How to Find a Job as a Newspaper Reporter
An entry-level position as a newspaper reporter can be a rewarding experience, and you'll get a chance to meet a lot of new and interesting people. It can also be a stepping stone to a career as a department editor, magazine writer or even television reporter. However, it's not just a career where you can walk in off the street and be hired. Before you start hunting for a job as a newspaper reporter, there are a few things you'll need to do.
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Instructions
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Take some classes in communication and journalism. While it's not absolutely necessary to major in these subjects, it's a good idea to have some background. A journalism class will give you the background you need to be an effective reporter, and communications classes will help you develop skills that you'll need later. You'll learn to write and speak effectively--both of which you absolutely must be able to do if you want to work as a reporter.
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Practice writing. Even if you're not getting paid for it, write every day. Keep a journal or an online blog, or just write randomly. Write about current events, politics, pop culture, social issues--anything you think is interesting. The more you write, the more you'll get a chance to hone your abilities.
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Offer to write a few unpaid op-ed pieces for your newspaper. This gives the editor a chance to see how you write, without having the shell out any money to pay an unseasoned writer. Better still, it provides you with what reporters call "clips." A clip is a sample of published writing that you can attach to your resume when you apply for a job. Clips count only if they're published by someone else--not by you. Your latest blog entry does not count as a clip.
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Search online job banks for potential employers. Set up interviews with editors. When you hear that the local paper needs a staff writer, field correspondent or even help in the mail room, send in your resume (spell-check it first!) and your clips. If you have to work your way up from the bottom, so be it--at least you'll have a foot in the door. When you show up for your interview, dress professionally. Don't show up looking disheveled just because the combat reporter you saw on CNN looks that way under fire.
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Understand that reporters typically have to work their way up. The low man on the totem pole is often stuck going to school board meetings, covering city council briefings and interviewing people who have collections of weird stuff. If you want to get into investigative journalism, you'll have to deal with this part of the job first and prove your worth as a reporter. Stick with it, though, and possibilities for advancing your career will open up.
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Tips & Warnings
If you get a chance to work at a school newspaper, take it. Editors often look for experience when they're hiring.
Be cautious of websites that offer "guaranteed" journalism jobs. Often, once you've paid a registration fee, they simply send you a list of newspaper websites and leave you on your own to find a job. You can find this information for free on the Internet.
