Face to Face: Surviving the Interview for a Newspaper or TV Reporting Job

1. Sell Yourself.

Make sure to mention at least two or three of your best selling points, such as your resourcefulness or ability to work well on deadline. Provide good examples.

2. Show Knowledge of the Company.

Before the interview, review at least a week's worth of the company's articles or broadcasts. Show that you're already familiar with its audience and the type of stories it is likely to run. If you're interviewing at a job fair, try to get the inside scoop from someone who has already interviewed with them.

3. Ask About Training and Advancement

Find out about development and training programs for young reporters. How does one get promoted? Such questions will show that you're thinking long-term and looking critically at the company.

4. Be Ready to Talk About Your Clips or Demo Tape

Explain how you got your stories, which ones you're most proud of, which ones were most challenging, and what you learned from each one. Employers want to see how you've progressed. You also might want to explain how you beat the competition on a story or how something unfolded.

5. Be a Good Sport

If the interviewer tells you you don't have enough experience, don't try to convince them how great you really are. Listen carefully and thank them for their advice. The tips they provide could prove to be beneficial if you interview with them again.

6. Keep Your Options Open

• If your goal is to cover education or politics, but the interviewer tells you the company only has an opening for a crime reporter, don't frown and say you're not interested. Always keep your options open. Especially at job fairs, you're often planting seeds for further communication.
• Some Other Things to Keep in Mind: Arrive at least 15 minutes before your interview.
• Bring extra copies of your clips and demo tape just in case someone unexpectedly wants one.
• Let the employer dictate the interview and be a good listener.
• Take good notes so you can refer to them in your follow-up letter.
• Don't be long-winded. Keep your answers clear and succinct.
• Don't complain about your previous employer or co-workers, even if prodded by the interviewer.
• Don't put your clips in a fancy binder. Instead, staple each story and assemble them with a paper clip.
• For demo tapes, make sure they are well-labeled, with the tape cued up to your piece.

By Dan Rohn, founder, journalismjobs.com

Resources

How to Land a Journalism Job

Creating Effective Resumes

Face-to-Face: Surviving the Interview for a Newspaper or TV Reporting Job

Broadcast Trade Secrets

Have you done your Homework?

Preparing Your Portfolio

A PR Career?

Landing a Job in Advertising

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