If you’re battling for a job in media, here are four changes to make now:
1) Accept that there are no guarantees
If you decide to pursue a career in an ultra-competitive industry make sure it’s an informed decision. It’s not my place to say what you are (or aren’t) capable of achieving – I just want you to be aware that when people say it’s tough to get in, they mean it. Things may pick up after the recession – or they may not. Nobody can make you any promises.
2) Give your industry a health check
Be realistic. Is your chosen industry competitive – or declining? Industries have a limited lifespan – and some are pretty sick right now. Listen to what people are saying – and sniff out where the new opportunities lie. For example, if you’ve set your heart on becoming a print journalist but every print journalist you speak to says they’re moving into online journalism, consider your options. Is there a related, growing – or even brand new – industry where your writing skills will receive a far warmer welcome? Not only will it be easier to find a job in a growing industry – but you’ll also find it easier to sustain a career in one too.
3) Don’t give up your dream – expand it
We’re not suggesting you abandon your goal – just that when everything’s up in the air it’s smart to stay open-minded about alternative opportunities that could be opening up around you. If a temp job takes you into a surprise growth area in your industry and you enjoy the work, why not stick with it and see where it goes? Likewise, become an expert in who’s doing what. Ask questions. When most companies are doing badly, who is doing well? Who seems to ‘get’ online – and is known to have a long-term plan for their business? Can you work for them? These could be career paths you’d never thought about before – or even heard of. Perhaps you always saw yourself as a print journalist – but is digital media a better place be a writer these days? When EMI are selling Abbey Road, could Spotify be a better place to work? When new industries are springing up all the time, the key is to be flexible on what your ‘dream might’ look like.
4) Network, work experience, network, work experience…
Prepare for a long slog. Chances are, you will need to work for free, at least for a few months. Unfair? Yes, but that’s just the way it is right now. You won’t get anywhere applying to advertised vacancies unless you have experience. You will also need to become an expert networker, constantly expanding (and keeping in touch with) your group of contacts. You should prepare to do short-term, casual work – you’re highly unlikely to bag a permanent job any time soon. (If you’re organised, you can plan better paid temp work around this). Keep your mind open to possibilities you hadn’t considered before and keep your ear to the ground for anybody needing help. Good luck.
Hello,
I just wanted to say how helpful your advice pages are on journalism. They are also reinforcing what other people in the industry keep advising me- that the internet and digital media are the way forwards.
Also, I’d be grateful for your advice and opinion. I graduated in 2009 (not in media), and have since done various internships working in a press office of a political party, writing news pieces for a charity website, and am now writing a few news stories for a hyper-local news website. All either unpaid or very low paid internships. I’ve done a social media course and my next plan is to start a blog on food and farming, as this is my personal and academic background. I’ve got lots of contacts in the related industries and am going to seek their advice on whether they think there is a gap for the type of things I would write about. Then I plan to intergrate it with facebook and twitter and hopefully try to market it well. The idea is that at the very least it will give me further experience in interview technique, writing for blogs, and generally working in social media. Do you think this is a good way forwards? If no one else will publish me, I will publish myself!
Also, the idea of writing for online media is relatively new to me and I wondered if it involved mainly working from home with no colleagues or interaction with people and just regurgitating stories that the ‘real’ journalists are researchinga nd interviewing for? I don’t want to get myself stuck into sitting at a computer non-stop for 10 hours a day with no social interaction!
Many thanks- you’re website is great!
@Jez
Thanks for your kind words about Graduate Fog : )
I’m afraid I can’t get into giving one-to-one advice on GF (or I’d never have any time to do anything else) – but as I suspect your query is one that a lot of journalism grads are asking themselves, I thought I’d give a brief response on this occasion (plus I’m putting off doing some other work – can you tell?!)
Right, it sounds to me like you are a classic ‘serial intern‘ – and to me your situation is a perfect illustration of why this internships madness has got to stop. Yes, there is a risk that enforcing the NMW laws might slightly reduce the number of internships available – but the current situation is far worse. Too many graduates are in exactly your position, doing endless placements, gaining experience, but guess what? Several internships later you still feel as if you are no closer to a real job – because there aren’t any junior jobs – just more unpaid / low-paid internships!
It is typical to get to a certain point and think ‘Do I need to give up – or change tack?’ so well done for acknowledging that your are now at this point (I agree that you are). You are right to realise that you can’t endlessly go on doing unpaid internships, as tempting as it is to believe that if you do this for long enough something will eventually ‘break’ for you. It might, but it might not. There are no guarantees – and thanks to the number of universities that have cashed in by flogging far too many places on easy-to-sell media-related courses, there is an insane amount of competition.
You say that you had not really familiar with online journalism. That worries me a bit. Does that mean you saw a life-long career for yourself in print journalism? Frankly it makes me furious that universities are still peddling the myth that this is a possibility. IMO the Internet has been a total game-changer. That’s one of the reasons why I started Graduate Fog – because I can feel that the tide has already turned against print and that the future is online.
As for your blog, I think you need to be realistic about the chances of making money from it. I’ve been running GF for over a year now, and it has earned me less than £1,000. Although that’s more than I’ve spent on it (hurrah! – not many websites can say that!) it has taken a huge amount of work, none of which I have been paid for. I don’t mind this because a) I LOVE my subject area b) I love seeing GF growing and c) I think it will not be long before I can make some money from this website. But that is my judgment, after taking a lot of good advice from experts that really understand the online game.
What should you do next? Well, that depends on what you really believe you’ve best at – and what drives you. I think you might need to have another think about this – as it’s not clear from your comment what your passion is, or what exactly it is about journalism that you’re passionate about. Do you love the actual writing? Or is it reporting / uncovering stories that interests you? Or are you just in love with the IDEA of being a journalist? (Sorry but i have you ask – you’d be amazed how many grads this applies to). Journalists are brilliant at presenting what they do as the most fun, sexy job in the world – but the reality is very different. Most journalists (esp those starting out now) are extremely low paid, and a lot of the people they work with (on newspapers particularly) are not lovely sorts. All publications are looking at cutting their costs – and junior positions and salaries are the first place they look. I think that alone says a lot about the industry – it is one that does not value its young talent – in fact, they are prepared to squeeze and squeeze their young until only those with private incomes can afford to stick with it. Are you sure you want to work in an industry like that? As for the low pay once you get a job, most 21-year-olds say you don’t care because you’ll be doing what you love. But believe me, when you get to 30 and you’re earning a fraction of what all your friends in proper professions are earning, you will care a LOT more. They will start buying houses and having children, and you won’t be able to afford to do either of those things comfortably.
Which ever aspect of journalism you feel most appeals to you, I would urge you to see how this skill / passion is applicable ONLINE. IMO (and remember it’s only MY opinion), trying to START a print journalism career in 2011 is like running into a burning building. I would also look at growing companies that are at the forefront of social media and its applications to the business world. A friend of mine has been the online community manager for Orange and now Cadbury’s. She gets paid FAR better than I do – and her expertise has a future!
I hope this is helpful in some way -
I’m sorry it’s not better news but as you know GF doesn’t do phoney…
: )
Tanya
Very tough times, my friend is a qualified journo who has been trying to get into a position for umpteen years – he is still working as an English teacher in London and has offered his services for free ven!
Rather educational appreciate it, It looks like your current followers might just want a lot more articles like that continue the good content.