“A Guide to Communications Careers”
Alumni &
Student Career Development Resource, produced by
the Penn State
College of Communications Alumni Society
The
popular Zagat’s guides offer reports on restaurants, culled from
dispatches from discerning diners. What is the best time to visit Chez Hetzel?
Should you avoid the hoagie potage? Can any restaurant that limits its wine
list to vintages from Bellefonte be considered haute cuisine?
Consider
this career overview a Zagat’s guide to careers in the communications
industries. Successful graduates of the Penn State College of Communications
were asked to provide their insights into careers in their areas – what
jobs are available, what the jobs are like, how students should prepare themselves
for careers and how they should go about their job search.
This
guide has been assembled by the College of Comm
unications
Alumni Society. We make no claim that it is comprehensive; there are more
careers in communications than any simple guidebook could discuss, and more
ways of reaching career goals than we can imagine. But there is a lot of good
advice here, and it comes from people who have a Penn State education like
yours, who have gone on to do pretty well in this fascinating and rewarding
world.
It
might be worth your while to read through all the sections – advice on
things like interviewing and networking, while offered in specific industries,
often apply across the board. And perhaps you’ll surprise yourself with
your interest in occupations that you had not considered.
Bon
appetit.
Advertising
Broadcast
Journalism
Film
& Video
Government
Journalism
Marketing
Communications
Media
Studies
Public
Relations
Telecommunications
Options:
•
Advertising agency.
•
In-house client advertising department.
•
Sales position in media.
Starting
Off:
Advertising
agencies generally have entry-level positions in media, research and account
services. You will have the opportunity to work on varied accounts, and if you
have a passion (fashion, cars, beauty) try to use that to your advantage to
land your first position.
As
they say, you've got to pay your dues. My first ad agency job was so low paying
I thought of it like grad school...we joked it was a great place to work if
your parents could afford to send you there!
It’s
all about supply and demand. The best agencies pay the least because they can.
The experience will pay off when you move to your next position, when you've
got experience on key accounts.
Expect
to spend one or two years soaking it all in. Ask to sit in on as many meetings
as possible, and put in the overtime to make a few extra dollars (although not
all agencies pay overtime). Many individuals who begin in ad agencies as media
buyers end up taking that experience and moving to the other side of the desk
as a seller.
While
usually you should start out with a large ad agency, if you want to go right
into print media sales, start with a small company. You will get more exposure
to all areas of the business (circulation, editorial, marketing), and you will
get to call on major accounts.
Your
contacts become your resume as a seller, and you will get to call on top
clients and top agencies at a small magazine. If you are lucky enough to start
at a large magazine, you probably will begin in the classified advertising (not
national display) department.
Newspaper
advertising sales is an excellent introductory position. If the paper in
question pays on a commission basis, you can out-earn any other entry-level
job. People skills are a must along with increasing reliance on understanding
data and presentation skills.
Working
Conditions:
Ad
agencies require long hours, especially if you are required to work on new
business pitches.
As
a print sales person, you work much more autonomously. It requires great
self-motivation and focus...your aggressiveness will in large part determine
your success.
In
face-to-face meetings and presentations, there is a large amount of planning
and preparation that needs to be done before an effective meeting with a client
can take place.
Be
knowledgeable and passionate about the publication you want to sell. Take the
initiative to prepare a mini-presentation for a potential advertiser that you
feel is appropriate but not currently advertising in the publication.
Planning
Ahead:
There
isn't a lot of job security on the ad agency side; if an account is lost, so
are many positions within the company.
There
is more job security on the publishing side — assuming you perform.
A
strong competitive spirit and resilience, combined with superior interpersonal
skills, are required to excel.
Campus
Involvement/Experience:
Work
at The Daily Collegian selling advertising space (related experience),
participate in the AAF competition (presentation skills are critical for any
job) and do an internship (invaluable references and writing samples), all
while working at various part-time jobs.
Employers
look for candidates that clearly have fire in the belly and who have worked
their way through school, have strong personal hobbies and passions (balance is
critical in life), and have spent time volunteering in the community.
In
a sales position, past sales experience is a plus, espe
cially in a
service-oriented business.
Interviews:
Go
to the company's Web site, and read recent articles on their activities. Get a
copy of their annual report.
Come
in with at least three questions that clearly show you have done your homework.
Write
down the three most important points that make you the perfect candidate for
the job. Make sure you mention them all during the course of the interview.
Remember,
always ask at the beginning of the interview what type of person the company is
seeking.
Many
interviewers will intimidate or ask offbeat questions to see how you handle
yourself.
Go
on some interviews for jobs you have no interest in just to get experience with
the interview process.
Expect
questions like “What is the best thing that ever happened to you?”,
“What are your worst faults?” (answer: I'm a perfectionist!),
“If I called your reference, how would they describe you?” and
“I have an experienced candidate. Why should I hire you?”
Never
forget to follow up in writing after the interview.
Dress
for success no matter how casual you think the environment is. It’s
better to be over- rather than under-dressed.
Establish
eye contact, sit up straight, be engaging (humor is nearly always acceptable)
and be ON TIME!
Networking:
In
addition to sending out many letters and resumes to prospective employers (not
to the human resource department!), use the Alumni Association to develop a
contact list in the industry of interest to you.
Ask
everyone you know if they have contacts in your chosen field. People will pass
your name and your resume along, so it’s important to simply meet as many
people as possible.
Follow
up with them from time to time.
Read
the press and write letters to people mentioned in articles with your thoughts,
and questions, on the subject. Ask for 15 minutes of their time. What is the
worst that will happen? They might say yes! Being memorable and standing out
from the crowd are incredibly important.
Options:
•
Network or local broadcast television.
•
Radio.
•
Cable television.
•
Internet.
•
Electronic outlets, which operate more than one outlet (i.e., newspapers with
an Internet site, an Internet site with a tie to a radio or TV station or
both).
•
Corporations supporting their own Web site.
•
Support industries for the above, plus program production and commercial
production.
Starting
Off, Television:
Although
the most visible jobs are those in front of the camera, many of the most
rewarding career opportunities are elsewhere. In a typical television station,
for exa
mple, more than 75 percent of all jobs
are behind the scenes.
Graduates
should expect to begin with an entry-level job, possibly as an associate
producer in a newsroom or as a production assistant in engineering/production.
Third
shift, weekend work, fill-in work in a major market starts at less than $25,000
a year for the most part.
Find
a place that lets you get your hands on everything rather than a slightly
larger place where you aren't going to have the chance to grow as quickly.
In
a first job your goal is to grow your talents and professional database as fast
as possible. That's the ticket to long-term success.
Beginning
salary obviously should be a consideration but, assuming you could make ends
meet, don't let it be your top priority. You are beginning a career, a 40-5
0 year trip
through professional life, and the initial paycheck will become a distant
memory as the years go by.
The
first priority is getting a job in the industry of your choice.
Starting
Off, Radio:
Get
your foot in the door, whatever the job entails. It's much easier to grow from
within.
Plan
to get an entry-level position in virtually any department. Expect to occupy
the early positions for at least one or two years to gain a view of the full
cycle of activity.
Clearly
the small market to big market route is still the most popular way to go.
Programming,
promotion, engineering jobs can be tough to get, especially in larger markets.
There
are jobs at radio program suppliers such as Westwood One, which provides
national programs (Don Imus, concerts, etc.) and Metro/Shadow Networks, which
provide local programming (traffic, news, etc.) Here again, sales should be
considered as well as affiliate jobs. But for those looking for on-air or
operations work, companies such as Metro/Shadow frequently have entry level
jobs, usually beginning part-time nights and weekends.
Other
options:
Full-service
advertising agencies in production or media buying or smaller boutique shops in
creative or media; corporate marketing departments; and cable companies (they
love people with radio experience since both are targeted mediums).
Do
not expect to enter management immediately. The route still requires "dues
paying" in the professional world.
Never
underestimate the importance of taking on an advisor or mentor to champion the
growth.
Working
Conditions:
The
atmosphere within a television station differs greatly depending upon your
department. However, there is pressure to perform in every department.
Local
news staffs work long and irregular hours. The station is on the air virtually
24 hours a day so there are staffers there at all hours.
With
electronic media the eight-hour day/40-hour week is dead. In your first job you
are going to be expected to work at least 10 hours of overtime a week and will
not see more than two weeks vacation in the first year, if even after that.
There
are also many strict daily deadlines – the news MUST start at 6 p.m., not
6:00:01!
In
radio, you’re looking at smaller markets, off hours and relatively low
pay for openers. You've got to go where the jobs are.
Newsrooms
also appear to be in a constant state of (hopefully) controlled chaos with lots
of people with strong opinions and personalities to match, debating and
ultimately resolving new issues each and every day. It is not a place for the
timid.
Marketing
and creative services tend to be less hectic, although the luxury of slightly
more time to accomplish a project raises the bar on the quality of that
product.
Salespeople
are always under pressure to balance the needs of the client with those of the
station—maximize the amount of money coming into the station while
maximizing the value of the advertising for the client.
There
is heavy deadline pressure with equipment that might be a quantum step behind
what you used in college.
Expect
lots of little emotional turf wars.
Planning
Ahead:
It
is hard to predict but at least a two-year commitment in radio is usually
needed. If you're not advancing by then, it is time to leave.
Campus Involvement/Experience:
Get
involved in anything that allows you to write and speak a great deal.
Volunteer
at a campus radio station or The Daily Collegian; get involved with a
non-profit organization that can't afford a full-time PR person.
While
it is important to get some hands-on experience with various types of
equipment, most required operations knowledge can be learned rather
quickly.
Students
should be familiar enough with how to shoot and edit video, for example, that
it is not foreign to them. At the same time, students should not base their
university experience on how proficient they become as shooters or editors.
"Getting
smarter" should be your focus. If you get that job as a cub reporter in El
Paso and you are sent out to interview the mayor about issues in the Hispanic
community, how do you get ready quick? What do you already know and where do
you go to quickly supplement it?
If
you go to work in the marketing department of a third-rated station and you are
asked how to begin to re-position the station's brand, how do you begin? What
do you know about brand positioning? What do you need to know about the
station, its competition and its market?
The
list is endless. You ultimately win or lose on the strength, development and
use of your mind, not your ability to press a button on an edit panel.
Graduate
School:
In
this day and age there aren't many communications outlets that are keen on an
advanced degree. They want people who can carry their message effectively.
If
you want to get into management, then something like an MBA might be useful
after you have a couple of years under your belt.
Your
career will ultimately be determined by the quality of your mind. Grad school
is one way to further its development. It's not the only way. A good,
challenging job works as well.
Summer Work
Experience:
Any
internship does more for your chances than any paying summer job that is not in
the communications field.
Find
a small newspaper, Web site or nonprofit organization that will let you do more
than run down the street and get coffee for the 6 o’clock anchor.
Anything
dealing with people would be good, including waiting tables. The important
thing is to have done something that requires regular hours and discipline.
Anything
that will allow you to write and speak a great deal is a winner.
Internships:
What
you are able to do within an internship is far more important than where you do
it. There are a million people out there who interned at a Fortune 500 company
or a major market TV station and all they learned was the location of the
nearest donut shop.
Anyplace
that actually lets you get your hands dirty doing and thinking (and yes, making
some mistakes along the way) is worth its weight in gold.
For
radio, the more competitive the location the better; the broader the range of
exposure the more like the real world experience. But the size of the company
is not all that important.
Researching
Companies:
Use
the Broadcasting Yearbook in radio and TV. Internet companies can usually be
done more effectively on the net, sometimes even
on the
company’s own Web site. Read the trades.
Interviewers
will be less interested in your knowledge of the internal operation of the
company than they will your response to its product. Watch their product and
decide what you think.
If
you are in State College and want to look for work in Orlando, get someone
there to tape the local stations and send them to you. Check out the
stations’ Web sites to find out what they cover, their style and,
perhaps, to see their reports in streaming video.
Look
for alumni currently or previously employed at the company. Call for an
appointment to do an information-gathering interview with various department
heads.
Resumes:
What
would you produce if you were challenged to produce a 30-second commercial or a
print advertisement for yourself? What would you say about you? How are you
different than others in your graduating class? How are you different than
others who may apply for the same job? The answers should be reflected in your
application, your cover letter and your resume.
The
cover letter can be particularly useful if you use it to articulate who you are
as well as what you know about the prospective employer (do your research on
the station, the market, etc.).
Interviews:
Dress
conservatively and in full business gear. Never assume that the dress of any
given company is casual.
Get
a haircut, press (or purchase) your best business attire, and get a good
night's sleep.
Arrive
early, shake hands firmly, look people in the eye and speak with confidence and
authority.
Answer
questions directly. Don't ramble. It is also better to say "I don't
know" than to try to make up an answer.
Sit
up straight; don't fidget with anything in the office. Leave your hands in your
lap unless you are using them for emphasis.
MAKE
DIRECT EYE CONTACT! Even if you are scared to death, act cool. As the
commercial says, never let them see you sweat.
Be
honest – it gives you less to remember later!
Be
prepared to ask questions.
Your
unique traits will ultimately be your best tools in developing a rewarding
career, but they need to be channeled to fit an employer's expectations,
particularly during the interview. At the same time it should not mean denying
the portion of your personality that distinguishes you from everyone else.
Prospective
employers are less interested in what they can do for you than what you
ultimately can do for them.
After
the interview, follow up with a thank you note. Depending upon what occurs
during the interview, you may be able to follow up with specific materials that
further enhance what you have to offer.
Be
careful not to badger the employer with daily follow-up calls. A quality
communication is far better than quantity.
Networking:
Find
an alumni chapter in whatever city you settle in and introduce yourself around.
Even if there is nobody there in your field they may have friends and neighbors
who are.
Visit
every station in your market when you're home. Try to meet as many people
inside as possible and ask for additional contacts.
Options:
•
Motion pictures.
•
Broadcast and cable television.
•
Documentary film making.
•
Corporate, industrial and government communications.
•
Television commercial production.
•
Web content production (other than rebroadcast of the above).
•
Service and support industries to the above (equipment rental, special effects,
etc.).
•
There is a wide range of positions available in the industry. The better known
are producer, director, editor and screenwriter; others include wardrobe
attendant, lighting technician, script supervisor and casting director.
Starting
Off:
Graduates
should expect to begin in an entry-level position. For a nominal investment, an
employer can see how you handle responsibility, follow instructions and what
kind of personality you have under working conditions.
Working
Conditions:
Workers
in the motion picture, television and commercial business often face long hours
and tough deadlines. Entry level work is usually done on a job-by-job or
freelance basis. A well-paid, long-term job at entry level is uncommon.
Established professionals can expect to be rewarded with good pay.
Planning
Ahead:
Many
jobs in the industry, from entry level to senior positions, are short term,
often lasting only the length of a production or television season. This is
most evident in motion pictures, television and TV commercial production.
Traditional
full-time work is found more in corporate, industrial and government
communications and the service and support industries.
Campus
Involvement/Experience:
Any
extracurricular work experience is beneficial when you begin your job search.
This includes, but is not limited to, work on student productions (film and video),
practical work with campus media outlets and instructional TV, and work with
campus theater productions.
Don’t
get too hung up chasing cutting edge technology while in school. The technology
changes quickly and may be obsolete before you find yourself in a job in which
you can use it. It is more important to learn the fundamentals of visual
communication offered in your course work as they will remain constant fr
om school to
work.
Do
work hard to acquire the people skills and ability to collaborate with others
while in school. These skills will serve you well in the professional arena
from day one.
Internships:
Internships
are valuable for real world experience, making professional contacts and
helping to decide what position(s) to pursue after graduation.
Start
your portfolio while in school. Examples of your work will help to demonstrate
your talent and qualifications to prospective employers.
A
good resource for books detailing the wide variety of careers in the industry
is Focal Press at www.focalpress.com.
Options:
•
Press offices: All government departments, agencies, commissions and many
office-holders have press offices. These positions involve writing news
releases, organizing events for the secretary or other agency personnel, and
others.
Press
secretaries develop communications plans, answer inquiries from the media,
write briefings and
talking points and write and edit
publications. They also train agency personnel in handling media. In many of
the larger state agencies, the press secretary oversees multi-million dollar
advertising contracts with top national public relations firms. Most press
offices employ a deputy press secretary and sometimes several information
specialists.
•
Commonwealth Media Services: This is the state-run television and radio news
service. In addition to providing satellite video news releases and audio sound
bites for electronic media, people working for this service write, produce and
edit videos for state agencies. This agency also handles Web-casting services.
•
House of Representatives, Senate: Both legislative bodies have public
information or press offices based on party affiliation. There is a Senate
Democratic Information Office, a Senate Republican Information Office, a House
Information Office and a House Republican Inf
ormation
office.
These
positions usually involve writing news releases, organizing events for
lawmakers. Both bodies, and again, both parties, also employ television crews
that produce, write, shoot, edit and anchor television specials for individual
lawmakers. These public affairs programs are then offered to their hometown
cable systems. They also provide live satellite links to local news
organizations that want to interview their local legislators from the capitol.
Starting
Off:
Since
a large part of a press secretary’s job is dealing with the media, many
are former electronic or print journalists. Experienced journalists are
actively sought for the top jobs at state agencies.
Deputy
press secretaries and information specialists don’t require as much
experience. These are good opportunities to hone your writing skills.
Many
information specialists have more varied backgrounds, such as working for a
non-profit group or doing PR for a political campaign.
Working
Conditions:
Working
conditions are excellent. Traditionally, working for the government means a
more normal work schedule.
Most
press offices operate on an 8:30-5 p.m. schedule; however, when an issue breaks
and there is media attention, you have to be available to respond day or night.
Planning
Ahead:
The
reality of working in politics is that these positions are often politically
connected. In other words, the higher up you are, chances are more certain that
your job will end with a new incoming administration.
Campus
Involvement/Experience:
Get
involved in any activity that requires writing: the newspaper, radio or a TV
station is good experience.
Government
PR jobs require knowledge of how the mainstream media operate as well as good
writing skills.
Working
on a political campaign is great experience to see how a candidate’s
message is crafted and disseminated.
Graduate
School:
Graduate
school is not required for most positions, but as you move up the ladder, it
can be a plus for higher-level management positions.
Research
Companies:
Make
sure you research a department or agency — they all have Web sites.
Get
familiar with the political landscape by researching the hot issues.
Seek
out recent newspaper clips to see what gets covered and why.
Resumes:
Resumes
should include lots of writing samples: news releases, articles and/or an op-ed
piece. If you organized an event,
be sure to include any newspaper clips that show how your work translated into
media coverage.
Networking:
Internships
are the most valuable tool. The state has a paid internship program with
opportunities to work in many different departments or agencies. You need to
specify that you’re interested in an internship with a press office.
Volunteering
is a great way to get some valuable experience. There are lots of non-profit
organizations that would welcome help in writing news releases, organizing
press events, etc., but simply can’t afford to pay someone to do it.
Options:
•
Newspapers.
•
Magazines – either as staffers or free-lancers.
•
Newsletters.
•
Web sites.
•
All manner of careers involving the written word, including public relations.
•
Some graduates have gone on to law school or other professions.
Starting
Off:
Reporting
is generally the entry-level choice. You will work irregular hours covering
stories and writing them for publi
cation.
Necessary abilities include writing, an inquisitive nature and an ability to
get along with people. You should also use good grammar and spelling skills.
Knowledge
of computer software packages is nice, but since each paper has its own
preferences, not as essential as overall computer literacy.
Copy
editing is a hard position to fill at newspapers; you might be paid more than a
reporter. The skill to shorten stories appropriately, the ability to spot
errors and correct them, and a feel for layout and design are all important.
Of
course, there are also other specialties — graphics designer,
photographer, art director, page designer, etc.
At
a large metropolitan newspaper there is no shortage of Ivy League graduates
among the clerical staff. For that reason smaller is usually better for the
first job out of school. It's where one is much more likely to get hands-on
experience.
The
traditional food chain for newspapers is fairly simple. Reporters start out at
smaller newspapers in smaller towns, work their way up to medium-sized
newspapers in mid-sized towns, and then crown their careers at big-city papers.
Of
course, not everybody follows that trail. Some prefer to stick with the
intimate joys of small-town journalism. Others, perhaps because they impressed
someone during an internship, will find their first jobs at bigger papers. Or
they will take jobs as editorial assistants at larger papers at a low salary,
and hope to work their way up to reporting or editing jobs. Or they finagle
their way onto a wire service like The Associated Press by taking a series of
temporary jobs to show their merit.
Most
magazines do not have large staffs; the most likely job for someone out of
school would be as an editorial assistant. Again it is a low salary, but a foot
in
(the door.
There are, however, freelance opportunities for young journalists at some
magazines; the tough part is accumulating examples of the work you can do, to
show to editors.
Editorial
assistants at consumer magazines (Entertainment Weekly, Smart Money, Sports
Illustrated) MUST take on additional responsibilities if they expect to
graduate to a writing/editing position.
If
you want to get noticed be aggressive. Submit story ideas without being asked,
and help editors find great freelancers.
One
way to get your name out is to freelance for consumer magazines while you work
full-time at a trade publication.
Graduates
looking for jobs in magazines should look beyond the biggest publishers and
consider positions at trade magazines, which offer entry-level writers a chance
to work on every aspect of magazine publishing from writing and reporting to
working with the art department to choosing cover lines and reviewing layouts.
An
associate editor at a trade magazine writes features and smaller news stories,
and helps proofread the magazine in its final stages of production. On the
other hand, the work of an editorial assistant at a consumer magazine is typically
limited to assisting the editor-in-chief with administrative tasks. Says one
editorial assistant: "The job involves a lot of fetching: lunch, coffee,
dry cleaning...maybe writing captions if you're lucky."
Trades
offer the opportunity to work on stories in an industry that truly interests
you, whether it’s sports, fashion or high-tech.
Wherever
your career takes you, do not expect to make much money, at least to start.
Reporters at small papers can make less than $15,000 a year. In the long run,
you can make a good living in journalism, though there is little likelihood
that you will become rich.
You
must be prepared to work long and hard, and to take willingly any assignment;
the worst reputation you can earn is “prima donna.”
In
a first newspaper job, the things to look for are an opportunity to write every
day and an editor who will teach you good habits. Generally, if you start
small you can write more often on a wider array of topics and learn a lot more
than if you are in a more limited position on a bigger paper.
It
is good for reporters to learn how to cover the police, city hall and the
legislature. It may sound boring to visit every station of the cross if you
want to cover foreign policy, but it will stand you in good stead in the long
run because, otherwise, you will have big holes your experience that
will haunt you.
A
tech savvy journalism grad can start entry level as a Web writer or editor,
then work his or her way up to a managerial level, such as Web content manager
or director of online communications. This individual must be able to
multitask, work quickly and have a working knowledge of basic Web design and
production.
You
may work for a number of companies during your career, so try to enrich your
experience and increase your value each time you take on a new position.
Working
Conditions:
The
line on working conditions at newspapers always has been this: Long hours,
WEIRD hours and deadline pressures. Much of the work must be done on nights and
weekends – particularly if you are a copy editor on a morning newspaper.
The news never stops, and covering the news and sculpting it into a newspaper
is a 24/7 process as well.
Obviously,
the smaller the news operation, the greater the demands are on its staff. And
conversely, in larger organizations, especially those that are unionized, with
contractual protections for their employees, the demands may not be so great
but you will develop deeper knowledge of a particular beat.
At
publications of any sort, there inevitably will be deadline pressure, because
deadlines are inevitable. Some people run from this kind of pressure, but the
best and happiest journalists run to it. There is no rush like producing a
story or a newspaper or any other publication on deadline.
Magazine
hours are flexible; most people arrive between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and leave
between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Long hours are common in e-businesses to stay
ahead of competitors, and team members often multitask and fill in for each
other when necessary.
Planning Ahead:
In
journalism, the normal career path involves moving from smaller papers to
larger ones every three or four years. This can provide great professional
satisfaction but can place great stress on the homefront. Increasingly, people
are finding the need to balance personal and professional lives. But these
conditions limit advancement, whether you like it or not. If you really
want to rise to the top, you are going to have to make some compromises here.
But there can be many satisfactions in a smaller setting.
Many
dot-coms have crashed, but now corporations are taking a step back and
considering e-business strategies, so they are now looking at their corporate
Web sites and considering how to use the Internet more efficiently.
That’s where Web writers and editors can find jobs, if they have
marketing and technical skills. They also consider the dot-coms, but they are
still risky.
Job Seeking:
The
easiest and perhaps the best way to get a job in journalism is to impress your
employers at an internship so that they hire you when you graduate. Failing
that, do the hard work of finding a place for yourself, and convince them to
hire you.
Campus
Involvement/Experience:
Join
The Daily Collegian. Join The Daily Collegian. JOIN THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. Is
that clear enough? Not that the Collegian is the only place to get experience
at Penn State. There are other publications where you can get the experience
you need, not to mention the clippings you need. But the Collegian offers you
the opportunity to do it every day — reporting, writing and editing real
news for real people. Your Collegian experience will tell you whether this is
what you want to do with your career. And it will provide you with resources
that will be useful nearly every day of your professional life.
The
Collegian should not be the limit of your campus involvement. Remember, you
won't be writing about journalism, you'll be writing about life. See and do
everything from the arts to sports to social groups to charitable work. And
give yourself a great liberal arts education. Minor in a subject that
fascinates you. If you come out of Penn State knowing nothing except
journalism, you will not be much of a person and you will not be much of a
journalist.
Any
clubs, teams or part-time jobs you hold while in school also demonstrate that
you have energy and can multi-task.
Journalism
majors should take some business courses. Learn about budgets, stocks, annual
reports, how to read a balance sheet and how to measure a company’s
financial performance.
The
most important thing a young reporter can have is a decent file of articles
he/she has written — the clips. This the first thing employers want to
see, even after you have been in the business for 10 or 15 years, because it
demonstrates the caliber of your work.
Articles
written as classroom assignments can help, but they are not nearly as good as
published articles.
Any
type of online training would be very useful, even on a voluntary basis.
Graduate
School:
If
you have gotten a bachelor's degree in journalism from Penn State, and you
intend to find a job in the media, you need NOT go to graduate school.
Some
journalism graduate programs, like Columbia's, are professional in nature;
those, primarily, are for students who did not get professional training as
undergraduates.
The
exception might be someone who has an ardent interest in foreign affairs, a
scientific field, business, law or some other topic where a graduate
degree would enhance his knowledge. Having a law degree or an MBA can enhance
your value, but most other master degrees, including journalism, do not.
The
problem is that the more you narrow your field at the outset, the
more difficult it is to get the job you want. Generally it is better to get a
few years of experience before adding a degree or to get the degree at night.
Summer Work
Experience:
Try for any job in media. The benefit will be exposure to the work environment. What specifics you learned or what positions you obtained are secondary to getting a feel for how people act and what the norms are in a real workplace. However, any summer workplace experience is better than none.
Spend
the summer reading. Pick up the Wall Street Journal — even if you have no
interest in becoming a business writer. Read Sports Illustrated, Esquire, The
New Yorker, salon.com, and mrbellersneighborhood.com. Find out who won the
National Magazine Awards and dig up the winning articles. And don't forget to
read books.
Internships:
Interning
is valuable for having experienced a different slice of life as opposed to
campus life.
That
you took the initiative to get an internship is more important than what you
did or where you did!
Remember,
when prospective employers look at you, they do not see a student in a
classroom. They see someone who will report on politics or write that great
feat
ure or edit
the stories that go into their newspapers. The best way to prove that you can
do that is to show that you've done it.
And
internships can get you the Holy Grail: Clippings.
Researching
Companies:
Talk
to people who work at the newspaper; Penn State alumni are good sources, and
you can find them through the College of Communications.
Read
the newspaper thoroughly; you’ll find out whether you want to work there.
And when it comes time for an interview, you will not mistake a rakish tabloid
for a mainstream broadsheet.
The
Newspaper Association of America in Vienna, Va. — (703-902-1600) or
www.naa.org — is the umbrella association for the industry and an
excellent information source.
You
can get a sense of a magazine's culture by freelancing: Are the editors easy to
work with? Are they turning your work into fiction? Does it take one year just
to get paid?
Both
MediaBistro (mediabistro.com) and Ed 2010 (www.geocities.com/bugilbert/bio.htm)
have gossip-filled chat rooms tha
t will give
you the dirt on what to demand in starting salary and which editors have the
biggest egos.
Resumes:
Employers
are looking for some reason to hire the applicant. “Does she have
experience?” “What has he done outside of course work?” That
the applicant can demonstrate energy, commitment and drive is important. Why
does he or she want to work for the company?
Resumes
should be short — a page.
Emphasize
experience that is germane, though if you haven’t got it, go with what
you’ve got.
Provide
clippings, but do not inundate prospective employers with everything
you’ve ever written. Show your breadth, but show your best.
Highlight
your diverse communication and technical skills, particularly if you’ve
started a Web site.
Interviews:
Be
yourself, not some copy of a “how to interview” book or class.
Dress
appropriately. Your first impression is vital. If you show up in a T-shirt and
shorts, you won’t be taken seriously.
Being
nervous is OK. Admit it if you are — it will
disarm the interviewer and portray you
as honest and forthright. It gives the interviewer a chance to put you at ease.
Always
show up a few minutes early to collect yourself and your thoughts. Being late
is the kiss of death and shows either little seriousness in pursuing the
interview or a lack of organization.
Be
attentive.
Be
prepared to ask AND answer questions.
Don’t
go into an interview without having read back issues of that paper to get a
feel for its personality and style. And learn the name of the editor-in-chief!
Follow
up with a note, and then call.
Networking:
The
best networking opportunity is through alumni already out in the workplace.
“Career Days” are valuable since employers looking for new people
are on site at Penn State.
Be
shameless. Use every contact you can think of: talk to teachers who have worked
for papers; contact members of the communications alumni board; read the alumni
notes in The Communicator and write to those who are in the newspaper field; ma
ke a friend in the Penn State press of