What makes a good journalism resume?
Hi WJs...I'm rediscovering this group, and thought I'd throw a question out there. I've been a reporter now for about three years, following a four-year career in PR (weird, I know).
But while I could point to specific, measurable accomplishments in my PR career, I'm not sure how to formulate my current resume to show that a) I'm good at my job, b) I have 21st Century skills and ideas and c) the impact my stories have had.
Does anyone have advice on what makes a good - no, great - journalism resume? I'm not convinced my resume does the trick.
Thanks!
But while I could point to specific, measurable accomplishments in my PR career, I'm not sure how to formulate my current resume to show that a) I'm good at my job, b) I have 21st Century skills and ideas and c) the impact my stories have had.
Does anyone have advice on what makes a good - no, great - journalism resume? I'm not convinced my resume does the trick.
Thanks!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve Buttry on -
I would (and did when I was recently looking for a new gig) hyperlink my resume. Gives the prospective employer far more to learn about me than the few clips you could mail. And I don't want to work for someone who can't handle links anyway. I blogged a while back about building your digital profile. I think that's way more important than the resume: http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/your-digital-profile-te...
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Permalink Reply by Paul Balcerak on -
I think it kind of depends on what job you're applying for, but Steve makes a great point—the more you can show off your skills in the résumé itself, the better your odds. Why make a potential employer flip through a cover letter and two pages of work experience/references to get to your clips or a URL where they can access your portfolio? Put the information right in front of them and make it clickable.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Parker on -
OK, good points. But at what point do you become too flashy?
Let's say I'm looking at reporting jobs. Beyond saying I covered XYZ, used a beat blog, have multimedia skills, I am at a loss on how to present myself.
Your suggestions also hinge on sending clips electronically, and I think a lot of hiring managers still prefer hard copy; it's easier to file. Are there good examples out there journalism resumes?
Thanks for your comments. Anyone else have input?
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Permalink Reply by Paul Balcerak on
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Wish I had a few good examples for you, but I don't at the moment (I'll come back and reply if I find something).
Here's another thing you might want to consider: Instead of looking at what employers like to see in a résumé, what about thinking about what kind of job you want and tailoring your résumé to that job? For instance, if I were applying for jobs and an employer said "hard copy only," that says to me that they're a little behind on tech and I probably don't want to work for them.
Just a thought. I know everyone needs work one way or another.
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Permalink Reply by Nathaniel Miller on -
I recently updated my résumé for the first time as a professional and thought a lot about these questions. While I can't say whether I made a "good" résumé, I'd say it's much improved.
I attempt to tell the best stuff first and place content in order of importance. Here's how my résumé breaks down:
* Objective: One-line description of the job where I would apply.
* Summary: Two-sentence, two-line description of self and skills.
* Experience: Current position, organization and time in the job. This is the area where I focused in my redesign. I detail what I do in many areas, as the name of my position does little to do so. Then, I list four previous positions, just job titles, organization and time in position.
* Award: A couple of staff awards and the most recent awards from the time when I was a university student.
* Conventions: Names of the conventions I've attended as a speaker or a panelist.
* Education: One-line detailing the degree, university and year of graduation.
There's a visual component as well. I formatted some words in bold and some words in italics while attempting to set some information apart from the rest. It helps to place it on a board. You can see your résumé in a different way when its propped up by a magnet.
Hope that helps.
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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Foody on -
I sympathize with the paper/e-mail question. Several editors, even at places that aren't necessarily behind on technology, have told me that they prefer paper applications to keep on file for openings.
But I would say it's important to feature where an employer can find your digital profile and send a follow-up e-mail with a direct link.
Within the resume itself, it seems like you have a good idea of what to highlight: being good at your job, having skills and ideas and the impact of past work. Find brief ways to work that into your resume, bypassing anything about daily tasks.
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Permalink Reply by Chip Oglesby on -
If you're submitting your resume via .doc or .pdf, I like to include as many links as possible. If you're paper or former company has a website, link to it! Are you a photographer? Link to your portfolio! Any video or multimedia work? Link to that as well.
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Permalink Reply by Benet Wilson on -
Alex-I've done the Pr/journalism thing too (I'm back in journalism). I have several different versions of my resume that I tailor for the job I want. I haven't had to search for a job in awhile, but I'm advising young people to have the paper resume but also have a Web site that shows off their skills. They can mention the Web site in their cover letter. People have done amazing things with WordPress, Yolasite and Tumblr. I also advise you to highlight all of your new/digital/social media skills in your appropriate job descriptions, as long as they are professional. I hope that helps!
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Permalink Reply by Alex Parker on
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Oh, my Web site is key to my resume. You can visit my site if you like.
My issue is not so much how to format a resume, or how to highlight my digital skills and accomplishments. It's more making my job as a reporter stand out. What more can I say other than that I covered X, Y and Z? Is it worth making mention of particular stories that were big?
I've just never seen any compelling journalism resumes out there, and I fear my grad school career counseling didn't quite prepare me.
Anyway, I've enjoyed reading your responses, and appreciate the feedback. Thanks so much!
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Permalink Reply by Benet Wilson on
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My bad. I see your point. I'd cover all the pubs you write for and your job duties. Then I'd advise breaking out the stories/blog posts/multimedia efforts you think are worth highlighting with bullet points, with links to each. That way, the eye is drawn to the stories you think showcase your best work.
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Permalink Reply by Rod Rose on -
Just a suggestion about submitting something in .doc format: There are still some newspapers where the computers are old enough that they won't open a .docx file. Yes, I know, that's yet another symptom of why we're all gonna be selling apples in a few years, but still... I use OpenOffice to translate .docx files. It's a free program. Our IT department keeps promising us real computers, but I'm maintaining a back-up herd of hamsters, just in case.
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Robaugh on -
Hi Alex. You asked how to write a resume to " make my job as a reporter stand out. What more can I say other than that I covered X, Y and Z? Is it worth making mention of particular stories that were big?"
The tips here about links and portfolios are all good. But the bottom line is you've got to get noticed. When I was hiring, I looked for resumes that didn't bore me. (And remember this, a lot of people still doing the hiring are not wired to the extent you are.)
Point me specifically to your stories that had an impact, revealed hidden truths or brought about change (prompting arrests, indictments, investigations). If those arrows aren't in your quiver, then play up strong explanatory journalism that served the public interest. If you've won awards, let me know about 4-5 of the best ones. If you've won dozens, mention it but save the specifics for your online portfolio. Tech skills? Give me the highlights, not a laundry list. As an editor, if I see from your resume that you know 12 different, specific applications, I'll assume you're a small-picture guy. But if you show me you know 3-4 current tech apps, I'll assume you're up to speed and can learn anything new that comes along.
If you really want a specific job at a specific place, send the editor something electronically AND by mail directly. And include your 3 BEST clips on paper. Even in this day and age, there's a very good chance the editor is going to sit down on a couch or at a table and read your stuff with a cup of coffee instead of clicking around a computer. Doing both makes it more likely the editor will see and remember your stuff. Basically, use a little bit of print to entice the hiring manager to find your online portfolio.
IMPACT is key. There are a lot of good, qualified journalists out there competing for jobs. Not only do you have to show that you understand the job and can execute as a professional, you must show that you can bring stories with impact and heart to the newspaper, magazine or web site doing the hiring.
I hope this helps. You're a good journalist. I'm sure you've got the right clips to get noticed.
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