Salemi, who has interviewed the likes of Katie Couric, Barbara Walters and Tony award winner Bernadette Peters, relentlessly grills HR execs and hiring managers and uncovers the truth about how to land a job at some of the most popular hip media companies out there. Salemi is undoubtedly an experienced interviewer. When she first began, she was a freelancer working for College Bound Teen magazine and had a day job in HR. “Angelina Jolie was my first celebrity interview ever in 2004…I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, Ben Affleck, Meredith Viera, she’s incredibly smart and savvy, Lady Gaga in 2008, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matt Damon, Madonna, and Girard Butler, it goes on and on.”

What are Salemi’s interviewing tips? “The key to a great interview is persistence and preparation,” she told FishbowlDC in a phone interview this afternoon. “Being on air [means] it flows more like a conversation. If I’m conducting a phone interview, the interview can go a different way or move in a different direction. When the cameras are on, you are in the hot seat. It’s also not letting them get away with anything, really pushing, getting granular. I think the best questions sometimes come up organically.” What’s more, she added, ask open ended questions. “I learned this from sorority rush. Ask, ‘how did you feel at this time, what was your biggest barrier?’” For the adventurous journalist, she recommends taking an improv class, which she did last year.

But not every interview goes well. What then? continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

1. Which journo would you most want to spend the holidays with?

Dear God, do I have to? I’m fairly certain Hell would be filled with more cheer. But since I’m obligated to answer, I’ll put it to you this way – depends on the holiday.

Hanukkah – Chris Hayes, Ezra Klein, Dave Weigel and the rest of the Boy Banders. Some are Jewish, some aren’t, but that doesn’t matter because I’d imagine it would be an 8-day bender. Come to think of it, any 8-day stretch with them is probably a bender, and it would be a lot like hanging out at a hipster bar after all the hipsters moved on because the wannabes started outnumbering them. And I value my IQ points too much to emerge myself in that much MSNBC so I’ll just limit it to one MSNBCer and revise my remarks to Al Sharpton. This may seem like an odd choice but I think picking up all the remarks he mutters under his breath each of the 8-days would be amusing.

Christmas – Bill O’Reilly. Aside from the embarrassing gang on Fox & Friends, no one has done more to defend Christmas from idiots who seem only to engage in their “War on Christmas” to get publicity for their fringe group no one has ever heard of before or will hear from again than Bill. And I imagine the whole day will be spent tackling anyone who tries to TP a pine tree since he never stops.

Kwanza – Lawrence O’Donnell and Ed Schultz. Why would I pick the two whitest men on the planet next to Sean Hannity to spend a little-known, radical separatist black holiday with?  Because I think they’d try to celebrate it to prove they’re multi-cultural and would have no idea how to do it. Can you imagine anything more amusing than watching them trying on Dashikis and trying to mean it? I can’t.

Boxing Day – Howie Kurtz: For no particular reason.

Or course this is all moot, or at least most of it, since the world is ending on Dec. 21^st. So I’d just like to say thank you to the Mayans for saving me from this Hell.

2. Do you have high hopes that Jeff Zucker will really shake things up at CNN? 

Am I supposed to? I don’t have high hopes that the guy who sucked up NBC and re-unleashed Katie Couric on the world will be able to patch the hole in that Titanic. He’d have a better shot, and I’d probably actually care, if he were one of the Zuckers who brought us the movie “Airplane!” But he’s not, so I don’t.

Read about reporters sleeping with their sources… continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

But more importantly, we think Meredith looks strikingly similar to Couric. A little sister perhaps?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“Someone wrote me an email and said they thought the Secret Service was going to intervene.” — Politico‘s Mike Allen early this morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

By Far, Funniest Reaction of the Night

“Mitt shot his whole wad in the first debate.” — D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. Whoa, Eleanor, HUH?! WaPo‘s Mike DeBonis tried to come to her defense, saying, “To defend Eleanor Norton a bit, she’s an aficionado of antique muzzle loading firearms. I hope.”

Sweet and Sour Reaction to Candy

“Candy Crowley holding the reins tight tonight…no shenanigans in her house.” — NBC’s and E!’s Ryan Seacrest.

“Best & worst moment of debate was Candy correcting Romney – she was right, but I’m not sure she should have inserted herself in that way.” — Roll Call‘s Emily Pierce.

“Righties already trying to make this about the Qs and moderator.” — Politico‘s SENIOR political reporter Jonathan Martin in what may be his first understandable tweet in awhile. Congrats JMart!

“I’m terribly disappointed in Candy. I defended her today, and I was wrong.” — Houston Chronicle political blogger and Newsbusters’ Kathleen McKinley.

“Ok Candy, you better facilitate, not follow-up!” — Conservative blogger Matt Mackowiack.

“Candy Crowley proved why these media fact checkers are toxic liars.” — Breitbart.com’s John Nolte.

“(I worked with Candy Crowley at CNN and think she’s terrific)” — CBS News investigative journo Sharyl Attkisson.

“A lot of anger on the Twitters at Crowley for challenging Mitt. You see, that isn’t supposed to happen.” — WaPo lefty blogger Greg Sargent.

“I must say that if you aren’t drinking some Jack Daniels during this debate you really are missing something.” — Roll Call Columnist and Political Analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

“Who won the debate tonight? Candy Crowley. She knew her facts and made sure she pointed them out to her opponents. She’s got my vote.” — Author Jonathan Krohn.

Debate Recap: Top Quotes

“If Sec. Clinton is responsible for the security failure in Benghazi, who is responsible for 8 days of of b.s.about what happened that day?” — FNC’s Brit Hume.

“As a woman voter, I feel very wanted tonight!” — ABC talk show host Katie Couric.

“OMG. Panelist on FOX News just said ‘BULLSHIT!’” — ABC7′s Mike Conneen.

“I was filing during that Libya exchange, but holy living fuck.” — TPM‘s Brian Beutler.

“Candy Crowley halts Romney in his tracks, calling him out live in real time on an incorrect Libya statement.” — NYT‘s Ashley Parker.

“I’m excitable – but politics is about emotion as well as reason. My view is Obama halted Mitt’s momentum in its tracks.” — The Daily Beast‘s Andrew Sullivan.

“Watching the @politicolive show again on dc newschannell 8. Forget how fun it was to watch, albeit kind of a train wreck.” — QGA and longtime Senate flack Jim Manley.

“The town hall debate format makes me feel bad about the human condition, like that “What Would You Do” hidden camera show. #sighbinder” — Digital media exec Kenny Day.

“Bottom line: Obama was far more aggressive this time, these 2 men don’t like each other and this race is still a toss-up.” — The Hill‘s Managing Editor Bob Cusack.

“No one puts baby in a binder.” — National Journal‘s Chris Frates.

“Ok, goodnight everyone. tucking myself into my binder for some shuteye.” — AtlanticWire Senior Writer Jen Doll.

“Chris Matthews is wetting his pants in joy, gibbering like a meth freak on laughing gas.” — Conservative blogger and former TWTer Robert Stacy McCain.

“Bottom bottom line: Obama shows up big timme and wins. Is it enough to reverse the polarities?” — HuffPost‘s Howard Fineman.

“MSNBC fawning. Fox News fuming. A pox on both your houses.” — WaPo‘s Dan Zak.

“Love switching channels. MSNBC says clr Obama win, CNN, eh, slight Obama edge. Fox still talking about Benghazi.” — NYT‘s Jonathan Weisman.

“Did Van Jones just call Mitt Romney a ‘DOUCHE’ on CNN – @CNNSituationRoom? Wow, didn’t think that was permitted.” — former Eric Cantor Spokesman Brad Dayspring, who now works as senior adviser to the YG Action Fund.

Greta sees hot pink and blue

“Yes, it is true…both wives in a hot pink (or at least on my monitor it looks like hot pink but faces can be bluish on my tv monitor)” — FNC’s Greta Van Susteren.

Important Q to Ponder: “Do I have time to make pierogies before this debate? Yes, yes I do!” — The Washington Examiner‘s Nikki Schwab.

Something else to Ponder: “How, in a country as powerful and dynamic as ours, could bindersfullofwomen.com not already be taken?” — WSJ‘s Neil King.

The Observer

“You keep it crazy, Bobby Jindal.” — Ronan Farrow, son of Mia and Woody Allen, reacting to post debate interviews from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Farrow is a writer, human rights lawyer and formerly Sec. of State Hillary Clinton‘s Special Adviser for Global Youth issues.

And another journo eats chicken…

“Chicken in pot, my debate night tradition. Thanks, Herbert Hoover!” — blogger and pundit Craig Crawford. Anonymous writes in, “That’s a sweet tradition, but his shicken looks like a dog’s dinner.”

Good rap quote from whitest guy in Washington

“Mystikal: That’s right my meat and potatoes come from my lyrical label I throw my rhymes for No Limit like Jeff George throw for the Raiders” — NBC’s Luke Russert.

Ouch!

“Joe Scarborough will suck-up to a guest, then trash-talk them 24 hours later. Tells you all you need to know…#MSNBCfail” — The Daily Caller TV Reporter Jeff Poor.

Peter Ogburn and Eddie Scarry contributed to this report.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

MRC, a conservative media watchdog org, celebrated its 25th anniversary and presented its tongue-in-cheek Dishonors awards at the National Building Museum.

Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham presented the first two awards, one of which was the “Obamagasm” award. The nominees were MSNBC’s Chris Matthews (“Isn’t it a surprise when you see him talking about Obama and he still has his clothes on?” Ingraham said.), ABC’s Diane Sawyer (“of the perpetually heavy breathing voice”) and CNN’s Piers Morgan (“Britain’s own alien life form”). Matthews won for declaring in July that President Obama is “the perfect father, the perfect husband, the perfect American.”

The second award — the “Vast Right-Wing Knuckle-Draggers” award went to MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts, for saying in September 2011 that the GOP wants to build “a time machine, to go back in time…” Ingraham described Roberts as “Thomas no-one’s-ever-heard-of-me Roberts.”

Media bashing was given a rest for the William F. Buckley award for Media Excellence. It was presented by conservative columnist Cal Thomas as a tribute to Andrew Breitbart. The audience gave a standing ovation at the conclusion of Thomas’ remarks.

Two more anti-media awards were given out: The “Damn Those Conservatives to Hell” award (to NBC’s Ann Curry, for her interview with Republican V.P. candidate Paul Ryan in April) and the “Barbara Streisand Political I.Q. Award for Celebrity Vapidity” (to actor Sean Penn, for saying on CNN in October 2011 that the tea party wants to “lynch” Obama).

Finally, MRC President Brent Bozell handed out one last award: “The Worst Reporter in the History of Man” award. This one was chosen by cheers from the audience. It was initially a tie between former CBS anchorman Dan Rather and ABC’s Katie Couric. After a second round of cheers, Couric was named the “winner.” An embarrassing photo of Couric dancing at a private party in 2006 was projected on banners hanging from the ceiling.

The banners were a fixture for awkward photos throughout the evening. To the right was the spaced-out image of RNC Committee Chairman Reince Priebus that displayed when he spoke on stage.

Notables: The Daily Caller‘s Neil Munro, The Heritage Foundation’s Lachlan Markay, Fox News contributor Steven Crowder, The Washington Examiner‘s Philip Klein and Charlie Spiering, Slates David Weigel, The National Review‘s Jonah Goldberg, The Weekly Standard‘s Stephen Hayes, GOP mega donor Foster Friess, WMAL’s Chris Plante and CRC publicists Ashley Morris and Kelley Hudak.

Quotable: “I better put this down.”– An MRC goer who was spotted drinking directly from a champagne bottle. She put the bottle down when she saw us attempting to snap a photo.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Pine will discuss the controversy created recently when she fed her sick toddler while teaching. Katie discusses the heated topic: is breastfeeding okay in class?  As an irrelevant aside, Modern Family star Sofia Vergara gets candid as she chats about her long road to her success. Here’s to hoping she’ll discuss her wardrobe malfunction during the Emmys in which her teal gown came apart to reveal her butt crack and panties. See the picture here.

WJLA will air the episode at 4 p.m.

Note to readers: This is not Pine’s breast.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Keep those birthday announcements coming!

Politico‘s newsroom is downright giddy and reporters, publicists and brass are patting each other on the back today as Playbook author Mike Allen lands himself in the #19 slot of Vanity Fair‘s “The New Establishment & The Powers That Be” list. Last year he rolled in with #39 ranking.

So not only is he the man the White House, Katie Couric and HuffPost‘s Jon Ward wake up to, but he’s that much more powerful than he was in 2011.

Congratulations to Mikey! Oh, er, may we call you that?

Vanity Fair writes, “Allen lives a famously spartan life—he doesn’t own a house or a car—and usually starts working long before sunrise. But in May the renowned workaholic took his first day off, after having written Playbook for 990 straight days (weekends included).”

Others notables who made the power list: Alec Baldwin (#25), Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezezinski (#20), George Clooney (#17), FNC Prez Roger Ailes (#15), HuffPost-AOL’s Tim Armstrong and Arianna Huffington (#12), Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (#11), News Corp’s Ruper Murdoch (#3) and Michael Bloomberg (#1).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Bush will be honored by the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum on Capitol Hill at its Alice Award luncheon on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at noon.  Each year, explains a release, “the Alice Award honors women who have broken barriers and set new precedents for women. Through her work on education, health care and human rights, Mrs. Bush has influenced women’s lives in the United States and around the world. Like Alice Paul, she believes that a world that is good for women is good for everyone.”

The canned but pleasant quote: “We are thrilled to honor such a worthy recipient with this year’s Alice Award. The Sewall-Belmont House & Museum is proud to celebrate Mrs. Bush’s ongoing commitment to improving women’s lives at home and abroad. We are excited to celebrate her achievements and honor her with our Alice Award,” said Lucy Calautti and Peggy Cifrino, 2012 Alice Award Co-Chairs.

Find out who Alice was, and who else has won the award…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Tom Brokaw

Q: Why does [host of MTP] always have to be a white male?

“That’s not a condition of the job,” Brokaw said. “It’s just htat we try to pick the best journalist that is available to us. … In this case, David Gregory turned up on top. It was not a decision I made. … We do have more female participation going on.” Brokaw mentioned ABC’s Diane Sawyer and former CBS News’ Katie Couric in top news spots.

Q: Why aren’t there any black journalists in any permanent Meet the Press seat?

Brokaw replied, “Yes, in fact, that has been the case and it probably won’t be that forever. He said he had Mary Mitchell on when he took over after Tim Russert died. “Look this is a slow rising tide. David Gregory did not get the job just because he was a white male … he had the skills necessary to be a good broadcaster.” Brokaw said he believed a day could come when the host could be Black, Asian or Hispanic.

Watch here and here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Attention Katie Couric: In Politico Mike Allen‘s famous “Playbook” this morning, he writes that V.P. Dick Cheney will be on the morning shows. We know you read Allen before you even get out of bed, Katie. So we wanted to let you know that he didn’t actually mean that Cheney, he meant V.P. Joe Biden. It’s easy to confuse the two. Both are balding.

Allen, of course, corrected the matter. But not before some media reporters went hunting for Cheney on the morning circuit, thinking the shows had booked him to comment on Pres. Obama’s State of the Union address.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“Five years, it’s a long time. You’re doing generally a great job,” says Donald Trump.

Politico is “truly a news organization that acts its age: a petulant five-year-old concerned with only trivial matters,” host of “MTP” David Gregory says with a smile.

With a few repeats and some intensive listening, Arianna Huffington can be understood as saying, “Just as I was sitting down to write this, I saw that Mike Allen had already broken what I was going to say.”

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Willie Geist remarks, “I’ve gotta recuse myself because I don’t care for Politico, inside the Beltway gossipy garbage. And CBS “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer cracks, “The next thing you know, you’ll be getting your driver’s license.”

Politico‘s Mike Allen‘s note to Politico readers as well as Politico staff is so sweet we think we’ve already contracted Diabetes… “THANK YOU to all of you who believed in us from Day 0. And we’re so grateful to our gifted, inspiring colleagues who make POLITICO so essential, enjoyable and illuminating.”

Other notables in the video include former CBS news anchor Katie Couric, “Morning Joe’s” Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, FNC’s Greta Van Susteren and host of “Hardball” Chris Matthews, who says he enjoys reading the print version because it’s printed on such “thick stock.”

Watch the full video here.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“Merry Christmas from Ft. Lauderdale” — Syndicated columnist and Bullfight Strategies’ Karl Frisch.

Digital journo overextends herself

“2011: The year I decided to do all my shopping, and cook a meal for six people, on Christmas Eve. (Obvious postscript: I’M AN IDIOT.)” — Kiplinger‘s Caitlin Dewey.

Writer misses old holiday escape

“I miss going to Tower Records on Xmas Day to hang with the other losers escaping their families.” — Reuters‘ Jack Shafer.

TV reporter attracts staring babies

“Lately babies staring at me. Neighbor’s kid did thru dinner. Today, another baby STARING. Asked mother why? She said ‘YOUR TEETH’… huh?” — ABC7′s Stephen Tschida.

WaPo‘s Karen Tumulty: “Christmas cookies for breakfast. Again.”

NO MORE FATTY TENDERLOIN!

“After yrs of war finally convinced mom not to cut fat off the beef tenderloin. Had to explain @noreservations would murder her in the face.” — Roll Call‘s John Stanton.

A Christmas miracle…

“I dropped my wallet at Costco and an unknown Good Samaritan turned it in – nothing missing. It’s a Christmas miracle!” — TWT‘s Emily Miller.

Uh oh.

“Elks are At the point of the night where we are threatening to beat each other up – booze.” — Labor Journo Mike Elk. Earlier, he wrote, “I’m drunk and can’t figure out how to watch any of the TV’s in my parents’ house – I just wanna see a Christmas story.”

Please, shhh….

“Cabbie knew a lot about the etymology of my last name. #tooearly” — LAT‘s James Oliphant.

Journo gets gipped on fortune

“Shocked by the fortune cookie we got post Jewish Xmas.” — HuffPost‘s Sam Stein.

Taxi Co. ruins church trip

“Alas, @BarwoodTaxi fails us this morning. Daughter can’t go to church…. (Thinking of updating The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.)” — WaPo‘s Book World Editor Ron Charles.

‘Merry Methmas‘

“News from Florida: Cousin’s cousin died of a crystal overdose on Friday. #rip #merrymethmas.” — Reason Assoc. Editor Mike Riggs. In a later tweet, he added, “Merry Shitfaced.”

Also shitfaced…

“Santa? Did you leave me all of these empty liquor bottle and this terrible headache?” — National Review Online‘s Jonah Goldberg.

Maybe wishes she was shitfaced?

“Not saying I’ve haven’t found my hubby a good Xmas present, but about to walk around looking for something shiny from a street vendor. #fail” — USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page.

What’s really important…

“Merry Christmas friends! Remember that this day is about two things: CHRIST & spiked eggnog. Reflect on and enjoy both!” — Human Events‘ Jason Mattera.

Don’t hate me because I’m covering Obama’s Hawaiian Xmas

“Good morning from Honolulu. Keep the “tough duty” comments. Heard em all during 8 yrs of Santa Barbara w/ Pres Reagan.” — CBS Radio White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

Note to God: Your kids are annoying

“Making my list for the dreaded Christmas Eve grocery store trip. Lord grant me the patience to deal with all your irritating children today.” — Co-Founder of GOProud Jimmy LaSalvia.

Convo Between Two Journos

Roll Call‘s Stanton: “Whatever my dogs ate it has come back with an olfactory vengeance.”

TPM‘s Brian Beutler: “Your underwear.”

“7 y.o. daughter reading farm book: “What does castration mean?” the age old Christmas day question.” — CBS Political Director John Dickerson.

Unnecessary Tweet of the Day

“Decorating the tree is my favorite part of #christmas! Do you prefer white or colored lights?” — Katie Couric.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Former CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric still doesn’t get why former Gov. Sarah Palin answered the infamous “What do you read?” question in a deer in headlights manner.

This morning at The Atlantic/Aspen Institute Ideas Forum her interviewer, The Week’s Washington Editor Margaret Carlson, asked Couric to reflect on that interview with Palin. “It does kind of bug me when people only remember that question,” she said. (Carlson chimed in, saying she didn’t mean to “bug” her.) Couric went on, “I spent 45 minutes talking to Palin about foreign policy issues. We talked about nation building, Iran, a surge and how it might be effective. It was at the height of the fiscal crisis. It’s funny to me that that one question got so much attention. She was so annoyed with me at that point and just wanted me to be gone. What can I say?”

Couric reasoned at that point Palin hadn’t done much press. “Charles Gibson got to go to Wasilla,” she said. “I was terribly jealous.” FNC’s Sean Hannity snagged the second interview and Couric the third. “When I asked the question about what do you read, I was curious. It was just kind of a spontaneous question. I thought, gee I’m interested. She has such strong political views. Her ideology is so [dramatic pregnant pause] specific. I wanted to know what she read on a regular basis that helped shape her world view.”

Later in the interview, Couric recalled, Palin told her that “People in Alaska read. I was quite aware that people in Alaska read. I still, to this day, don’t understand why she wouldn’t answer that question straight on. I think she was just done with me at that point.”

Read the infamous Couric-Palin exchange after the jump…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.