How to Snag That Journalism Career You Always Wanted!

My Interview Presentation Paper

I would like to take the time to inform you on the benefits of a career in Journalism and help with your interviewing process in this particular field. The reason I believe this approach is most effective than that of a persuasive paper is because I know that at times and especially when I am in search of a new job or career I am not looking to being persuaded to choose that career I want to be informed about why I should choose that career or that job. I am sure that I am not the only one with this approach. I will speak a lot from my own opinion and heart. I know that when I come to an interview I come with knowledge of that career or position and I come with expectancy of hope.

When you come to an interviewer at your local newspaper or journalist field organization you are going to be in a one on one interpersonal communication process with the interviewer. Now lets’ talk a little about communication and what it is exactly. Communication is the process of acting on information. That means it involves two or more people and that listening as well as speaking is essential. This definition is found in chapter one “Foundations of Human Communication”. Communication is about making sense. It is about making sense out of verbal or nonverbal messages and sharing those messages. In communication that message should be understood, this is when you know that you have made an impact. If you go into an interview in the communication field and you lack in communication skills than I can promise that you will ether not earn that job or you will not be able to maintain it. Communication is a very important key in our world today. Despite what job or career you choose whether it be in communication or not, you should strive to be a better communicator in all areas. And that does include nonverbal communications.

Your message and what you are trying to deliver should be ethical as well. Ethics is the belief, values, and moral principles by which we determine what is right and wrong. This definition is found also in chapter one of “Foundations of Human Communication.  “The Art of Communication is the Language of Leadership” says Daniel Quinn. Every college graduate should strive to better their communication skills no matter job field they choose.

In most interviews an interviewer would ask questions to the interviewee and their decision in hiring is based on what answers are given and how well the interviewee is able to communicate. In the field of Journalism it is known that the interviewer wants to know the interviewees experience or in other words there knowledge of what the job contains. They may ask questions for example that follow:

1)      Why should we hire you for this post?

2)      What skills do you have to offer?

3)      What do you know about our organization?

4)      What can you to bring to this organization?

The above are several questions that you may be asked in an interview for a Journalist position. If you provide good communication and knowledge of what newspaper or journalism organization that you are applying to will defiantly help you in the long run. This will show the interviewer your research and passion and desire to work at this particular organization. Always keep in mind the company that you are applying for. Ask yourself in your own mind, this is my career and where I am going to be spending the rest of my adult career life, so I must search everything about this company that I can to see that I succeed and that the company will grow. 

Every possible applicant should understand the company that they are applying for and know their values and what they stand for and what is in the norm for that company. If you do not know these important things then there is really know way that you will give everything that you are to see that the values and company culture and norms are met. If you do not have the same heart and passion that the company has, then you will not succeed.

Now when you know these things of the company or the organization that you are applying for the interviewing process is so much more of a breeze and through the process you will have better chances of scoring that job that you really want. You must keep in mind that it is not about you, but what you can provide to the company. It’s bigger than just you or even the interviewer; it’s about the whole company. Now where can you find this type of information of the company so that you are well prepared for these types of questions and insight? Well the place to start would be to pick up one of the newspapers of this company and find out their voice, look for what they target, look for what they expect out of their journalist and staff writers. Check out the history of that company. How long have they been around, what where some of setbacks and highlight the places where they succeeded and grew. Highlight the things that interest you the most. You can always turn to the Internet for your research tool. Look up the websites for this particular company and read up on them. The Internet is a great tool for this process.

Now there are some interviews that are not done faced to face, they are probably done by phone or by video interviews. A lot of the same methods apply, but in the process of taking an interview over the phone it is imperative that you have a positive tone and a happy tone. I once was told at a past job that I had where I worked in a call center, I was told by my trainer that we are to always smile because the customer can “hear it” and it took me a long time to understand what he was saying, but I finally got it when I could tell that when I remain positive that the customer on the other end couldn’t help to follow my example. Positive and a bright spirit will always over power a negative spirit. As appose to a face to face interview you can communicate via body language so it is important that your speech and attitude is correct or in check. People can tell when you are upset or not giving it your all.

Interpersonal communication is a special form of human communication that occurs when two people interact simultaneously and attempt to mutually influence each other, usually for the purpose of managing relationships. This definition is also found in chapter one of the courses text. And it is very important to remember this while going into an interview. During a video interview the employer is able to see you so make sure that your appearance is professional at all times. Make sure that you smile and maintain a positive attitude. Show the employer that you really want to be there. Keep in mind that the interviewer is probably having difficult times for themselves rather it be at work or even at home. Always remember that positivity and a smile is contagious. A lot of the time an interview may not always give you the job based on your skills, but rather on your attitude. When you are able to provide adequate communication through verbal or even nonverbal meaning body language, this can surely be a factor.

When you are applying for a career or job that is out of you native soil than it is essential to know as much as possible about that country and what type of benefit they are giving to the community. Study up on the country. Know as much as you can about the company.

·         What nonverbal signals emit confidence and professionalism?

·         What types of nonverbal communication must be avoided?

Let’s take a look at the above questions. Some of what we already have explained will show your confidence and professionalism, but let us go through a bit more in detail. You would not go to a business or a professional organization for an interview in your pajamas. Always dress the part. If you do not have respect for yourself and how you present yourself then the employer is going to think that you will not have respect for the company and what their values are. What you wear is very important. Maintaining a smile is also important. Give the interviewer a firm hand shack with a smile it shows that you are serious about what you are doing and why you are there.  Be professional in everything about you. Do not slouch or be so formal that you lose respect for the interviewer or the company. Always remember that you are not hired yet!

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Your listening skills are very important during the interviewing process as well as your verbal skills. You must sound out your words carefully and precisely. This is another method of gaining information in your communication skills and what you can provide to the table so to speak. If you can’t be a good interviewer then how can you give good interviews? Or how can you report? A lot of the time we think that speaking is what it is all about when it comes to communicating and even though this is important we must also remember that listening is just as important. If you have poor listening skills then you surely cannot handle the job of a journalist because a lot of the time the journalist does more listening than they are speaking. Journalists ask question precisely, but they listen and take note just as precisely if not more.

Because of the gift of the Internet and technology as we know it there is really no way to hide anything. Every company wants to know what kind of person they are hiring. Are you a rapist, are you a murder, a thief, or is it something so small such as a minor in possession of tobacco? So many people try and hide their faults so that they can find work, but it is so much easier to be honest and upfront in the interviewing process than getting fired down the road because you failed to mention something very small about a minor in possession of tobacco. An interviewer is going to think well if they can lie or hide that little thing than what else can they hide or lie about or even what else are they already hiding. 

We can also use the benefit of the Internet and other forms of technology to are benefit. If you already maintain and hold a blog or so on you can provide these clips at local newspapers that can show off you writing abilities and where your best at. If you have your own website that is also a place to show off you skills and who you are. It can get your name out there. If you are applying for a job as a journalist at your local paper and you have clipping from your past work rather they be old college papers or your blog or even articles that you wrote for your high school paper or college paper, these clips can show off your skills and this is what employers in this field are looking for. They want to know your voice and your writing style. This is the place to do it.