How can new journalists face the recession?

With exams and graduations looming many journalists in the making are out there job-hunting - a challenging prospect given the current dearth of journalism jobs available.

Students are saying the only jobs available ask for years of experience, which is not much use when you have just come out of university. Internships can address this, but present the problem of no income; and while graduate trainee schemes offer a small number of paid opportunities, many of these are being cut back as the recession hits, including the Press Association's multimedia trainee scheme.

Traditional entry-level jobs are few and far between at present and applicants face stiff competition for each place.

"When I graduated last year, the problem was that there was so much competition for each job. But now... there are not even any jobs to be competing over. It's a real nightmare," says Dave Lee, journalism blogger, recent graduate and now co-editor of the BBC Internet blog.

There are mixed views on how universities themselves could aid students: some trainees think their universities can use contacts to secure work experience or freelance work; while others believe they need to teach students to be a 'jack of all trades'. 

One problem arising is the demand for a range of skills as highlighted by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) recent survey, which suggested a gap between employers' expectations and new journalists' abilities in both new and 'traditional' skills.

"I don't think my course prepared me for the additional skills that appear to be essential now i.e. audio, video, subbing and online but I think this is a fundamental problem with the NCTJ," recent journalism graduate and Journalism.co.uk blogger, Amy Oliver says.

New graduates must address the skills gap themselves, suggests Oliver.

"Don't just start a blog but think about how you can incorporate video and audio into that as well. Learn basic HTML, video and audio skills i.e. Final Cut Pro, how to shoot and edit film and radio - the more skills you have the more employable you are," she adds.

Networking is as essential for journalists who have been working their patch for years as it is for new trainees. Establishing good relationships with employers, via work experience or making story pitches, can be crucial in securing future work.

"I'd also say be bold and try pitching some stories, you may not get anywhere, but you will have sewn the seed of a potential relationship with an editor on a paper. Go to networking events; in fact go to anything where you could potentially meet a contact - my main piece of advice is be persistent because 10 other people won't be, but more importantly never give up - you've got this far," says Oliver.

As well as making themselves available for new work opportunities, some students are being advised to be open to all work relating to journalism. In the age of online publishing, being a journalist doesn't just mean working for a newspaper and students should be aware of these new opportunities.

"We have been told that it may be a good idea to start looking for jobs that aren't necessarily in the press, but use the same skills as journalism, like marketing and PR," says City University student Alison Battisby.

"If this was a route that you were willing to go down, then I would advise making sure you stay connected with the journalism world by keeping up on what's going on in the industry and keeping an up-to-date blog so that you can demonstrate your ongoing interest in the trade to any future employers."
   
It is now up to the individual to promote their career, with many students we spoke to being advised to seek opportunities under their own steam instead of going through formal routes of work experience.

While universities and bodies such as the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) can offer support, the most successful graduates in today's economic climate will arguably be those who go out looking for experience and who advance their own skills.

As Lee says: "While you're still a student, email every newsroom you can feasibly travel to and offer yourself. Don't make the mistake that many do and think 'I'll concentrate on my degree'. Why do that? You're doing the degree to get a job, and without experience, you won't get one. You should split your time 60/40 in favour of experience, in my opinion."

Targetting individual newsrooms or section editors within a big news organisation can help, suggests Lee, who adds that there are opportunities for young journalists as a result of the economic downturn.

"Tell them what skills you have (if you're good with content management and webby stuff, tell them you're happy to upload content) and put yourself across as very available - there isn't a newsroom in the country that couldn't do with an extra pair of hands right now," he says.

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