There is no doubt that this is going to be a tough year for the media in Canada and beyond.
Journalism students graduating this year have the talent and the skills that the industry needs, but the question is whether news organisations will invest in them.
Even student journalism award winners are finding it tough. Azeem Ahmad, the winner of Birmingham University Student Journalist of the Year award sponsored by media group, Trinity Mirror, has talked about his struggle to find a suitable opening:
It’s not that there is a lack of job opportunities, but there is definitely a lot of competition for the more interesting roles, naturally. I believed that achieving my award would set me apart from the competition and make potential employers take more notice of me, but I’m still finding myself just as unsuccessful in getting my foot on the ladder as I did before I won the award.
His advice to budding journalists reflects how landing for a job has changed:
Blog as often as possible; subscribe to and read the key influencers/speakers in your chosen field – and comment too Let the author know you’ve read what they’ve written and agreed or disagreed with it; start and get involved in the discussions, engage with the community online and create one around yourself; join Twitter and become a networked journalist. Engage, engage, engage – I can’t stress that enough.
This is career-seeking 2.0 for journalists. Dan Schawbel at Mashable provides some good advice in using social media for job-hunting.
Among the recommendations – create a video resume, capitalise on LinkedIn and tap into Twitter to network and make connections.
It is a far cry from mailing a CV and cover letter to the HR department.
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[...] Advice on how to land a job in journalism. Alfred Hermida offers some sound advice, from a couple of sources, on how graduating journalism students can make the best of a bad situation. Related: Student journalist of the year: “Journalistically, I wouldn’t really say I’m surviving“, the post that Alfred riffed on. [...]
Hmmm. I don’t want to discredit Azeem Ahmad – he seems skilled and smart enough – but why should fellow journalism students follow his advice, given that he himself doesn’t currently work as a journalist (the article says ” a non-media related job”)?
Knowing how to use efficiently the new media certainly helps, but it’s not enough, as Azeem Ahmad’s exemple shows.
Journalism students should probably be told to forget about their “dream job”, and to think more in terms of “dream work.” Not that the dream jobs don’t exist anymore, but it seems to me that employers rely more and more on contract workers, freelancers, etc. There are opportunities if you are a little bit of an entrepreneur.
Students should be prepared to pitch story ideas, deal with the administration and the freelancing etiquette, work on stories with a low-budget, etc. It’s rarely taught at school, unfortunately.
-Fp
Thanks for the comment, Francis. You make a good point about journalism students needing to be flexible and more entrepreneurial. This is one element that should we address in journalism education.
Frances, thanks for the comments. I never said my advice was to be followed, they were just my opinions on how to be more noticed, and to be a better journalist.
Regardless of the fact that I am not in a media related job, I am still a journalist. Surely, because I’m not officially employed in the industry – what I’ve given as advice and help to other students shouldn’t be ignored?
I’m not selectively applying for my ‘dream job’ as you put it, I’m trying to get my foot into the industry, and carve a name out for myself – but given the current climate, it’s becoming increasingly difficult. I have already proven myself as an entrepreneur by building and maintaining my own CMS and website, drawing a large global audience.
I was taught at university how to pitch story ideas, deal with the administration and the freelancing etiquette, work on stories with a low-budget, etc and they are skills that i have not forgotten, and will stay with me throughout my career.
Azeem Ahmad.