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!