8 tips from Hofstra alums on how to succeed in the digital newsroom
What should a student do to appeal to potential employers? The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University hosted a panel on just that. Four Hofstra alums were present to give students great advice on getting jobs in a digital newsroom: Matt Silverman, editorial director at Mashable, Lauren McCullough, editor at Facebook, Ryan Broderick, reporter at Buzzfeed News, and Veronica de Souza, editor at Digg. Here are some of the major points that I took away from the night.
Great conversation at @HofstraU from successful alum in media #diginews pic.twitter.com/90iRhiVno9
— Mario H. Gonzalez (@MarioHGonzalez2)
November 11, 2014
Your resume isn't just a piece of paper anymore...the Internet is your resume now #DigiNews
— Medea Giordano (@medeajulianna)
November 11, 2014
1. Your resume is the entire internet now
A resume is no longer just a piece of paper that lists your experience and computer skills. Now, when you apply to a job, an employer can (and will) type your name into Google and basically everything you have ever done is right at their fingertips. That can either work highly in your favor or it could end any opportunity you may have had. Ryan Broderick pointed out that if your internet identity is not up to par, your cover letter won't even get a glance. But, you should let yourself have a personality on social media. No one wants to hire a robot.
What do employers look for on your Twitter accounts? They want you to tweet like a human being! #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
If you're worried what the internet says about you, do a quick search of yourself and try to clean it up. To be sure that your LinkedIn account is up to par, read Mashable's tips for college students.
It's all about connections according to Lauren McCullough, editor at Facebook. #DigiNews
— Medea Giordano (@medeajulianna)
November 11, 2014
2. It is all about connections It truly is a small world. You need to network and build strong connections with people in the field in order to land quality jobs. Lauren McCullough pointed out that Facebook rarely even posts jobs to the public. You need to be recommended. In this article, Jim Brady, the editor-in-chief of Digital First Media said about internet journalism connections, “They call it a Web for a reason. It’s all about connections, and the minute you put the wall up, even if it’s a meter, the connection is a little bit broken.”
@mattsilverman 1. Follow through 2. Build something from the ground up 3. Focus #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
"No boss told me that's what I should do. I made it happen." - @Matt_Silverman #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
3. Build something from the ground up before you apply When asked what the top three things employers look for in potential job candidates, being able to take a project from start to finish was one thing Matt Silverman mentioned.
Showing is better than telling, and this will show an employer what you can do before you even start working. In addition to that, it also shows that you can make things happen for yourself and you won't need a boss to hold your hand. Veronica de Souza is a great example of this. When the startup she was working at went out of business, she wasn't sure where she would go next. But then she made a blog poking fun at 2012 presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, when he uttered his famous "Binders full of women" comment. She had a ton of job offers the next day.
When Romney said his famous "binders full of women" comment, Veronica Da Souza, editor at Digg, turned a joke into a career #DigiNews
— Medea Giordano (@medeajulianna)
November 11, 2014
"A confidence in writing is really what you're after." - @broderick #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
@broderick 1. Be obsessed with what you are talking about 2. Know how the internet works 3. Have an insane amount of confidence #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
4. Confidence is key "Have an insane amount of confidence," Ryan Broderick said. When you're looking for your first job, you may not have the most first hand experience, but being confident in what you know (and in your writing ability!) will push you far ahead of the competition.
"Take more than one computer science class. Also take a Photoshop class and know basic HTML" @HeyVeronica
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
5. Learn basic HTML You do not need to have the skills to start the next Facebook, but you should be able to perform basic HTML edits. Veronica de Souza brought this up a few times and the rest of the panel strongly agreed.
You have to become a huge consumer of media in order to know what a story is. #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
6. Know how to find a story
Sometimes, the hardest part of writing a story is finding the story idea to begin with. If you know how to search the depths of the internet for something interesting, you can make it far. But be sure that your writing skills can back it up.
Ryan mentioned that even something as simple as following trending topics on Twitter can make a story.
@broderick brings up #AlexFromTarget and how trends can grow into something HUGE. #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
(Panelists stuck around afterwards to talk to students.)
@Matt_Silverman on the other hand wants us to throw out the term "dream job." What do you think about that? #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
Having fun and being challenged is what @lfmccullough says having a dream job is all about #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
7. Readjust your idea of a 'dream job'
Everybody has an idea of what their dream career would be. Maybe you have always wanted to end up at a major magazine but that does not mean you should throw away smaller opportunities.
Lauren McCullough said her definition of a dream job is just having fun and being challenged every day. If you can make that happen no matter what the technical position is, you will be living the dream.
Internships: Follow the instructions on an application. So many people ignore directions and it looks bad. #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014
8. Follow directions
This may seem obvious, however sometimes it is easy to overlook certain things. But when applying for a job or internship, you do not want to overlook anything.
Veronica gave an example of the internship application for Digg that asks applicants to list the top three news stories they read that week. Sometimes, she said, people completely skip that part. You better believe your application is getting put at the bottom of the pile if you aren't even following a simple instruction right from the start.
Lauren also pointed out that being able to pay attention to detail is a really important skill.
@lfmccullough 1. Attention to detail 2. Flexibility 3. Be funny #DigiNews
— Social Elements (@SocialElements_)
November 11, 2014