Q. I want to work in journalism and know I need work experience, but I’ve never come across any placements. How do I get one?
A. Careers in the media and creative sectors are extremely popular and hard to get into. Work experience is important and can be a way of getting your foot in the door and, in the case of journalism, usually necessary for getting onto a postgraduate course. Employers often don’t advertise work experience because they know they’ll be inundated with CVs. Plus they may not have the resources to offer formal work placements.
Be prepared to give your time for free and make numerous speculative approaches i.e. sending your CV with a carefully written covering letter addressed to the most appropriate person, for instance the Editor of the newspaper. Avoid writing to ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ as your letter or email may be overlooked. Explain why you’re writing, what skills and experience you can offer and show a genuine interest in the publication.
Manchester’s newspapers receive numerous requests for work experience. So also look further a field and be persistent. As Steph Whaley, a Linguistics graduate says, “After being rejected from a lot of Manchester papers, I got in touch with my local evening paper at home in Newcastle. After numerous letters and emails to various journalists they contacted me and gave me a week of work experience in the Easter holidays.”
Finally, be constantly on the look out for opportunities. Be persistent without becoming a pain! Handouts on Networking and Broadcasting and Journalism are under ‘useful downloads’ www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers
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