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Topic: Breaking into the field
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| Author | Message |
| kyle1975 | Posted – 2/10/2005 4:43:13 PM | show profile I need some advice to break into the publishing/media field. I graduated college 2 years ago and haven't been able to land even so much as an interview for an editorial assistant position. I've been working in non-profit and advertising since graduation but I am not working in the fields that display my strengths. If I was getting interviews I'd be fine with my search but I haven't gotten any feedback at all. I'm obviously doing something wrong. I majored in English with a creative writing concentration and have some writing experience in my recent positions doing copy for ads and writing a few articles for a quarterly newsletter. Maybe my lack of a journalism degree is the reason? The problem is that I see an ad for an EA position and every skill they are looking for I can give them. I send the resume and it might as well be sent into the Bermuda Triangle, where nothing returns or is ever heard from again. What the heck am I doing wrong? |
| brianvan0711 | Posted – 2/10/2005 5:33:32 PM | show profile | email poster From what I've seen around here - and I'm in the same boat as you are, so I've definitely paid attention - it's not so much that you might be doing something wrong; it's that there's too many people who are doing everything right. Let's assume that, if you haven't already gone to a library and fully absorbed at least a few GOOD books about resume composition, career planning, and cover letter techniques, then you'll make some time within the next 10 days to do that. You'll avoid common pitfalls in your personal presentation for your job-posting responses, and we can rule that out as a limiting factor. There is always the possiblity that there's something that could be better. Examples: if you have a college degree, someone else either went to J-school or took an internship (or both). If you submit 2 great clips, someone else might have 3 or 4 or 10. If you know your topic with a certain degree of authority, someone else knows that topic with even greater authority, has connections in whatever-related industry, and is similarly versed in another 4 topics. And so on. Here are two good ways to attack the situation: * Get something significant on your resume or cover letter. Earn something - whether it's a great clip, excellent knowledge of a hot topic, an internship at an iconic media company/publication, or industry connections - that will make the hiring person feel an absolute NEED to have you in for an interview. Make yourself a knockout candidate rather than merely qualified. (As a side note, J-School is generally NOT one of those things. It seems that, in the consumer media world, that's a plus; the big pubs seem to routinely reject candidates with journalism degrees, and I've noticed there's a lot of people in the industry who don't have them. The benefit of a J-School degree varies from absolutely necessary to, seemingly more common, a nice perk in a willing candidate.) * You can try to network your way in. You'll basically be getting a head start on a very good career practice. The biggest benefit of this, aside from possibly getting a job, is that you will get feedback and assistance along the way - it'll build your patience and alleviate your doubts. Plus, generally speaking, someone with a dull resume can still get noticed with a little face-to-face contact. Anytime you meet with a potential editor, it's a chance to show motivation, intelligence, and potential - attributes that, in a standard resume + cover letter, are often difficult to convey in a way that stands out from all the other candidates. (Why? Because there's so many candidates giving their A+ effort to look motivated, intelligent, and promising in their resumes / cover letters) I should add that networking can not only benefit through job leads, but can also benefit by helping you obtain the kinds of things I was talking about in the preceding paragraph. |
| kyle1975 | Posted – 2/10/2005 5:44:27 PM | show profile thanks...that helps. Aah yes, connections. I wish I had 1. Any ideas on how I might network if I don't know these people? |
| brianvan0711 | Posted – 2/10/2005 6:55:13 PM | show profile | email poster Well, try Mediabistro events and classes, for starters. True, they're NOT for networking. But, if you are involved in media in some way or form, it's a way to start conversations and become part of a community. There are always local networking events in every city serving a whole range of interests, as well. And there's going to be a ton of people just like you present at each one. Finally, networking doesn't have a particular goal... it's just something you do overall when you talk to people and you discuss your shared talents and interests. I'll just warn, it's an approach that often does not have immediate results. Don't treat yourself as if you were a movie script that you want to place in a big name director's lap. Just make a social exercise out of it and, above all, be yourself. You might be surprised at the possibilities that are potential through your social contacts... |
| harkinj | Posted – 2/10/2005 7:07:49 PM | show profile Get in touch with the career services department of your alma mater and ask them to assist you in finding someone who works in the industry. |
| sheilamullan | Posted – 2/11/2005 10:54:51 PM | show profile hello Hi there Kyle: Sounds like a discouraging situation. So let's brainstorm a bit. 1/ Why don't you switch things a bit & try newspaper writing? I mean, your main goal is to be a writer, why not change the plan and at least get started in newspapers? All daily newspapers need to fill the paper 7 days a week, so they need a lot of copy. Some people won't live in small towns, or this area of the country or that one, or can't move due to family reasons or a house or whatever. If you're flexible in your location, you should be able a good entry-level job in newspapers and get the process started of writing for publication (nothing against advertising, it just is not your goal.) 2/ As others have said, you need to start networking. No man is an island, etc. Where are you located? Give us some thoughts on what if any networking attempts you've done & how they worked out. I would suggest events by MediaBistro, Ed2010.com, Society of Professional Journalists (nationwide; in NYC, Deadline Club); New York Financial Writers Association, etc. Someone at one of these groups has the answer you need.. Good luck! Chin up! Sheila |
| abel tasman | Posted – 2/12/2005 12:19:56 AM | show profile A thought about networking IMO, you don't need a connection to a person to ask them for advice (it does of course help). Most networking is usually done through the most casual of encounters (cocktail party, friend of a friend of a friend, etc.), so why not make it one step more casual? If you see an interesting writer (well-known, but not too famous) and their email is listed somewhere, how could it hurt to drop them a line? You never know where that could lead. This board is proof positive that more experienced writers and editors are willing to mentor younger ones. You've just got to be fearless. Example: my cousin put me in contact with a guy her son went to school with (about as distant a contact as you can get, right?) Well, he's not much older than me and he gave me the benefit of his experience breaking into freelance writing through an email correspondence. When I asked about the mags he wrote for, he eventually sent me a contact to one of his editors. She became a great resource--she didn't know or care that I had only the most casual contact with her writer. Then, when she moved to a magazine whose content is more in line with what I want to write, it's led to a consistent flow of work. Another thought: try to do some freelance work. Your age and resume don't have to be an issue there; all you need is a good idea. My first (non-college-paper) clip was for The New York Times--my idea was all I had and all I needed. Clips with known publications will definitely make you stand out for those EA jobs. |
| Write_or_Die | Posted – 2/12/2005 1:53:59 PM | show profile go get em Networking seems impossible if you don't have connects already, but it isn't. I've had great success by just attending journalism conferences- you don't have to be a member of the organization or a journalist. They have great info panels and you network by talking to the person next to you and approaching panelists after sessions. Seek out professional organizations and you'll find that everyone has a conference somewhere. It's worth the money that you'll spend on airfare, hotel and fees if you land a couple good contacts. For someone who doesn't have clips you can use your personality to get ahead, tell your story and show your desire to break in. You can't woo people over e-mail the way you can in person. I talked with an editor for my dream publication at a conference and followed up with my clips. Now I'm writing for that mag and she passes my ideas on to other editors on staff. There's no way I could have broke in there without meeting someone face to face. I also support the informational interview angle. Don't ask for the person for a job, just ask for advice on how to break in, how they got where they are. If they are impressed with you and can help you find a job they will. |
| kyle1975 | Posted – 2/23/2005 1:00:11 PM | show profile ok great. I appreciate all the information everyone has given me. Once I get some cash together I'll attend on of media bistro's events or contact someone at a writer's association. I think my concern about freelancing is who to contact and mainly wasting my time sending a query and not getting the work. If anybody has good advice on getting freelance work I'd love to hear it. |
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