It’s been a little while since I
updated you guys on how the job hunt is going, so here is the latest.
I have been pretty busy as of
late and writing opportunities just seem to keep falling into my lap, along
with some pretty good connections.
I have always been the type of
person to network wherever I am, but lately this is really paying off. But
first, let’s start where we left off. Since I finished my PR internship, I
decided to take the media list that I had sent all of the invitations to during
the duration of my internship and contact the magazines and publications that I
was interested in working for. Right away I had a great response. I am now
writing for another magazine, Velvet Rope, although alas it is more unpaid
work, but it is another publication to add to my resume, more published work to
add to my portfolio, and I continue to get my name out there. Unfortunately the
reality is, if you want to get anywhere in this business you are going to have
to be willing to work for free for a little while. I also got an interview with
Glow magazine out of this little media contact spree, and although in the end I
didn’t get the job, at least I’m getting a response now and that is half of the
struggle. You have to hear a certain amount of no’s before you hear that yes,
and every interview is good practice for the next one. And I’m sure we can all
agree that hearing back and seeing some interest is better than never hearing
back at all. I’m choosing to take it as a good sign that I’m getting called for
interviews in my desired field. Eventually I will come across that right
opportunity and everything I’ve been working towards will finally pay off.
Also, I have been self-submitting
myself to events that I want to cover and have been able to network myself that
way as well. It is important in this line of work to get yourself out there and
network yourself; the worst thing you can do is sit around and wait for your
reference letter to represent you or for your next assignment to come in. Sitting
around and waiting for anything to happen is a waste of time; you have to MAKE
things happen. What I have learned throughout my years of working in journalism
is that you have to be proactive and go after your own stories, and you have to
network like crazy at any event you go to. Getting your name out there and
making good connections is the only way you will get ahead in this business. It
depends so heavily on who you know as well as what you know. For example, I was
recently able to attend the 8th annual Chocolate Ball at the
Eglinton Grand in Toronto this past Thursday (an event I self-submitted to) and
was fortunate enough to have made the acquaintance of Elizabeth Rizzuto, who
was not only a coordinator for the event, but is also involved in media
relations and publishes multiple magazines. This is sure to be an incredibly
valuable contact and I am now on her radar and may have the opportunity to work
with her in the future. I also met other journalists from other media outlets
and forged a connection with a photographer, which any journalist knows a
relationship with a good photographer can be quite lucrative. Finally, I made
connections with some industry professionals that have fueled ideas for further
stories. I achieved all of this in only one night and all because I was
proactive enough to decide to cover this event on my own. This is precisely the
attitude and work ethic I need to have to really break into successful freelance
writing as well, which is my next major step since publications don’t really
hire writers anymore, they predominantly accept freelance articles.
Anytime I’m on set too, I keep my
ears open and remain approachable. I have made countless connections on set
that have allowed me to get in contact with hiring supervisors and editors from
major publications. I specifically made an acquaintance of a fellow journalist
and PR associate on set and was given a contact at Blog TO to contact for
opportunities to write and edit. Every social situation that you are in is an
opportunity to market yourself and forge connections that will lead you towards
the next step in your career path. I used to be shy and keep to myself, but in
this business that will hinder you more than anything else; you need to be
confident, approachable, and always working to promote yourself. If you don’t
do it no one else will.
Honestly, although it is
frustrating and it takes an incredibly long time, persistence and determination
is the key. If you are willing to go after what you want to be doing and you are
very good at networking yourself and forging and making use of connections, you
will eventually see results.
Just today, even, I went to the 1
year anniversary at Our Crepe in Mississauga with friends and got a story idea
out of an unplanned, casual afternoon. While there, however, I also made a
contact at CTV who I plan to contact ASAP about career opportunities. I
actually saw him walk into the restaurant to do some news coverage and then ran
after him in the parking lot IN THE RAIN to get his business card and discuss
work opportunities. And for all of you people out there that are worried about
whether or not you can get into your desired field with the degree you have, I
am here to tell you that YES YOU CAN! I recently had someone tell me that I can’t
get into publishing without a publishing degree or that it will be hard for me
to find a journalism job because I didn’t do a journalism degree. Well, I will
tell you what I always tell these people who like to put me down: you don’t
know me and you don’t know what I am capable of. I can and will do anything
that I put my mind to, and this CTV contact today was a great example of that
as he is in television journalism, a field he never would have thought he would
be in, because he did his degree in business. Your degree teaches you how to
learn, it shapes your character and your work ethic, and these are the
characteristics that eventually land you a job (along with your knowledge of and
ability to contribute to your field of interest).
So, this is what is going on with
me right now. I am daily working on achieving my goals and am constantly taking
every possible opportunity to market myself and forge profitable connections. I
will let you guys know how it turns out, but I promise you that something is
coming very soon, because I am willing to run after people in parking lots in
the rain.
"If you want to get somewhere, you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up." Norman Vincent Peale
"In the private sanctuary of one's own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential" Thomas S. Monson
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