A journalist's guide to job hunting in the age of AI

Journalists are leaning on AI more than ever to polish their CVs, portfolios and interview prep. But hiring managers still want the final application to sound like a real person wrote it. So how do journalism graduates cut through?

We spoke to Mark Frankel (head of public affairs at Full Fact) and Nick Wrenn (partnerships consultant at NCTJ) and drew on research from Shangyuan Wu, a journalism researcher at the National University of Singapore, whose study looks at whether AI is causing journalists to "deskill". Here's what they had to say about the skills employers actually want, how to use AI well, and the mistakes that can sink an application.

Using AI in your CV and interviews

AI is great for picking the right keywords, structuring a CV, and tailoring it to a specific employer, says Wrenn. But the CVs that stand out are still the ones written in the candidate's own voice. Companies can spot an AI-written application a mile off, he warns, so it's worth the extra effort to sound like yourself.

Wrenn also encourages graduates to talk up their experience with confidence, even if it was gained as part of a team. Research, background prep, production support: it all counts as real journalistic experience.

Frankel says he's more interested in how well a candidate can read data and statistics in an interview. The strongest candidates, he reckons, blend tech know-how with proper journalistic judgement: knowing how to question, verify and contextualise information before putting it in front of an audience.

Building a portfolio

A portfolio is your chance to show off original work. Wu stresses the value of coming up with your own story ideas and doing your own interviews. Digging up original stories, gathering your own information, and finding your own voice all matter.

Frankel agrees that a portfolio should show curiosity and initiative. Nobody expects a graduate to be an expert, but employers want to see an inquisitive mind and some sign that you can dig into a story.

Developing AI skills

Newsrooms increasingly want journalists with AI skills. Wrenn says those who know their way around tools like Claude, or who can "vibe code", have a real edge over those who don't. Wu points to prompt-writing as a key skill too: a well-written prompt is the difference between generic AI output and something genuinely useful.

Frankel highlights verification and fact-checking as increasingly vital. Journalists should understand OSINT (open-source intelligence), SynthID (Google's watermarking system for AI content), geolocation, reverse image search and video verification.

But the human skills matter just as much as the technical ones. Frankel says journalists still need to nail the basics before any verification work begins: who, what, when, where, why and how. They also need curiosity, an open mind, and the ability to think laterally.

Wu adds that personal branding and storytelling are in demand too. AI might spot patterns, but it's still down to journalists to interpret information, do the research, and weave the evidence into a story that makes sense.

All three agree that human judgement can't be replaced. Journalists need to trust their own instincts when weighing up information and making editorial calls. AI should support the process, not run it.

Using AI ethically and responsibly

Being upfront about using AI can actually help your application stand out, says Frankel. If you've used AI to research or write a story, say so. He also recommends staying on top of the ethical and legal side of things by reading journalism publications, industry blogs and academic research.

Wrenn says journalists need to use AI tools creatively and responsibly, and to get sharp at telling real information from fabricated content, especially as AI-generated material becomes more common.

Frankel's found that a lot of misleading images aren't AI-generated at all. They're real photos, just presented out of context. A genuine picture attached to the wrong event, place or date can be just as misleading as a fake one. That's why verifying the origin and history of visual content matters so much.

What's next for the journalism profession? 

Staying current isn't optional any more. Wrenn says journalists need to keep learning and keep their digital skills up to date as AI spreads through the industry.

For Frankel, being a journalist today means knowing how to spot false positives, understanding how content gets manipulated, and knowing how to properly verify a story. It comes down to working out what can actually be proven.

Wu's research points to something bigger: journalism's future will hinge on how well journalists can show their "humanness". That means writing in their own voice, guiding the machines rather than the other way round, holding onto ethical principles, and still coming up with original, creative ideas.

What do you think will define journalism in the future? Let us know in the comments.