A Day of Guidance for Aspiring Journalists

Students and teachers gathered at the USU Ballrooms Thursday, April 21, to listen to established professionals offer advice and answer questions about careers in non-profit journalism and public relations.

The event ran from 9-2:30 p.m. beginning with a keynote speech by Mark Katches, editorial director of California Watch, on "Non-profits and the New Era of Collaboration." It was then followed by several morning and afternoon panels which covered topics such as "Can non-profit journalism succed?"; "Opportunities/challenges for non-profit PR"; "Marketing Yourself: Portfolio/Resume/Website Building"; "Job Interviews," and "Networking." Students were free to sit-in on any of the offered panels and ask the speakers any questions on the topic.

The afternoon panel that focused on the subject of "Job Interviews," by Sue Schmitt, editor and general manager of Press-Telegram and Sunny Yu, PR manager of Molina Healthcare, offered helpful advice and tips to students on preparation for interviewing for potential jobs.

One of the first points that both speakers wanted to address is the misconception that older, more "experienced" applicants are more worthy of landing a job. “I actually tend to higher individuals straight out of school,” said Schmitt. “They are usually more eager and motivated to fulfill the position.” Both speakers admitted that the hardest part of interviewing is actually getting the interview in the first place.

They continued by sharing their personal advice to students on what they look for in their applicants, and the do's and don'ts of interviewing.

Both speakers stressed that presentation and being prepared are critical when trying to make a good first impression. “The first thing that you want to make sure is that you focus your material and resume towards the job you are applying for,” said Yu. Students sometimes end up trying to over-compensate for their lack of experience and fill their resume’s with jobs irrelevant to what they are looking for. “Usually less means more,” said Schmitt. Being knowledgeable and curious about the business and position says more than people know. It is also important that questions go both ways in an interview, and that the interviewee is able to back-up what they have on their resume. You never want to get caught in a lie or embellishing your experience.

You should also be wary of not only what you say during the interview, but also before the interview. “Students don’t realize this, but what they say in front of the receptionist or secretary while they wait for the interview is usually relayed back to the interviewer,“ said Yu. At the end of the day someone with a good, positive attitude will probably outshine someone with a negative attitude. Students forget that people also know people, so be careful what you do and say.

Scmitt and Yu covered several other valuable tips which were met and reciprocated with a good number of questions from the eager, wide-eared students.

Watch part of the "Job Interview" panel here!