Posts tagged careers

The Stressful Careers of Photojournalists and Newspaper Reporters Using metrics such as career opportunity, compensation, deadlines, working in the public eye, and danger among others to generate an overall “stress score”, CareerCast has a top ten list of the most stressful jobs of 2013. Congratulations, photojournalists and newspaper reporters, you’ve cracked the list. Reiterating what we already know, CareerCast reports: Two careers in the media industry score highly on the stress scale: photojournalist and newspaper reporter. Professionals from each field can be thrown into the epicenter of dangerous situations, such as war, natural disasters and police chases. Both careers also have declining job opportunities as the 21st century media landscape evolves. Newspaper reporters in particular face a shrinking job market; the BLS estimates a 6% job decline in the industry by 2020. The growth of online media has transformed the newspaper reporter’s job immensely. The immediacy internet outlets provide can be a useful tool, but it can also be a huge trap. Striving for the fastest reports can lead to inaccuracy and heightened stress. Watchful public eyes are trained on reporters at all times, so an incorrect report can compromise a reporter’s reputation as quickly as they can send a tweet. The least stressful job for 2013? University professor. Image: Stressful Careers. Select to embiggen.

The Stressful Careers of Photojournalists and Newspaper Reporters

Using metrics such as career opportunity, compensation, deadlines, working in the public eye, and danger among others to generate an overall “stress score”, CareerCast has a top ten list of the most stressful jobs of 2013.

Congratulations, photojournalists and newspaper reporters, you’ve cracked the list.

Reiterating what we already know, CareerCast reports:

Two careers in the media industry score highly on the stress scale: photojournalist and newspaper reporter. Professionals from each field can be thrown into the epicenter of dangerous situations, such as war, natural disasters and police chases. Both careers also have declining job opportunities as the 21st century media landscape evolves. Newspaper reporters in particular face a shrinking job market; the BLS estimates a 6% job decline in the industry by 2020.

The growth of online media has transformed the newspaper reporter’s job immensely. The immediacy internet outlets provide can be a useful tool, but it can also be a huge trap. Striving for the fastest reports can lead to inaccuracy and heightened stress. Watchful public eyes are trained on reporters at all times, so an incorrect report can compromise a reporter’s reputation as quickly as they can send a tweet.

The least stressful job for 2013? University professor.

Image: Stressful Careers. Select to embiggen.

The Web is your CV and social networks are your references.

The New Résumé: It’s 140 Characters  (via courtenaybird)

FJP: Exactly, and speaking of which, we have summer internships available.

The Wall Street Journal

Where to Start as a Journalist? Try the Peabody Awards

I’m graduating in May in hopes of becoming a journalist. I’ve had internships and I’ve worked for my university’s online news source. Can you steer a terrified senior in a direction? Where should I look? What should I be looking for? What should I work on?” — Helena

We get questions like this fairly frequently and there’s no exact answer. But with yesterday’s announcement of the 2012 Peabody Award winners we’re seeing the incredible range of today’s journalism.This isn’t to say that you can’t quibble with this story winning over that story, or say they could chose more innovative work, but it is to say that if you look at the winners from the Web, radio, television and documentary you see a wild diversity of storytelling approaches and ideas.

And reviewing some of the winners, I think, is a great place to start.

Start with the Web and The New York Times win for “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek,” a multimedia feature using aerial photography, video and words while taking advantage of contemporary presentation techniques such as responsive design and parallax in order to augment and further drive the story forward.

SCOTUSBlog is the other Web winner. There are no bells and whistles. Instead, it’s pretty much a text only blog that’s become a go to resource for stories, background and explainers on all things that have to do with the US Supreme Court. Here, deep, thorough, consistent reporting and analysis wins out.

Radio, I think, is in a golden age and the reason I think this is is because of the launch of iTunes back in 2001. This allowed people to easily subscribe to podcasts — and by extension radio programming — that we previously didn’t have access to. Yes, RSS already existed but iTunes gave us an easy interface to either hear or distribute programming. While your local public radio station might not carry it, you can now hear everything from the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent to The Moth Radio Hour, 99% Invisible and Radiolab among a host of other exceptional programming.

Each of these programs uses different techniques and styles. By listening and analyzing, we learn new tricks that expand our understanding of what’s possible in audio storytelling.

One of this year’s radio winners comes from Radio Diaries, is called “Teen Contender” and follows the 16-year-old Olympic boxer Claressa Shields in a first person narrative from Flint, Michigan to London. Here’s a great breakdown by Julia Barton on the techniques used and how this created great radio.

Other radio winners include WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show, a “traditional” hosted show about New York’s political and cultural life; This American Life’s “What Happened at Dos Erres,” an incredible radio documentary about a Guatemalan immigrant in Boston “who learns that the man he believed to be his father actually led the massacre of his village”; and NPR for its hard news reporting in Syria by Kelly McEvers and Deborah Amos.

I’ll leave it at this and with the recommendation to explore different types of journalism awards across magazines, multimedia, photography, documentary, radio and the rest. Through it, you’ll come across work that brings about an “Aha!” moment, one that makes you say, “This is what I want to do.” And then start positioning yourself and aiming towards doing it by applying for work — or learning the skills needed to apply for work — in that area.

Hope this helps. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away.

Journalism, Degrees and Jobs

From the Inbox: I’ve always been curious, is it possible to find work as a journalist without a degree? — Anonymous

I’d like to think it shouldn’t matter. Unlike being a doctor or a lawyer, there aren’t license or degree requirements for practicing journalism.

It might be harder to initially get your foot in the door but if you have the skills and the portfolio, people will (or should) look at that before checking out where or where you didn’t go to school.

Here’s what Joe Grimm once wrote at Poynter:

Some great journalists working today do not have college degrees. Few of the people working around them give it much thought or even know their degree status. It is all about “what have you done lately?”

Magda Abu-Fadil, a foreign correspondent and director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, doesn’t believe a journalism degree should be required but notes the realities of the job market in this interview with the International Journalists’ Network.

I don’t know if it’s worth all the money spent going to journalism school today since the landscape is changing so fast and we’re in a race against time with all the new technology, but it’s definitely worth investing in a degree since most employers still require it.

Mindy McAdams, who teaches journalism at the University of Florida, once indicated that the internship process is probably more important than the degree:

These challenges do not erase the simple fact that most journalism jobs are off-limits to all applicants who have not completed at least one internship. No internships = no job. It really is that simple. Many students, it seems, refuse to believe this applies to them. These are usually the students who are obsessed with getting high grades — as if anyone in a newsroom would ever care what grade you got in any class! (No one but a graduate school cares what your grades were.)

Hope this helps, and good luck. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away.

An Exercise in Kickassery and Multimedia Journalism What’s Blake referring to? Our spring intern program. Get the details here.

An Exercise in Kickassery and Multimedia Journalism

What’s Blake referring to?

Our spring intern program. Get the details here.

thefjp.org

Future Journalism Project Spring 2013 Internships The FJP is kicking off our spring journalism internship program. This is open to college students, masters students and recent graduates who can work with us in New York City. If you’re reading this you probably know us by Tumblr, Twitter or The FJP proper, and our focus on journalism education, business models, technology, and journalism’s role in society. The FJP internship program seeks qualified applicants who have demonstrated an interest in the themes we pursue, strong writing skills and one or more of the following: audio and video production, design and/or coding. What FJP Interns Do FJP interns spend 80% of their time working on ongoing projects such as assisting in the research, interviewing and post-production of on-camera interviews we do with publishing industry thought leaders; and curating and writing/recording original content for our blogs. The remaining 20% is spent conducting independent research on the business and/or technology of a specific aspect of the media ecosystem (eg., ebooks, podcasts, video networks, app development, subscription models, etc.) with the goal of publishing his or her findings in a longform article (or multimedia package) at the conclusion of the internship. We offer mentoring and guidance throughout your independent research project, and invite you to join us in weekly conversations with outside guests we bring in who discuss their work in their respective newsrooms. The Spring Internship is 15-20 hours per week and runs for three months from the candidate’s start date. To Apply FJP internships are based in New York City. To apply, send an email to hello@theFJP.org. In it, include a cover letter (no attachments) that includes links to your online persona (eg., blog(s), clips, Tumblr(s), Dribbble, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), why you want to work with the FJP, and what you’d like to actually accomplish during your Internship. Need help with a cover letter? Here’s our advice on writing one. Application Deadline: March 1, 2013. If you’re in school and your school supports it, FJP internships have been used for college/graduate credits. A monthly food and travel stipend is included. Outside New York City Successful internships require a level of interaction that only occurs when we’re in the same room together. That said, we recognize that many of the best and brightest are a long ways away from where we are. If you’d like to get involved with the FJP in a collaborative role, send us a note at hello@theFJP.org. Follow the same instructions as above and we’ll get back to you if we think it’s possible to work together.

Future Journalism Project Spring 2013 Internships

The FJP is kicking off our spring journalism internship program. This is open to college students, masters students and recent graduates who can work with us in New York City.

If you’re reading this you probably know us by Tumblr, Twitter or The FJP proper, and our focus on journalism education, business models, technology, and journalism’s role in society.

The FJP internship program seeks qualified applicants who have demonstrated an interest in the themes we pursue, strong writing skills and one or more of the following: audio and video production, design and/or coding.

What FJP Interns Do

FJP interns spend 80% of their time working on ongoing projects such as assisting in the research, interviewing and post-production of on-camera interviews we do with publishing industry thought leaders; and curating and writing/recording original content for our blogs.

The remaining 20% is spent conducting independent research on the business and/or technology of a specific aspect of the media ecosystem (eg., ebooks, podcasts, video networks, app development, subscription models, etc.) with the goal of publishing his or her findings in a longform article (or multimedia package) at the conclusion of the internship.

We offer mentoring and guidance throughout your independent research project, and invite you to join us in weekly conversations with outside guests we bring in who discuss their work in their respective newsrooms.

The Spring Internship is 15-20 hours per week and runs for three months from the candidate’s start date.

To Apply

FJP internships are based in New York City. To apply, send an email to hello@theFJP.org. In it, include a cover letter (no attachments) that includes links to your online persona (eg., blog(s), clips, Tumblr(s), Dribbble, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), why you want to work with the FJP, and what you’d like to actually accomplish during your Internship.

Need help with a cover letter? Here’s our advice on writing one.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2013.

If you’re in school and your school supports it, FJP internships have been used for college/graduate credits. A monthly food and travel stipend is included.

Outside New York City

Successful internships require a level of interaction that only occurs when we’re in the same room together. That said, we recognize that many of the best and brightest are a long ways away from where we are. If you’d like to get involved with the FJP in a collaborative role, send us a note at hello@theFJP.org. Follow the same instructions as above and we’ll get back to you if we think it’s possible to work together.

Unemployed Reporter Porter Via CT.com Jon Campbell, who briefly made Hartford a more interesting place with his presence and reporting for the Advocate, has entered the homebrew game with his signature Unemployed Reporter Porter (pictured). “Porter style beers were first popularized in the nineteenth century by merchant sailors and manual dock laborers,” the label reads. “Unemployed Reporter is crafted in the same tradition, honoring a profession likewise doomed to decline and irrelevance.” For this new class of “expendables,” the label goes on, “we’ve included chocolate and roasted barley malts that are as dark and bitter as the future of American journalism, and a high alcohol content designed to numb the pain of a slow, inexorable march toward obsolescence. While Unemployed Reporter is especially delicious as a breakfast beer, it’s still smooth enough to be enjoyed all day, every day. And let’s be honest: what else do you have going on?” FJP: Give it up for Jon. Brewing up the best out of a difficult situation. Here he is on Twitter. Image: Brewing it dark and bitter. Select to embiggen.

Unemployed Reporter Porter

Via CT.com

Jon Campbell, who briefly made Hartford a more interesting place with his presence and reporting for the Advocate, has entered the homebrew game with his signature Unemployed Reporter Porter (pictured).

“Porter style beers were first popularized in the nineteenth century by merchant sailors and manual dock laborers,” the label reads. “Unemployed Reporter is crafted in the same tradition, honoring a profession likewise doomed to decline and irrelevance.”

For this new class of “expendables,” the label goes on, “we’ve included chocolate and roasted barley malts that are as dark and bitter as the future of American journalism, and a high alcohol content designed to numb the pain of a slow, inexorable march toward obsolescence. While Unemployed Reporter is especially delicious as a breakfast beer, it’s still smooth enough to be enjoyed all day, every day. And let’s be honest: what else do you have going on?”

FJP: Give it up for Jon. Brewing up the best out of a difficult situation. Here he is on Twitter.

Image: Brewing it dark and bitter. Select to embiggen.

Within 24 hours of posting openings for the majority of their new positions, Al Jazeera America received 5000 applications for open positions, a number that has grown to 8,063 over the past three days, a network source told BuzzFeed.

If you want to join the running, here’s what they’re offering.

The Cover Letter We’ve been sitting on a question in our inbox. Courtesy of Ceillie Gordon it goes like this, “What should we put in our cover letters when applying for journalism internships and jobs?” It’s a good question, and one I’ve answered more or less before (see here and here and here and here). The TL;DR version of each is to basically get your online presence in order, which means: create a portfolio of your work and/or a blog that demonstrates both what you know about the subject matter of the organization that you’re applying to and how you present that information (aggregation, original reporting and musings, etc). If your current online presence (say, on Tumblr) is a bunch of Justin Bieber gifs and other blinky things, consider launching something new that digs into ideas and content you’re looking to pursue. Spend time on this. Spend 30 minutes to an hour a day for a few months and you’ll have plenty to impress whoever it is you’re applying to. Then, in your letter, link to this. Talk about this. Show whoever it is you’re writing to that you’re invested in the subject and know about it. That said, be human. Express your personality. Show people what makes you tick. There’s neither harm nor foul to include in your cover letter something along the lines of, “While my journalistic interest is in commodities pricing and international trade, I must admit a cultural fondness for animated Justin Bieber gifs which you can see at my personal site, Viva La Bieber.” See what I did there? I combined a bit of the professional seriousness with the fun of your personality. (And as an aside, I had no idea that Viva La Bieber existed as a Tumblr but wasn’t surprised to see that it actually does.) Yes, it may turn some hiring people off but it will also turn some hiring people on. There are a lot of smart people out there and hiring decisions often come down to whether or not — all else being equal — the person applying will fit into the culture of the existing team. We are, after all, going to spend a lot of time working together. And for you, you’ll have a better time working with people who get your Bieber fetish than with those that look down their nose at it. About this time last year I received a cover letter from Jihii for an internship opening we had. She will hate me for what I’m about to do but since she doesn’t know I’m writing this I’ll take the hate in hopes that maybe her example might help you. Here’s some of what she wrote. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see your Tumblr post about the internships in NYC. This is a good start. She knows our Tumblr and isn’t just blindly mailing out cover letters. After a brief biographical overview (she grew up outside of New York City, studied at a small liberal arts college in California, was editor in chief of the school’s student magazine and worked on an independent documentary project) she writes: I wrote my senior thesis on literary journalism and how it can survive and be developed in a new media age… ie: how can multimedia/web tools help hit the same emotional spots and create the same visceral experiences that literary tropes traditionally have? That’s one of my biggest research interests at present and FJP’s work is one of the few places I feel I can bring that conversation up. See what she did there? She linked her interests to ours by demonstrating previous work that dovetails into a question we occasionally pursue. She also outlines what she would like to pursue in the internship and this is her taking a chance. Does she know we’re interested in the topic? Generally yes because she know the type of themes we’ve been publishing. She then goes on to tell us about her overall digital skills and then what she’s done since graduating: Right now I’m… waiting on some admission decisions for graduate studies in journalism. I’m working on a documentary film with some friends on undocumented Latino immigration. I’m curating a Tumblr that is kind of my own version of FJP: navigating media (thank you for the inspiration!) and I’m also doing some freelance writing. I just finished up an internship at The New Press in all things publishing, and I’m currently working at Columbia University Teachers College Edlab. I’m there because I’m fascinated by all the ways technology is revolutionizing communication and I’m getting the opportunity to learn a lot about design and multimedia. I write a blog on Data Visualization for them (I adore infographics) and I’m also working on putting together an exhibition on dataviz. Sprinkled throughout her cover letter were links to her online work which is important. It’s one thing to say you’ve done X, Y and Z. It’s another to actually show it. End result: If you follow the FJP you know that Jihii’s been with us and, arguably, writes and posts the more thoughtful material we have. So, how to write your cover letter: think inverted pyramid, tailor it to who you’re sending it to, provide concrete examples of relevant work you’ve done and link to those examples where possible. And yes, your resume should be online (and here’s a wonderful, funky example of one that’s making the rounds). Hope this helps. — Michael Have a question? Ask away. Image: Twitter post from Scott Leadingham.

The Cover Letter

We’ve been sitting on a question in our inbox. Courtesy of Ceillie Gordon it goes like this, “What should we put in our cover letters when applying for journalism internships and jobs?”

It’s a good question, and one I’ve answered more or less before (see here and here and here and here).

The TL;DR version of each is to basically get your online presence in order, which means: create a portfolio of your work and/or a blog that demonstrates both what you know about the subject matter of the organization that you’re applying to and how you present that information (aggregation, original reporting and musings, etc). If your current online presence (say, on Tumblr) is a bunch of Justin Bieber gifs and other blinky things, consider launching something new that digs into ideas and content you’re looking to pursue. Spend time on this. Spend 30 minutes to an hour a day for a few months and you’ll have plenty to impress whoever it is you’re applying to. Then, in your letter, link to this. Talk about this. Show whoever it is you’re writing to that you’re invested in the subject and know about it.

That said, be human. Express your personality. Show people what makes you tick. There’s neither harm nor foul to include in your cover letter something along the lines of, “While my journalistic interest is in commodities pricing and international trade, I must admit a cultural fondness for animated Justin Bieber gifs which you can see at my personal site, Viva La Bieber.”

See what I did there? I combined a bit of the professional seriousness with the fun of your personality. (And as an aside, I had no idea that Viva La Bieber existed as a Tumblr but wasn’t surprised to see that it actually does.)

Yes, it may turn some hiring people off but it will also turn some hiring people on. There are a lot of smart people out there and hiring decisions often come down to whether or not — all else being equal — the person applying will fit into the culture of the existing team. We are, after all, going to spend a lot of time working together. And for you, you’ll have a better time working with people who get your Bieber fetish than with those that look down their nose at it.

About this time last year I received a cover letter from Jihii for an internship opening we had. She will hate me for what I’m about to do but since she doesn’t know I’m writing this I’ll take the hate in hopes that maybe her example might help you.

Here’s some of what she wrote.

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see your Tumblr post about the internships in NYC.

This is a good start. She knows our Tumblr and isn’t just blindly mailing out cover letters.

After a brief biographical overview (she grew up outside of New York City, studied at a small liberal arts college in California, was editor in chief of the school’s student magazine and worked on an independent documentary project) she writes:

I wrote my senior thesis on literary journalism and how it can survive and be developed in a new media age… ie: how can multimedia/web tools help hit the same emotional spots and create the same visceral experiences that literary tropes traditionally have? That’s one of my biggest research interests at present and FJP’s work is one of the few places I feel I can bring that conversation up.

See what she did there? She linked her interests to ours by demonstrating previous work that dovetails into a question we occasionally pursue. She also outlines what she would like to pursue in the internship and this is her taking a chance. Does she know we’re interested in the topic? Generally yes because she know the type of themes we’ve been publishing.

She then goes on to tell us about her overall digital skills and then what she’s done since graduating:

Right now I’m… waiting on some admission decisions for graduate studies in journalism. I’m working on a documentary film with some friends on undocumented Latino immigration. I’m curating a Tumblr that is kind of my own version of FJP: navigating media (thank you for the inspiration!) and I’m also doing some freelance writing. I just finished up an internship at The New Press in all things publishing, and I’m currently working at Columbia University Teachers College Edlab.

I’m there because I’m fascinated by all the ways technology is revolutionizing communication and I’m getting the opportunity to learn a lot about design and multimedia. I write a blog on Data Visualization for them (I adore infographics) and I’m also working on putting together an exhibition on dataviz.

Sprinkled throughout her cover letter were links to her online work which is important. It’s one thing to say you’ve done X, Y and Z. It’s another to actually show it. End result: If you follow the FJP you know that Jihii’s been with us and, arguably, writes and posts the more thoughtful material we have.

So, how to write your cover letter: think inverted pyramid, tailor it to who you’re sending it to, provide concrete examples of relevant work you’ve done and link to those examples where possible.

And yes, your resume should be online (and here’s a wonderful, funky example of one that’s making the rounds).

Hope this helps. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away.

Image: Twitter post from Scott Leadingham.

There is no other exciting time to be in journalism, from a technology standpoint, than now. (Although the fear of layoffs does not sit well.). To witness newsrooms transition to mobile, social media and digital-first platforms, and be there on the frontlines of it all, is exactly where agents of change need to be. We are part of history. Not looking in from the outside. Not being critical of the news media 24-7, although I do this quite regularly. But in it. Making decisions that stick or fail. I get goose bumps just thinking about this.

Amy Zerba, amyzerba.com. Difference Between Tenure-Track Professor and a Journalist.

She just left her job teaching to join the Times. Sounds like she can justify that decision.

I'm a recent college grad, who majored in communication and sociology. I've always been a strong writer and I'm realizing now that it's what I'd really like to do - BUT, I have no experience in writing for a campus newspaper, internship, etc. They're IMPOSSIBLE to find in my area. Any suggestions on how to get started? I have a blog with some original content but that's it! — Asked by Anonymous

Hi there,

Sounds like you feel yourself caught in a classic career starting conundrum: You don’t have experience but can’t get experience because you don’t have experience.

We posted a video recently of CUNY professor CW Anderson discussing an entrepreneurial journalism course he teaches. While he talks about many things, a key point I like is how he stresses that we all must write. Especially those of us out of a job or hoping to get into a job.

In July, I wrote something similar to a question a student had about putting together a portfolio. Here’s a bit where I mention what is was like before we could all have blogs and self-publishing tools:

Back then getting started was a chicken and egg proposition. You’d apply for something and be asked to show your clips. But you didn’t have clips because you were just starting out, and you wouldn’t get clips until someone overlooked that and took a chance on you.

That’s not true anymore. Want to be a science writer, start writing about it, start reporting about it, start curating about it. No one’s stopping you. Fashion more your thing? Do the same. More interested in the tech side of things? Start creating things and/or get involved in an Open Source project, and then write about what you’re doing and learning.

It takes some effort but that’s what we have to do. Block off 30 minutes a day to work on these things. Maybe even an hour.

After a month or a few you’ll be amazed by how much material you have to show people. You’ll also be amazed by how much you’ve personally learned by actually doing it.

So, you say you want to be a writer but there’s nothing available in your area. In that case, make something available to yourself.

There are stories everywhere. There are stories where there are lots of people. There are stories where they are no people. There are great stories about topics other than people.

So start writing them. Choose something that you’re passionate about. If it’s a character who lives down the street, approach him and ask if you can interview and write about him. If he asks why, and what for, say simply, “I like to write.”

Some people will say no but you’ll be surprised by how many people say yes. People are wonderful that way.

And if your passion is for a subject or topic that requires more discrete expertise, say science or medicine or art or local politics, start reading up and then start calling people up (eg, at local colleges, businesses, governmental agencies and what not) and ask questions.

Again, many will ask why and where will this appear and you simply say, “I like to write and its for a personal site I’m creating.”

And then some will say no but others will say yes but give it a couple months and you have yourself body of work. You’ve gotten started.

It takes effort. But it is doable. And find a trusted friend, former teacher or family member to give you feedback on what you do, to be an editor. And listen to what they have to say even if you disagree. Else you’ll write in a ramble like I do.

We wish you great luck and let us know how it goes. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away here.

I've been trying to get into photography and photojournalism. not sure how to go about it. any ideas for me? — Asked by dobywasahouseelf

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch.

About a year ago I answered a very similar question. Instead of repeating myself, I offer this post.

Best of luck — Michael

Hi! I'm a journalism student working m way through the internship/entry level phase of my career and I was wondering--what's FJP's opinion on web-based resumes/portfolios? Have you seen any great examples of this new trend in self-marketing? Also, since you run a Tumblr, if web-curating is a dream of mine, how would I present those skills? I only have one Tumblr that's an aggregate of all things newsy/writey/etc along with my normal personal stuff. Advice? — Asked by doe-eyed-debtor

Hi there,

As I write this I have to pre-empt everything with the following caveat: do as I say and not as I do. Why? Because I pulled down my personal site about a month ago to give it a fresh coat of paint and still haven’t bought the brushes.

Anyway: Any job hunter in any profession that has anything to do with the Web, mobile, digital production, etc. should have an online portfolio that lets people see who they are, what they’re up to, what they’ve worked on, and what they think about.

I’m a market survey of one but when I’ve hired over the years I look at an individual’s online presence before ever looking at their resume. Doing so gives me an idea of the person’s overall sensibility and creativity. Then, if I’m enthused by what I see on a person’s blog and social media spaces I then move on to their resume/CV.

For a journalist, your site would include clips, photos, video, slide shows, audio and whatever else that’s relevant to what you eventually want to do and the skills you currently have.

Here’s the rub for people just starting out: clips and work examples are relatively scarce. This is expected. You are, after all, just starting out.

And this is where keeping a blog or a Tumblr comes into play.

Let’s step back into Ye Olden Days, back before there were easy-to-use platforms that you could use to show the world how and what you think about.

Back then getting started was a chicken and egg proposition. You’d apply for something and be asked to show your clips. But you didn’t have clips because you were just starting out, and you wouldn’t get clips until you someone overlooked that and took a chance on you.

That’s not true anymore. Want to be a science writer, start writing about it, start reporting about it, start curating about it. No one’s stopping you. Fashion more your thing? Do the same. More interested in the tech side of things? Start creating things and/or get involved in an Open Source project, and then write about what you’re doing and learning.

It takes some effort but that’s what we have to do. Block off 30 minutes a day to work on these things. Maybe even an hour.

After a month or a few you’ll be amazed by how much material you have to show people. You’ll also be amazed by how much you’ve personally learned by actually doing it.

If you’re like me you might need to take out a new blog/URL to do this. For example, if I sent people to my personal Tumblr they’d come away with the sense that I’m all about kittehs, lols and other oddities.

There’s no reason to stop blogging these things but make sure you have a “professional” online presence you can direct people to as well. Starting out by registering a domain name that represents the professional you is important here. Then follow the directions that a Tumblr or WordPress provides for mapping your blog to to that domain name.

Now, let’s go back to the resume: Present it in a couple of formats. For example, a PDF you can email, HTML that exists on your site, and if you want to get all fancy about it, you can create a visual resume as well that comes across more or less like an infographic of your experiences.

If you don’t have the design chops for this last part there are tools to make it so. Vizualize.me and Re.vu are just two. Both pull in information from your LinkedIn profile. And here’s an online review of each if/when you decide to do it.

Remember though to create the traditional, vanilla version. Many will want to see that and print it out. The visual CV is added bonus points that indicates that you have a bit of creativity and online savvy.

Hope this helps and best of luck moving forward. Have additional question? Please do keep in touch. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away here.

Latitude News Wants You Latitude News, a startup based out of Cambridge Massachusetts, is looking for contributors to report on local US stories with a global perspective. Founded by Maria Balinska, former BBC World Current Affairs Editor, Latitude believes “international isn’t ‘foreign’ anymore”. As John Dyer, one of the publication’s editors, puts it: We focus on topics that have US-foreign connections. Think how Chinese car buyers are key to Detroit’s recovery; how American missionaries are influencing family planning in Africa; how American and Norwegian fishermen are coping quite differently with their declining industries. We want ground truth from the Deccan, the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Parisian cafes. We need journalists who can explain why a foreign story might be important for an American audience. We’re also interested in writers who might want to focus on international religion, science or similar specific topics. Latitude is paying $360 for 800 word pieces with additional payment for audio and photographs. Inquiries and pitches can be sent to John Dyer at john [at] latitudenews [dot] com.

Latitude News Wants You

Latitude News, a startup based out of Cambridge Massachusetts, is looking for contributors to report on local US stories with a global perspective.

Founded by Maria Balinska, former BBC World Current Affairs Editor, Latitude believes “international isn’t ‘foreign’ anymore”.

As John Dyer, one of the publication’s editors, puts it:

We focus on topics that have US-foreign connections. Think how Chinese car buyers are key to Detroit’s recovery; how American missionaries are influencing family planning in Africa; how American and Norwegian fishermen are coping quite differently with their declining industries.

We want ground truth from the Deccan, the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Parisian cafes. We need journalists who can explain why a foreign story might be important for an American audience. We’re also interested in writers who might want to focus on international religion, science or similar specific topics.

Latitude is paying $360 for 800 word pieces with additional payment for audio and photographs.

Inquiries and pitches can be sent to John Dyer at john [at] latitudenews [dot] com.