Joe Grimm, recruiter for the Detroit Free Press who counsels young journalists all over the country, has said that interviews generally carry more weight than your resume, clips and references. “The trick is getting to the interview,” he says on his website, www.freep.com. “Resume, clips, cover letters…are generally used as screens to determine which people get in for the interview.”
Job interviews are nervewracking no matter what profession you seek to enter, but a job interview for a position in journalism is perhaps the most unique job interview you’ll ever go through. Think of it as an audition: what you’ll be doing in a journalism job interview is what you’ll be doing should that interviewer decide to hire you. That is, you’ll be doing a lot of one-on-one interviews, asking questions, exchanging information for a story. For this reason, there are some extra things you must keep in mind during a journalism job interview. My expertise in journalism job interviews comes from applying and interviewing for several newspaper jobs at the end of my junior year in college. While the first few were rocky, by the end of the internship search process I was an old pro at journalism job interviews. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll get hired at your dream publication (provided you have the clips and knowledge to back up a solid interview).
Journalism Job Interview Tip #1: Know the paper.
While asking questions is good (we’ll get to that later), you do not want to go into a journalism job interview without knowing at least the basics about the paper you wish to work for. You’ll want to know who owns the paper, how frequently it comes out, its circulation, and some of its writers. If you don’t know at least this much, why do you want to work for the paper anyway? Read the most recent editions of the paper, whether online or print, and learn something about the paper’s market. Who will you be writing about? What are some of the important issues facing the community you’ll be covering? Knowing this information will help you not look like an idiot, but also, you’ll be better prepared to tell the interviewer what you can offer that market. If it’s a town in southern Texas, close to the border, and the majority of its citizens are Spanish-speaking, the fact that you’re current on immigration issues and can speak conversational Spanish will do wonders in a journalism job interview. However, you won’t be able to show off such talents if you don’t know anything about the paper’s market and communities.
Journalism Job Interview Tip #2: Plan your own questions.
As I said before, a journalism job interview is unique in that the interviewer will be able to gauge how you interview sources, which will undoubtedly weigh heavily on his or her hiring decision. Go into the journalism job interview with a handful of prepared, open-ended questions. What kind of professional development and training can you expect? How does the newspaper see its future in a time when most people are heading online for news? What would a typical day on the job be like, and what advancement opportunities can you expect? This not only shows that you have an inquisitive mind, which is a must for any journalist, but it can help you determine if you’re a good fit with their newspaper. If they tell you it’ll be ten years before you’re considered for a promotion and you have dreams of being an editor, it may not be the publication for you. But if they plan on doing a lot of work online in the future, and you have experience as a multimedia journalist, it may be your dream job.
Journalism Job Interview Tip #3: Anticipate their questions.
Though you’ll want to realize that you can’t prepare for every question you can possibly be asked in a journalism job interview, you’ll want to go in prepared, so try to anticipate what kinds of questions they may ask you. Know your resume inside and out; they’ll probably ask about your last position at the very least. What were your responsibilities? What did you do that you were most proud of? And perhaps most importantly, why did you leave? Do some thinking before the interview and formulate your answers ahead of time to help lesson your nervousness, but at the same time, don’t try to sound rehearsed or fake. An interviewer will also ask you about your future. What would your dream job be? Where do you see yourself in five, ten years? They will want to know that you’ve got aspirations beyond getting hired. Also, they’ll ask you to rate yourself. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What can you contribute to the newspaper? Be honest about what you could improve on, but remember to highlight your strengths. If you haven’t had a correction in three years, mention that. Accuracy is important in journalism.
Above all, relax and try to have a good time during a journalism job interview. It will not be your last one, so take note of any surprising questions in anticipation of your next interview. Dress professionally and be prepared with extra copies of your resume and clips. Keeping these simple but important tips in mind will result in a successful interview.
