Q: Not only am I a recent J-school grad, I also have a prior liberal arts degree, one year on the copy desk of a mid-sized daily and was a reporting intern this summer for a weekly in Washington, D.C. Still, the closest I’ve come to an interview is a letter of rejection thanking me for my efforts but passing because of my inexperience.
I agree that I need more experience, but how can I gain it if no editor is willing to take a chance? Perhaps my cover letter just sucks or maybe my clips are dull, I don’t know. Seemingly, I never will because no one ever returns my e-mails, not even to say I should go back into sales.
Any advice (or commiseration) would help me greatly.
Patrick
A: You have my commiseration -- and lots of company.
Of course people can get hired with less than five years of experience. That's how we all started. My guess is that you'll need to apply to smaller or more remote places.
As for the feedback, you'll get very little from editors unless they are seriously interested in helping you get to your paper -- and if they have time -- which they seem to have less and less of. An editor could spend hours a day critiquing applications -- and some job-seekers respond with a nasty e-mail. So, busy editors learn to refrain.
I'd go back to a former professor or employer -- someone who knows you and wants to see you succeed -- and ask for a critique. Then, I would recalibrate my job search based on your responses (or lack of them) to date and the advice of your mentors.
Note: "Ask the Recruiter" is moving to Poynter's new Career Center. The new home is here. Don't forget to change your bookmark.
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