding and pitching stories is important. When pitching a story, ask yourself, "Why will people read this article?"
Fellow WSJ reporter and podcaster Ryan Knutson said, with every story, "create a space where civil dialect occurs."
Pitcher said that you get your best stories from people telling you something, which means you need to build relationships with anyone you can and ask them to call you if they hear of anything interesting and new.
CBS Sunday Morning's Jon Carras said, "In the early parts of your career, be around others — out of sight, out of mind. Show yourself and be present. Being in the office is important, and asking people older than you for advice and guidance. Use anyone you possibly can."
This is just the start of your adventure, read these articles for more career tips and advice:
Sydney Seymour is the editor-in-chief of Align Magazine and a writing intern at University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
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