Comments on: Job-hunting for young journalists

By: ken

ken — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:24:51 +0000

I’m a much older journalist who went through periods of unemployment. I know how terrible editors have treated job applicants, especially during tough times such as these.

I wish anyone who is out of work the best of luck.

Persistence can work, but only if an editor has some interest in the applicant from the start.

By: Lara Pawson

Lara Pawson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:08:20 +0000

I applied for the job I wanted. They said ‘Get lost’. Then they said, ‘You’re a woman, You’re nearly 30, why would we want you?’ So I researched their staff profiles. I was told I needed to go and live somewhere in Africa for at least a year and show that I meant what I said. So I did. For a year. I came back. Begged them for work experience. I was 29. I got 2 weeks unpaid work experience. Noone talked to me. I felt embarrassed. The other work experience was 21. Shameful. Humiliating. And then they gave me a week’s paid work. And then another. And then another. And 4 weeks later, I went to work in Angola as a correspondent…
Persistence is the answer. And desperation.

By: Brandon J. Mendelson

Brandon J. Mendelson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:14:14 +0000

Adrian,

This was fantastic. I plan to tweet, post about this later today.