Joe Grimm's News Jobs Café: Ask the recruiter

Becoming a Business or Legal Reporter?

Q: I have an undergraduate degree in journalism and a minor in English, and have nearly completed my law degree.

As an undergrad, I worked as a copy editor, feature writer, and -- eventually -- the feature section editor. I was also the assistant editor on our literary magazine.

When I graduated four years ago, I could not find employment with a newspaper and took a job as a technical writer. Now, I am a manager at the same technical training and documentation firm. I am currently managing a computer application development project for a company’s global security force. I am, additionally, the ad-hoc public relations man for our company.

With my experience in business, the technology sector and the law, I feel that I am ready to become a business or legal writer. Is this an accurate assumption? If so, where should I focus my search? If not, what can I do to improve my chances of obtaining employment in the profession?

I truly appreciate any insight you can offer.

Michigan

A: You may have the expertise to succeed in the areas you mention, but you lack the journalistic experience to break in right away. Four-year-old college clips will not generate calls for very many interviews. You need to get some fresh clips.

Of the areas you mentioned business, including technology, would offer the best opportunity. I would get some freelance clips in those areas.

Syndication services?

I am a freelance education columnist for two daily newspapers. My column has been running on the Sunday op-ed page of one newspaper for four years, and the Sunday feature page of the other newspaper for three years. The column has been well received by readers.

I would like to get the column into more newspapers. What is the best way to go about this? If I send clips, is it better to send a hard copy, or an e-mail?

Also, are you familiar with a company called Market 2 Editor? It is a company that will send your clips (via email) to 950+ daily newspapers, for a fee. I've been researching the company and it seems to be legit, but I don't want to get ripped off!

Kelly

A: Companies that send your work to potential syndication clients may certainly be legit, but we need to know whether they are effective.

I can just see what happens when companies start sending out hundreds of copies of unsolicited editorial submissions. For $125, this company says, it will e-mail your query about a syndicated column to hundreds of newspapers. To this editor, that feels like spam. You need to do some selling.

To make it into syndication, you need a better approach. If you can personally pitch your columns to some newspapers you want to get into, I would try that. They'll tell you whether they want e-mail or hard copy. If they go with you, they'll certainly want it by e-mail to save them the trouble of retyping and the danger of making mistakes.

It seems unlikely that dozens of newspapers would want an education column without local material in it, so I would start close to home -- but not so close that your client will object that you are selling to a competitor. Check with that newspaper before you start selling so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Are humor columnists taken seriously?

Q: Some questions about humor in newspapers ...

I recently read an interview in which Dave Barry said, "I think there used to be more established humor in newspapers than there is now, and I -- my theory is editors are scared. They're just really scared. They don't want to annoy any reader. And if you write humor, the first thing you find is that any topic you write about annoys somebody." Barry speculates that if he were trying to launch his column today, he might have a hard time getting a foot in the door.

What are your thoughts about humor in newspapers? I'm interested in pitching a humor column and am wondering about the best approach. Do most newspapers use staff for their humor columns, or are they generally open to freelancers? Do you agree with Dave Barry's assessment that straight humor in newspapers is on the decline?

Angie

A: Newspaper editors are hired -- I am not making this up -- for our innate inability to distinguish between humor and seriousness. This is why some editors look perplexed when they read humor columns, but bust out laughing when humor columnists make serious requests for raises.

(Do not worry. I will not be giving you or Dave Barry any competition.)

As much as newspapers could use a few more laughs -- inside the buildings as well as outside -- the market for humor columns has never been strong.

Any sort of column at all is first offered around the building and, when no one is good enough or dumb enough to accept the opportunity, it is offered outside. When newspapers go outside with column offers, they can choose between syndicated material (safe, cheap and reliable, but generic), someone already doing the column at another newspaper (safe and expensive) or they can risk breaking in someone who is new to the genre or to the newspaper business (expensive and risky.)

It has never been easy to break in as a humor writer. Are editors less humorously inclined these days? Have you seen our circulation figures? Would a rippin' humor column fix that? Let's not kid ourselves.

From freelance photographer to staff?

Q: I'm looking to apply for a photographer opening at the 100,000-circulation paper my husband works at. I have been freelancing for them for nearly a year. The thing is, my freelancing work really dried up after the first of the year. I went from 3 assignments a week down to about 1 a month. The only explanation I received was that the budget was cut. Almost all of the assignments started going to the only other freelancer, who has been there longer than I have. The thing is, I was told that I was preferred over this other freelancer before all my work suddenly dropped off.

Joe, do you think I have a shot at getting a full-time job there? I don't have a college degree or a resume with impressive internships that everyone seems to value. But I do have almost a decade of real-life newspaper experience at weeklies and small dailies. It seems photography openings come around rarely and are much more competitive than other newspaper jobs. If I don't get this job, I will have to move in another direction entirely for economic reasons. Photography jobs are just too hard to find and get.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

    Megan

A: The freelance photo budget may have been cut, but it sure seems that brunt of that fell on you. I would take that as a sign that they do not like your work as much as they like the other freelancer's and that he would have an inside track on you for any opening that might occur.

Given your years of experience, I don't think that the lack of a degree or internships is an impediment, but there is ample evidence that they are not high on your work  and are not being completely honest with you about their reservations.

I'd try other papers or avenues.

Syndicating a humor column?

Q: I have a fulltime job but also write a weekly humor column for my local newspaper and write a weekly humor column for a television newsmagazine website (which I run). I have great confidence in my audience popularity and success as I've been published in New Jersey monthly for humor and am a former national champion after-dinner speaker (college).

Here's the big Q. I have access to contact information for every newspaper in America (thank you, job). How do I winnow this down to a list of 100 or so to query for self-syndication?

Joel

A: By chance, 100 newspapers would include pretty much every paper with a circulation of greater than 100,000.

Knowing that syndicates charge according to circulation size, the smaller you go, the less newspapers are used to paying. I would just take the top 100, adding any favorites form below that mark, and I would not spend a lot of time swapping out some of the big papers to make room for them. You should have a list of the papers you want to take a crack almost as fast as you can crack a joke. (I'll leave humor to you.)

Starting an advice column?

Q: I'm 24, have been out of college for over 2 years, and am still trying to figure out what I want to do with myself. Only recently (and probably with a little help from Sex and the City) did I realize that not only do I want to be an advice columnist, but it's the only thing that I think I might actually do well.

As you’ve mentioned, the path isn't a clear one, and I feel like it may be too late! I majored in Psychology, but I didn't take any journalism/writing/reporting classes. Heck, I even tested out of taking English courses. I can't afford to go back to school right now, and without experience writing an advice column, how do I begin attempting the transition?

I live in the DC area and not only does the Post already have an advice columnist (with credentials beyond my reach), but I feel like they'd point and laugh at my resume. Is it worth approaching smaller, local papers with the suggestion of adding an advice column to their paper...and letting me be the columnist? Perhaps even for free and part-time, just to gain the background and experience?

Thanks for your advice (any chance you need an assistant??)

A: Ha! I sure do!

Why don't you try what I am doing? Start an advice column as a blog. You'll have a chance to try your hand at it, develop a voice and a following and you'll then have something to show prospective employers.

You'll have to keep your day job, but at least you'll get to start doing what you like and take some steps toward finding a niche. It seems likely that a lot of what newspapers now do primarily for newsprint will soon have their primary audiences on the web, anyway.

Starting an advice column?

Q: Writing to ask a question. How would someone who wants to do simple advice thru a newspaper/magazine for people. i,m non college ed. but good with people. can you direct me in right direction for this. respond please.

Kathy

A: Many people in all walks of life are good listeners and good advisers to their friends. They include counselors, teachers, therapists, coaches and, of course, columnists.

The distinguishing characteristic of people who give their advice in magazines and newspapers is that they write well.

Without that trait, you should try to give advice on another way. If you are a good writer, you will need to show it first by writing articles.

Publishers never give a regular column as a first writing assignment. They just have no way of knowing whether the writers can follow through.

Overseas journalism?

Q: Thanks for maintaining your helpful Web site.

I am a college junior currently interning abroad in England. I have an internship set up this summer at a metropolitan daily in the U.S., but I am looking for a way to eventually get back to a newspaper in a foreign country.

I am working at a news wire right now and they tend to hire people with five or more years of experience. What should I do in the mean time as far as experience to get to a foreign news service or English-speaking daily?

Thanks so much,

Working abroad

A: This will vary greatly depending on where you would like to work. Immigration laws are different from place to place.

Although you did not say so, I’m guessing that you would like to work at an English-language publication.

Your English could be in great demand at publications in non-English speaking countries that need people who speak English. That could get you around that five-year minimum. It is unlikely you can cut to the front of the line for a wire service or newspaper based in an English-speaking country, as you don’t have much experience yet.

I have seen young American journalists have good luck, especially in Asia. Check out the Korea Times, China Daily and the Bangkok Post and the South China Morning Post.

As you look for opportunities, pay attention to the prevalence of English in the host country. Some countries, such as India and Singapore, are well familiar with English and do not really need to bring in English speakers from other countries.

Courtroom artists?

Q: I was wondering about a career as a courtroom artist. What's the word on a job like that? Any advice for someone who may be interested in looking into that particular work as far as who to contact or where to apply?

Jeanne

A: Those are largely freelance jobs. I have never heard of a newspaper putting a courtroom artist on staff.

Laws allowing cameras in courtrooms are eliminating the need for this.

Newspaper research job?

Q: I’m a librarian who has been doing research for the past 18 years in the law field: law firm, public law library, now a law school. Since I got my masters of library science in 1995 (and left the law firm), it has always been a desire of mine to work for a news organization.

Now I have my chance at a job as a news researcher! I passed a phone interview a couple of weeks ago and have an appointment for an in-person interview in about 10 days for a newspaper in a large California city.

I have all of the online research skills they ask for but no “preferred data manipulation” skills except for some familiarity with Excel and Access. Obviously they don’t see this as too much of a barrier since they’re having me spend a day with them (meeting about eight different editors). I see this job as providing me with more challenge than I currently get. Any tips or thoughts?

Hopeful

A: I am excited for you, but concerned about your lack of experience in "preferred data manipulation." This term is not that common and is not used in many newsrooms, but it applies to working with Excel or Access, as you say, or perhaps FoxPro or SQL. Can you find out which programs they're using? I'm not suggesting you learn them in 10 days, but that you at least crack a book on one or two of them.

A bigger help, I think, would be to show these editors that you have some journalistic traits. The last thing they want is an expert researcher who is clueless about journalism. These editors likely know a whole lot more about journalism than they do about data storage, retrieval or manipulation, but they will question you on how you can apply those skills to journalism.

Your first source should be the paper itself. Know what they do, where they are using database research now and where a little more would enhance the news coverage.

The editors' questions regarding journalism will likely be at two tiers: the easy tier will be to determine if you are much of a news junkie. Do you read papers? Do you care about news? Do you know what is going on? What do you read? What do you know of politics, government, contemporary issues? The more sophisticated tier -- the one you want to elevate the interview to -- is what you can bring to the party. Don't expect them to look to you for writing, but news judgment, curiosity and the ability to translate data into something that the reporting and editing staff can work with.

Good luck! Let us know how you do!

Copy editing jobs?

Q: I am a senior English education student. I am interested in the copy editing/proofreading career and am curious about my chances in the field with an English Education degree. I would also like to know how to research an internship that deals solely with the editing process. As of now, I am planning on returning to school to pursue this line of education but would love the chance to gain experience hands-on. If you have any advice, contacts or ideas I would appreciate the help.

Hilary

A: Copy editors are in high demand at newspapers, but newspapers typically value experience above all other qualifications. We even want intern applicants to have some experience. The hands-on experience you crave will be critical to seeing whether you really like the work and to ultimately getting a job. As you are still in school, I suggest you start with a campus publication.

Once you have enough experience to decide that you love the work, many newspapers will rely on that and a copy editing test to see whether you’re employable.

I'd also look at the Website for the American Copy Editors Society. They have some good material on-line, as well as conferences.

Are newspapers right for me?

Q: Is it necessary to have a college degree to write for a newspaper such as The Freep?

I ask this question because I have a deep passion for writing, but lack the credentials that most papers request.  After graduating high school six years ago, I chose to go straight to work instead of going away to a four-year college or university.  I did this (I thought at the time) for reasons beyond my control ... familial reasons. I guess it was better to escape my situation than go to school at that time.  Anyway, I suppose life took over because I am still steadily pursuing my bachelor's degree at the age of 24 while working a full-time job.  The truth is, writing is my passion.  Poetry, articles and short stories have been my major focus when writing in my spare time, however, I am currently working on a novel.  I feel lost in the moment when I write ... something more powerful takes over.

I have my own business as a Professional Organizer -- this is my other passion besides writing ... helping others get more organized!  The ideal situation would be continuing my organizing career and writing a regular column for a newspaper about everyday philosophical questions and my opinion on the "answers" to those questions.

Questions like "Why Do I React to People Differently Everyday?", "Why Do I Keep Trying the Same Things?", "What Do the 'Big' Things in Life Really Mean?", "What is Destiny...What is My Destiny?", "How Can I Be 'Gung-Ho' About Life Everyday?", "Where is My Calling?"  The column would be relatively thick or deep with splashes of humor and personal experiences.  It would leave the reader with a positive feeling and a tinge of wonder ... this wonder would keep the reader thinking after reading.

I cherish the idea of sharing my thoughts and ideas with people on a daily basis because I truly believe there would be many that could benefit from reading ... and then thinking ... about the ideas I bring to the table.  How stimulating it would be to give that burnt-out corporate guy or gal something simple, yet deep, to think about while enjoying his or her morning coffee ... something in addition to the facts and realities that we face every day ... something to supplement that reality.

I will do what it takes to do the job ... I will do what is "required" -- I just need to know where to start to "get in" or "get my foot in the door" so to speak!

Organized

A: I appreciate your desire to help other and to write.

I wonder, though, whether newspapers are right for you. Your interests are not really in newspaper journalism, but in other forms of writing. It sounds as though you'd be happy finding an outlet for your column in places that are easier to break into. That could mean magazines, a client newsletter or on a web site.

I think you can reach happiness without trying to go through the paces that most newspapers are looking for.

Covering war?

Q: I am a journalism student at Wayne State, and I came across your name while reading an article you did on 9/11 era journalists.

I am very interested in journalism, one of the aspects of a job I look for is adventure and, for lack of a better word, danger. I was wondering what jobs in journalism, if any, would be good for me, or even if this is the subject I should be studying. I doubt there are any people in journalism who focus only on conflicts, but this is my aspiration.

My minor is, in fact, peace and conflict studies. Thank you for any help you can give me.

John

A: Peace and war are two sides of the same coin.

There are people who live for the challenges of foreign correspondence and, for that, they don’t plan to be covering squash matches.

That could work for you. You’d have competition, of course. Things to think about if you want to pursue this kind of work:

• Learn languages
• Become self-sufficient, personally accountable and independent
• Get started on your journalism work early

Will editors take my humor columns seriously?

Q: I write a weekly humor column. I've been doing this for over two years, although my education/background is in advertising/business. Will my newspaper experience here count now, despite a résumé that looks like I should be wearing a blue suit? I'd like to branch out into other newspapers outside the 50 mile radius of my contract. Also, I have ownership of all my columns and wonder if other newspapers would run my previous work? How should I present myself and my work?

Leslie

A: Yes, your newspaper experience will count, though I think that the supply of humor columns far outstrips the demand. You might find it difficult to catch an editor's attention, but give it a shot.

Most editors will want to run fresh material rather than columns that have already been published. In today's ethical climate, never offer anything that has been previously published without saying so.

Column writing?

Q: Can one pitch a column that appears only once every two or three weeks to daily newspapers?

Dick

A: You can, but I don't think you'll get very far with it. In the competitive world of columns, editors want to see at least weekly consistency.

Becoming a sports reporter?

Q: I graduated from Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) in May. I have recently started my own website, fantasy-knowledge.com, and want to pursue a career in sports writing. Hampden-Sydney is a liberal arts college and I received a degree in Political Science. I'm not sure what I should do in order to break into the business.

Lucas

A: The best thing you can do to break into the business is to start writing for publication at a nearby weekly or daily. Find the ones that accept freelance work, learn as much as you can about their needs and then meet them to a T.

Do it again and again until you have amassed enough clips to land a job with the place you’re freelancing for or another newspaper.

Writing a web site shows initiative and some creativity, but most editors will lean more heavily on what you do for a publication edited by someone else.

NFL job for sportswriter?

Q: I am pursuing my master’s degree in sport administration and have landed an internship with the internet/publications department of the Tennessee Titans.

I have heard that writing for a newspaper early in your career is the preferred path to success.  However, an NFL internship is an opportunity I just couldn't pass up.

Do you think a publications internship with an NFL franchise will stand out to future employers or vice versa?

Patrick

A: Congratulations on your internship with the Titans. It sounds as though you’re looking at things in a smart way: by considering the alternatives.

An NFL internship can be very helpful, as it shows you how things happen on the inside. And I would not want anyone to pass up an exciting opportunity because of something he read on the web!

As you work with the Titans, study the inside of the organization as much as you can, see how it reacts with the news media and get some chances to write.

That should make the experience one worth describing during interviews with editors.

If your aim is to work in newspapers, this kind of internship can help – provided you pair it with some newspaper reporting experience. If your aim is to work in sports information outside of newspapers, just go for it and don’t worry about things.

Syndicated column?

Q: I have been a reporter in the daily newspaper business for the past five years. I was a consumer reporter and wrote a weekday column before taking my current position as the editor of a start-up community news weekly at a large daily newspaper. The format for this publication is a reader-submitted one. My writing now is limited to a weekly column and the occasional feature story.

I have realized over the past few months that my desire is to stay at home and be a syndicated columnist using my consumer knowledge. How do I go about doing that, and can I actually support myself financially as a syndicated columnist?

S.M.

A: Well, if I knew the answer to that one, I wouldn't have to sit home and ... do this.

Two routes: Syndicate yourself of get someone else to do it. Both are difficult. Self-syndication means running a business and spending more time selling than you do writing. Getting syndicated requires you to persuade a company to kick someone else out of the selling suitcase and put you in there. That road is paved with rejection. The best platform to come from if you try the second path is as a regular -- and very good -- columnist.

The number of people in this country who support themselves solely on syndicated columns is very, very small. Most are on someone's payroll and syndication fees are gravy.

Job as a book reviewer?

Q: I was wondering if you could tell me how does one get started in the book reviewing profession and what qualifications are needed.

Polly

A: These positions are, as you might suspect, quite coveted, so there is a lot of competition to get one.

Depending on the degree to which you want to be a reviewer, though, the entry point is easier than it is for many newsroom positions.

Many newspapers and other periodicals take freelance reviews. If you can be happy with the occasional book review, you may be able to get you fix stringing for a local newpaper, magazine or other publication.

If, however, you want to be a full-time, 40-hour-a-week book reviewer, get in line.

The first step toward that all-out position will be as an occasional reviewer. To make it to the bigs, you'll have to have a strong voice as a writer, a keen eye for choosing what you will review and the ability to work independently, setting up an aggressive schedule of timely and provocative reviews.

Becoming an advice columnist?

Q: I am 17, and I am going to be a senior this next school year.

I have a 3.0 GPA and I want to become an advice columnist. I have tried to find information on it, but I can't find that much on that job. I am taking Journalism 1, and Newspaper my Senior year. Are there any college classes that I need to take to become an advice columnist?

I am also going to be taking peer counsling 1 and 2 my senior year. About 3,500 kids go to my high school.

I am going to be looking for colleges early my senior year, and I need to find out what courses I need, so I know what school I need to look at.

Getting ready

A: I can see that you're very serious about being an advice columnist.

The path to that job is not a direct one. I know of no colleges that teach a course in it, and I think that most editors would advise you to do some other things first you develop your writing and to accumulate the wisdom that goes into being good at advising people.

I would look for these opportunities at my university -- both inside and outside of the classroom:

• Writing experience. You will need to be a good writer who has the right voice.
• Reporting: How better to gather the information your readers will need? It likely won't -- or shouldn't -- come off the top of your head.
• A chance to write advice columns in the student newspaper.

Becoming an NFL sports writer?

Q: I am having trouble landing a full-time job at a paper. I continue to send out résumés looking for a job in areas outside my own.

I've done several small internships and worked part time on a sports desk. I also worked as the sports editor for my community college newspaper and worked a little for my university newspaper.

I've also worked for two on-line publications covering the Seattle Mariners and one specializing in minor league baseball.

In addition to this, I've done freelance work for Beckett NFL magazine and Beckett Major League Baseball magazine.  That is an international magazine based out of Dallas with over 200,000 paid subscriptions.  My concentration hasn't just been on sports. I've covered cops and courts, done entertainment features, investigative stories and several stories on how an F-3 tornado affected a community, several features on different subjects.

My goal is to one day cover the NFL. I want to someday be regarded as one of the best sports writers/reporters in the business.

I know I have to start smaller. Any suggestions on getting a good paid internship that might lead to a full-time job, because I am a little discouraged right now and I am running out of ideas.

Frustrated

A: You have done a lot of work. So much so that it sounds as though it is time to move beyond internships and go for a job, even though it likely will be at a small paper.

Your aim is lofty. It will require not just the hard work you've been pouring out so far, but high-quality work, as well. I cleaned up your question considerably to help it read well. I hope you were writing informally, and not as you do for newspapers or web sites.

Continued hard work can get your career started. But hard work alone will not take you to an NFL beat. You'll have to work with editors who will help you become very, very good.

Becoming a food writer?

Q: I graduated with a bachelor's of science in business administration.  I have been working in information technology for the past three years and hate every minute of it.  I am seriously considering going back to school for a culinary arts degree and becoming a chef.

I have always had a passion for food and for writing. Can you give me some advice on how to break into a food writing position at a newspaper or magazine?

CB, Washington, D.C.

A: This could prove to be quite a circuitous path to food writing. Most food writers do not have a culinary arts degree to back them up, but go straight to the writing.  If you want to study culinary arts, go for it. If you want to become a chef, that certainly seems to be a step in the right direction.

But if you want to become a food writer, I'd begin by trying to do some freelance work that will tell you how well you like the work and how good you are at it.

Landing a major sports beat?

Q: I currently work for a newspaper that covers plenty of preps, but gives spot coverage to nearby college and professional teams. My professional goal is to someday be fortunate enough to land a full time position as a beat writer for a major university or professional team. (Me and about 17,000 other hopefuls)

This is my second job out of college. Strategically, it was a good move from my first job because, admittedly, I wasn't quite ready to tackle the many responsibilities of a major beat. I've spent the past 16 months learning the culture of college and professional locker rooms and the formalities that come with it. Such experiences have also gone a long way in improving my writing.

My question is this, and I hope you can understand where I am trying to go with this. In some ways, I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunities to cover major college and pro events. In other ways, I still wonder how far my current experiences can take me in acquiring the type of job I would ultimately like to have. In all actuality, I don't spend every day with these teams. I don't travel with them. I didn't establish "insider" connections when I covered the NFL team's home games last fall, for instance.

It seems like larger newspapers with full-time beat writer openings are searching for writers who already have significant, full-time beat experience. They don't want to take the chance at hiring someone with my credentials, right? Or am I wrong? I'll continue to take full advantage of my opportunities now, but what can I do to make myself more attractive to potential employers who will have these kinds of openings in the future? Even if my clips are good, will most editors shy away from me because I haven't yet demonstrated the full ability to cover a college or pro beat? What's the reality of my situation?

Joe

A: Relax. From the sounds of it, you'd think no one would get to cover a major sports team unless they were born doing it.

You've taken one step toward your goal and will need to find the next step. That step likely will be to a newspaper that does some full-time coverage of professional or major-college sports. You want to get in the door there -- even as a preps reporter -- and land the Big Job when it becomes available.

When newspapers come up with openings on plum beats, they first consider in-house candidates. If they have none that they feel are ready, or if they feel they can find a much better candidate outside, they look to people who already have such beats at other newspapers. Your path seems to be one that will lead to an interim newspaper that offers the chance to do some major beat coverage. Then, take it from there.

Your career path to date seems to have been working for you. Don't stress out.

Becoming a foreign correspondent?

Q: I will graduate from college next year, with two internships at metro dailies.  I think I want to be an international correspondent, preferably in a Scandinavian country. How does one obtain such a position? Do I need a maste’rs degree? How well would I need to know the language?

James

A: This is a plum position awarded to people on the basis of experience, not education. I would work to get experience and to prove that I can work independently, manage myself and generate enterprise stories. A master's degree will not help much.

Think about your target countries. Which news companies have cprrespondents there? Those would be the companies you want to join. It is foolishly optimistic to try to get a foreign assignment with a newspaper that doesn't already have someone there.

Language is a good skill to add to your bag of tricks, but it is not essential. Still, if you have an interest in reporting overseas, it is wise to get another language. It will make you more competitive for the position and help you get more authentic stories.

 

Becoming a newspaper critic?

Q: I’ve been conducting a frustrating job search for nearly a year. My problem is that I’m looking for specialized reporting job and they’re a bit like federal judgeships-it’s a lifetime appointment, which means there aren’t very many of them, and they don’t open up very often. The person in that position at our paper just turned 50, and he’s not close to burning out, so it could be 15 years or more before an opportunity will open up for me here.

I have been backup for several years, a national writing award and a fellowship. I think I’m well qualified. When I apply for this job at other papers, I am always a finalist, but never chosen.

My questions: I’m not always clear how to identify job openings when they occur. I check roughly a dozen electronic job banks weekly, (which is where I found your e-mail address) but all openings aren’t posted in them. I’ve told everyone I can think of that I’m looking, and when I’m in a part of the country where there’s a paper I’d like to work at, I try to stop by.

Is there anything else that I should be doing? Should I identify a dozen papers I’d like to work at and send out résumés and clips cold?  Complicating the problem, of course, is that every paper has its own hiring procedures, and it can be difficult to identify the real gatekeepers.

At my paper, all hires go through the section editor, with the M.E. and the editor signing off. At another paper I know, the secret to getting hired is to somehow catch the eye of the editor or M.E.  The section editors are relatively powerless.

Eek!!!  Luckily, I like my job, so I’m not desperate to leave by any means, but I know I can do better work than my current duties permit.

Stuck

A. I think you touched on the right answer. Identify your target papers, as not all newspapers have the kind of position you described, and work to get in there.

Your list of a dozen newspapers likely includes mid-sized to large newspapers. In most of those cases, I should think, the section editor or the immediate supervisor – perhaps an assistant or deputy managing editor, carries a lot of weight in making the decision. People who aspire to be section editors at large newspapers typically will not be happy if they lack the power to hire. Key on the people in charge of the department where you want to work. Get in touch with them and stay in touch.

While your dream job may not open right away, the editor may try to bring you in for similar jobs – as a backup or next in line. And that is how these jobs are miraculously filled without ever being posted to the outside world. They often go to in-house people who have been groomed as successors. If you can’t get the key spot, get into position as the successor.

 

How to get answer on photo job?

Q: I'm a photographer trying to break into a larger market newspaper.  I've tried different angles and I think most photo editors now prefer to receive photography portfolios on CD and then at the interview, perhaps printed versions.  Is this true?

I know I'm very talented and would have no problem working at a larger newspaper, but can't seem to even get a response when I send my work out.  As a matter of fact, twice, I've gotten the portfolio back in the mail, unopened.  What's the best way to break in?  I'm trying to scrape by on freelance right now, but it's just not working. How do I get photo editors to give me the time of day? 

James

A: Yes, most photo directors prefer to get CD's in 2004, which is a tremendous savings for job candidates, as it costs just a couple bucks to burn one. In the days when photographers had to send out transparencies, they had a tremendous amount of money tied up in their portfolios.

Even when editors are not telling you anything, they are telling you something. They are saying that they are not interested. That may be because they have no openings; it may be because they think they have better candidates. It's hard to know when the responses are mono- or nada-syllabic. (I don't know what to do about people who send things back unopened. That seems unnecessarily rude.)

I suggest you call photo directors and ask them whether they are accepting portfolios, whether they are hiring and who they are hiring.

And try smaller markets. It could be you're applying to markets where you are just not yet competitive. The fact that you can do the job (and this is your opinion, not the editor's) does not mean anyone will hire you. Editors hire only the most qualified, not all who are qualified. Try places where you feel you will be near the top of the list, not just on the list. You can learn this by talking to the photo directors.

How to be a newspaper columnist?

Q: How does one go about writing a column for the paper?

Kisha

A: As is often the case, this short question has a long answer.

Here is the short answer: Prove you can produce regular and consistently excellent journalism. Most columnists proved that as reporters.

Becoming a movie critic?

Q: I am a senior majoring in communications and I want to be a movie critic how do I get involved in that?  How do I get started?  Should I contact the local paper and see if they have any openings I just need that little push in the right direction and any help would be great!

Aimee

A: It is tough to become a movie critic. These are highly coveted jobs and the people who have them tend to stay in them for a long time.

Still, if this is what you want, you should pursue it with those cautions in mind.

Almost any entry point might eventually take you to film criticism, depending on how you direct your career once you get started. The important thing at this point is to get started.

I would contact several papers -- local and far away -- to see whether you can get in as a full-time reporter. If you are dealing with local papers and can operate out of your home, you might ask about freelance opportunities. That kind of work would not be enough to sustain a move, but it might be OK for your immediate area. Of course, the more time and energy you can dedicate to writing about film, the better. But I bet you start in some other area.

No joke: I want to write humor.

Q: I'm a humor columnist who wants to self-syndicate. What's the best way to pitch material with a view to getting picked up at other papers?

S.H., Alberta

A: Is this a straight line? Seriously, folks, it is tough to become self-syndicated. The first step is to establish a track record at a newspaper that runs your work regularly. Once established, you can approach other papers -- if your employer gives you the green light. Expect some rule about no sales to competitors, and expect that your clients will want the same sort of exclusivity, too.

The hard part about syndication, aside from the competition that makes it so difficult, is the paperwork. If you're doing it yourself, you've got to find the clients, keep them happy, move your material on time and collect the bills. It can be a hassle completely unrelated to the reason you started writing columns in the first place. Perhaps you're willing to pay that price, for the interim, in the hopes that a real syndicate will pick you up and handle the busywork.

As a syndicated columnist-wannabe, you're going to have to look every bit as good as the competition. That means an impressive package, with some good design work, sales calls and an obsession with customer service. If you're not able to do those things, the quality of your material might not matter.

Should reporters specialize?

Q: Should I have a reporting specialty?

Cathy O., Royal Oak, Mich.

A: Not to steal from editorial writers, but specialties can be two-edged swords. Here's how they can help: If a newspaper is looking for someone with your specific specialty, you'll be swimming near the top of the applicant pool. If, as is more likely, the paper is not looking for your specialty, you could sink to the bottom. Some editors will pigeonhole you: ``Religion writer? We're looking for a general-assignment reporter. What do we need with a religion writer?'' They might not stop to remember that reporters who specialize can do well with other things, too.

Editors might also be skittish about hiring a specialist into a generalist's job that would only frustrate them.

So, what's a job-seeker to do?

Go ahead and develop your specialty -- just don't always lead with it. In other words, position yourself as a damn fine reporter who, secondarily, has a specialty. Editors generally will like to have the specialty on the staff, and may see you as someone who has the potential to develop a mini-beat, back up the staff specialist or be a next-in-line for that job.

Your task in interviews will be to persuade editors that you can be hired into a non-specialist's role and that you will be successful and happy.

A further word about specialties: consider newspapers' needs as much as your own as you choose a specialty. Criminal justice, children's issues, pop culture and politics are newspaper specialties that offer a lot of opportunities. There are fewer opportunities with gardening, architecture and Russian literature. If your specialties are saw music or beer can collecting, that's nice. Just don't tell anyone about them.

Where to send my columns?

Q: I would like to be a columnist for a larger newspaper than my hometown paper. Who should I send the samples to? Should they go to the recruiter, editor-in-chief or department editor? If I send them to the wrong editor will they get forwarded to the right editor?

Rob

A: Join the crowd. A lot of people want to be columnists at large newspapers. To whom should you apply? I would call and ask an editor at the newspaper. Any of the ones you mentioned should be good for that.

Newspapers often get applications from people who want to be columnists. Seldom, though, do such jobs go to people who send in sample columns. Generally, when an opening arises the paper will first look to see if there is someone on staff who can become a columnist. This is a plum opening, and the newspaper that doesn't first consider in-house candidates first can discourage its staff.

If there is no one suitable or interested at the newspaper, it will look outside. Having some knowledge of the area and its issues, which you seem to have, can help. Often, larger newspapers that are looking outside will look favorably on columnists in the area.

So, call to ask where you should send those sample columns. I would not count on editors to get my mail into the right person's hands.

Selling my comic strip?

Q: I'm thinking about starting my own comic strip, and I was wondering how I would go about getting it into your paper, on average how much you pay each cartoonist (if possible), and anything else I may need to know.

Jim

A: Jim, you have company.

Many people would like to get their comics published. Few succeed. One reason is that very few newspapers have their own comic strip artists. They buy almost all their comics from syndicates, which sell to dozens and hoped-for hundreds of newspapers. With so many papers buying a strip, the price for each paper comes down considerably. It can be as little as $10 a strip, depending on the circulation of the paper. The bigger the paper, the higher the price. The price can be so low that some newspapers will buy strips they don't even publish, just to keep them out of the competing newspaper. On the artist's end, though, $10 to perhaps $50 a strip times 500 newspapers will make for a good income, even leaving for all the money that goes to the syndicating company. (The names of the syndicates often appear in microscopic type between the panels of the strip.)

For individual artists, becoming syndicated is tough. Essentially, you have to persuade a syndicate that your strip is better than one they're already trying to sell. They seldom just add a strip to the sales person's suitcase. They make room for one by dropping another artist's.

Even Charles Schulz, who became a sensation with his semi-autobiographical "Peanuts," was rejected by many syndicates -- and even his own high school yearbook.

Job as a book reviewer?

Q: While working full time in public relations, I have been reviewing books on a freelance basis for newspapers and magazines for some 15 years.

I have never seen an ad looking for full-time reviewers. Are these positions only available by working your way through the ranks from reporter? If not, what is the best way to go about finding them?

J.F.

A: Book reviewer is a destination job. People who become full-time book reviewers tend to hold onto these positions. They do not, for example, typically use them as stepping stones. They get the jobs and tend to settle in for a long time.

Because jobs like this are considered plum positions, they are first offered internally. If no one suitable emerges on staff -- and if none of the people freelancing reviews are right, the newspaper will then look outside.

These dynamics, coupled with the fact that most newspapers cannot afford full-time book reviewers, make these openings scarce.

How to land a photo job?

Q: I am a photojournalism student at St. Cloud State, in St. Cloud, MN. I will be a sophomore this fall.I worked for a local paper in my hometown, the Stillwater Gazette. It has a circulation under 10,000.  During the school year I will be working part-time for the St. Cloud Times,  A larger newspaper. Is it better to work for a real newspaper than my school one?  I want to do everything I can now to be prepared when I graduate.

How hard is it for a student to get an internship in photojournalism?  How do I prepare my portfolio? In slides or actually prints? Color or black and white?
M.M.

A: Whoa, down, boy! Such a slew of questions! Let me try a couple:

If the work is the same, it is generally better to work for a so-called real newspaper than a student one. You should get more experienced editors. Exception: If the paper won’t let you do anything real.

It is difficult to get internships, period. Make sure your portfolio is top-notch, apply early, follow up.

Have a photo editor go through your portfolio with you. Pay attention to variety of images and approaches. Make it look very sharp (this need not mean expensive). Edit tightly.

CD's work best with most photo directors. Save prints for non-photo editors.

Color. We can always make black and white from color. Not vice-versa.

Recruiters at photo workshops?

Q: Do recruiters go to photo workshops?

David

A: Good question. The answer is generally not.

Here's why:

Most of the recruiters I know did not come through a photo track. Like me, most of them came up through writing and editing, though that may be in sports or business news or some other department.

So, we tend as a group to be not very good at evaluating images. (I shot in college, taught photojournalism and wrote a camera column in my early years, so I can do a little). Most recruiters seem to stick with more omnibus conventions that have actual job fairs and leave skills-specific conventions to specialists in their newsrooms. The photo directors stalk the National Press Photographers Association conventions, the sports editors go to the Associated Press Sports Editors convention and AWSOME and the design and graphics chiefs go to the Society of News Design.

This is not a bad thing. On the inside of the newspaper, a good recruiter is just there to get the good candidates to the right hiring editors, and to groom the up-and-comers  for future openings.

Photographers, sports writers and artists and designers find they are part of a network within their journalistic concentration and that they can get a lot of help from each other and from editors in those areas. The fraternity among sports writers can be amazing. A hockey writer, for example, will see hockey writers from other papers more often than he sees his or her co-workers or bosses. They bring each other along.

The best editors, of course, are always recruiting. So, I would keep attending NPPA nationals, flying short courses and photo workshops, and I would seek out the photo editors for jobs, advice, etc. I would be neither surprised nor disappointed if you don't meet many full-time recruiters in those places. You're more likely to find us at college job fairs and recruiting trips, local journalism events and organizations that have formal job fairs such as SPJ, NABJ, AAJA, NAHJ, some at IRE and ACES.

How do I become a columnist?

Q: I'm interested in professional columnism. I know that it takes years to work thruogh the process of becoming one, but what specific steps does one have to take to be nationally syndicated?

M.T., Oregon

A:

1. Never write columnism again (unless it becomes your style to invent words).

2. Spell correctly.

3. Start writing -- journalism at first. Columns later.

4. When you're confident (and others tell you that you have reason to be so) as a journalist, start trying some columns.

5. When you're having occasional columns published, decide whether you can ramp them up to a more regular schedule, such as once or twice a week. See if the publisher will go for that.

Good journalism and good columns share these characteristics: accuracy, clarity, conciseness, compelling interest, good writing. Good columns have two additional characteristics: voice and a point of view. Problems arise when a person has the last two characteristics -- or, worse yet, just one of them -- but not very many of the first five.

How to be a projects reporter?

Q: I’m a reporter with a small daily newspaper. I’ve had a variety of experiences in my four-year career, from spot news to government meetings to in-depth pieces, but my passion is in special projects. How can I get there from here?

P.S., Florida

A: You’ve laid a good foundation, so build on it. If you want to be named as a special projects reporter, with the cachet and that full-time responsibility, you’ll first have to find a paper that has such positions—or that will be willing to create one when you rise to be one of the best reporters on the staff. So, your career path likely will include a move from one paper to another.

If, on the other hand, all you’re looking to do is report and write some special projects, you may be able to start now. You’ll still have to navigate your newspaper’s culture, resource constraints and time demands, but most good reporters can spin off some special projects wherever they are—provided the paper is at least halfway decent.

I’d suggest you start there. The work you do even as an ad hoc special projects reporter will satisfy your journalistic craving, and give you the clips you need to move to another paper or another level.
In sum: Don’t wait. Start trying to put that sort of work into print now, even if it means finding ways to weave it into your daily work. You might find that you hit the right combination sooner than you think.

From cops to columnist?

Q: Working as a cops reporter after two decades of freelance writing is a major change in pace, perception and perspiration. Especially at this age (mid-40s). I’m learning that a beat reporter I’m not. A feature writer I am. A columnist. Even my editor believes this, but the only slot I fit into here is as cops reporter. And I don’t see much out in the jobs market for a feature writer/columnist. Am I cooked?

K. M., Minnesota

A: Your choice seems clear, K.M. If the place you’re working at doesn’t and won't have the job you want, you either need to leave that place, or stay there to whatever degree of doneness you can tolerate. You’re right; there are few calls for feature writer/colmnists. So, go for the before-slash job, and try to grow the after-slash once you get to the place and get the lay of the land.

Few newspapers will go outside for an untried columnist because being a good column writer requires, among other things, a deep knowledge of the area and audience. Columnist is also a destination job that is more likely to be filled with an in-house candidate than ... the other kind. As you stalk that feature writing job, work with your editor to see that you’re getting the kinds of clips that will show prospective employers just how good a feature writer you can be. In the meantime, you present paper should benefit from your good writing.