Writing a Successful Resume and Reference Sheet. You’ll need to create a resume before you start applying.
The trick is to produce an easy-to-read, one-page document that provides your contact information, details on your past employment and journalism experience, awards and special skills. Most employers will spend only a few seconds reading it. You want to leave a good impression by being accurate, concise and direct. We encourage you to also post your resume online using a blogging tool, such as Wordpress or Blogger (although you might not want to list your home address or phone number on this Web version). However, don’t send a print-out of your online version by mail or fax. It’s OK to design a resume using a graphics program such as Quark, but make sure you also have a plain-vanilla version that can be easily e-mailed to an employer, using Microsoft Word or rich text, for instance.
Some important tips: More on the resume categories: Contact information: Be sure your name is bold and in larger type than the rest. Journalism Advice: How to Write a Journalism Resume. There are many different formats you can use when writing a resume for a journalism job or journalism internship, but here are a few guidelines: Keep it simple and brief – no more than one typed-page.
Even journalists with 20+ years experience manage to keep their resume to one page, so ther’s no reason a young journalists shouldn’t be able to do the same. It should be informative, accurate and consistent in structure. Avoid gaudy resumes with unusual fonts or bright paper as they attract attention for the wrong reasons. Include your name, address, cell phone number and e-mail address at the top, followed by a section that lays out your college and work/activities in reverse chronological order (so, most recent first), including dates.
It's unnecessary to state an objective. Include any special skills, such as multimedia or computer skills. At the bottom list your education, including your college, major, expected graduation date and G.P.A. 10 ways to make your journalism job application better than everyone else’s. Dear Applicant, The first time I finished a hiring process, having settled on a stellar candidate, my boss patted me on the shoulder and said, “You know, your first time really shouldn’t be this easy.”
I took it as a straightforward compliment to me and the person I’d found. The position had attracted a solid pool of talented people, but the candidate I’d recruited and ultimately chosen had clearly stood out above all the rest. We knew we’d made an impeccable hire. Graduate School of Journalism Resume - CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Can you do the job?
Can you get along with other people? That’s what employers are trying to figure out as they look at your resume. And they’ll look at it for only about 30 seconds, so your best selling points should pop out. A few pointers: Keep the resume to one page.Tailor it to the job you’re applying for. Content (From Top to Bottom) CONTACT INFORMATION: Put your name, current phone numbers, home address and e-mail address at the top of the page. Format As above, keep your resume to one page.Use white or off-white 8½-by-11-inch paper.Choose a font that’s easy to read, even at a small size. (photo via Flickr by ssteacher) Journalism Advice: How to Write a Journalism Resume. Free Resume Builder and more career resources. How Recruiters Judge Journalism Job Resumes.
Think you have a great resume that will crack open the door to a major news organization and result in a job offer?
Think again. Many of the traditional approaches to resume writing have changed. For example, recruiters don’t think highly of the home address at the top of a resume — unless you expect to communicate with your prospective new boss through earnest handwritten notes mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. They also don’t love buzzwords, mission statements and, to state the obvious, typos. There is an added level of scrutiny on resumes submitted for journalism jobs, especially since candidates will be writing for a living. “Misspellings, typos or other errors are killers,” said Rob Doherty, general manager, U.S. & Canada, Reuters. Here, in more detail, are tips from recruiters in the news industry on how to write a journalism resume (and what tactics to avoid): On number of pages? Doherty: I prefer one page. Addresses? Print vs. digital? Intro or mission statement? Reporter Resume Sample. Resume Tips » Indiana University Journalism. Your resume makes the most important first impression.
For media jobs especially, human resources professionals will look for faultless grammar and perfect presentation. Even a small typo can sink your chances of landing an in-person interview as interviewers won’t take seriously an applicant for a media job who hasn’t caught all of his or her mistakes. Use these guidelines to ensure that your resume and other submissions will shine: Resumé Writing Tips Have someone else check your final draft for mistakes. Tips for producing a scannable resumé Many businesses and organizations are using computer technology to scan resumés for information pertinent to evaluating candidate qualifications.
References. 7 MISTAKES THAT DOOM A COLLEGE JOURNALIST’S RESUME. No writing assignment strikes fear into the cold, calloused heart of a college journalist quite like the resume does.
Yet no assignment is so shoddily reported and so clumsily written. Every spring semester for nearly a decade, I’ve collected resumes from the staff at the student newspaper I advise – and I’ve taken them to local, state, and national media pros for a blistering critique.