Advice for people looking for work opportunities

[louise_bolotin]

If you’re new to the world of journalism, be careful when looking for work placements or experience. Not every ad may be as it seems. Journalism can be hard to break into – without experience, you can’t find a job. But without a job, you can’t get that all-important byline. Work experience thus takes on a lot of importance as it gives you an “in”. But wait – journalism is also a profession where writers are often not valued and may be expected to work for free if they want that all-important break.

Be careful when looking through the ads so that you can be sure you will get a fair deal. Ads tend to fall into two types – work placements for a set length of time and opportunities to write unpaid (for a byline). Here’s a quick guide on how to ensure you don’t get exploited (and hopefully some other experienced freelances will offer some tips here, too).

Work placements – a proper placement should offer you a genuine opportunity to learn on the job and should be for a limited period of time (usually anywhere between a week and a month). Normally, you’ll get to shadow someone specific and be given a chance to do some basic journalistic tasks – possibly researching, interviewing or even writing. If you turn up and find out you’re expected to do the photocopying for 8 hours a day, on your own, that’s not work experience. If you apply for an opportunity, ask the right questions about what you can expect from the placement.

Unpaid bylines – even the most experienced journalists have often written for free at some point, if it gives them a chance to break into a new area of journalism, for example. Generally though, if your writing is good enough to be published, it’s good enough for you to be paid for it. If you decide to write for free to get the bylines, choose your opportunities with care. Think about whether you’re comfortable writing two pieces for free to show what you can do then asking to be paid, or if being asked to contribute for weeks or months unpaid might be exploitative. Only you can decide. There are other ways to get noticed – niche blogging, for example, can act as a showcase for your skills and may help get you a break, especially in areas that are hard to break into such as music/film/travel writing.

Good luck and do consider these ads with care.

[briano]

It's also a good idea to be very proactive when you get into a work placement position. Don't be afraid to ask questions and offer your own opinion on proposed contents lists, and possibly articles that you would like to write. If you have applied and secured a placement position at a particular magazine or newspapaer, chances are that you are familiar with the publisher and interested in their publications, so there's no harm in demonstrating your interest. Get involved in production meetings and make sure you're not anonymous during your placement. If you don't take an active interest while you're there, you'll get nothing out of it and the likelihood is that the publisher/editor will quickly forget your name and your work.

[sinead2008]

It's also a good idea to be very proactive when you get into a work placement position. Don't be afraid to ask questions and offer your own opinion on proposed contents lists, and possibly articles that you would like to write. If you have applied and secured a placement position at a particular magazine or newspapaer, chances are that you are familiar with the publisher and interested in their publications, so there's no harm in demonstrating your interest. Get involved in production meetings and make sure you're not anonymous during your placement. If you don't take an active interest while you're there, you'll get nothing out of it and the likelihood is that the publisher/editor will quickly forget your name and your work.

Hi i have just begun my Diploma in Journalism, Photography and Print Based Media. Is there anywhere that any one could advice on tryin to get experience in first? What is the best way to get experience? by phoning. writing a letter, email?

[LordSheep]

I'm currently doing the rounds, getting a few unpaid placements. I'd say e-mail first, simply because it's a little more convenient, gives them time to respond. If they haven't got back to you within a week, call the editor, or someone in recruitment if the company is large enough to have a recruitment department.

Hope that helps