Jocelyn Brocato
Journalism Career Fair
The Journalism Career Fair was an eye opening experience for me in regards to gaining perspective in the field of journalism. I was originally very nervous upon entering the room in the Stamp Student Union. I dressed very business professional, wearing a pencil skirt and a white buttoned blouse. I wanted to show the employers that I care about my career and I portrayed that through what I was wearing. I met up with a couple friends from my class so that we could go in together and offer moral support considering we were all equally as nervous. I went in and saw a booth about DC internships that I found particularly interesting. I never thought about a career in political journalism but after looking through the brochure I thought it might be something worth looking into. I introduced myself to the man at the booth and he gave me directions on how to apply to be chosen for a DC internship and I have been seriously considering doing so. I also talked to a woman about internships having to do with broadcast journalism as well. It was a little intimidating sharing the room with so many other journalism students who are older than me and have had much more experience but I was trying my best to appear confident. The advice given to me by one of the employers was to continue writing for the newspaper in order to gain experience. I have since then continued to go to Diamondback meetings to have the opportunity to write more stories. I hope to return to the Journalism Career Fair in the future and by that time, hopefully have more to offer in my resume to the prospective employers. The experience allowed me to understand the many different fields of journalism and the many jobs that are available. I definitely think I learned a lot by attending the fair and the cookies at the refreshment table were delicious as well.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Journalism Career Fair- Niree Turner
The career fair was very
interesting. Before attending, I was unsure of what to expect and I was really
nervous. However, it was really interesting. I visited most of the
stations. The ones that caught my interest were the Discovery Chanel,
DC Internships, National Association of Black Journalist, WJZ-TV, and
Bustle.com.
The Discovery Chanel offer
paid internships for juniors, seniors, and grad students. Their positions
are in marketing, ad ales, production, design, IT, finance, social media
PR, digital and research. The representative that I spoke with
stressed the importance of the company's interns. They are not for
getting coffee, they are there to learn and gather experience. I decided to
visit this table because it is a really big company with locations around the
world. It would also be a great experience to work with a company that
does a unique type of production such as discovery.
I next visited DC Internships,
which was my personal favorite. This program provides classes during the summer
and fall semesters. During the semester, the interns would stay in DC housing
and have a meal card while experiencing real world political journalism
and gaining college credit. The best part about the program is that they
guarantee an internship and mentor for everyone in the program. Most
people leave the program with full-time job positions because of the
connections and experiences made in that one semester.
National Association of Black
Journalist is a great program because it gives black people the opportunity to
get their foot in the journalism world and be recognized. The program hosts a
retreat during the summertime that opens up internship opportunities within the
journalism community. They also offer a select amount of internship within the
NABJ Journal.
Bustle.com is also a unique website
because they offer internship opportunities to women. This is an online women's
magazine that offers news, politics, entertainment, fashion/beauty, lifestyle,
web culture, and books sections.
Attending the Journalism Fair was a
bit frustrating. All of the programs there only offer internships to rising
juniors, seniors and/or graduates. Some stands weren't even willing to talk to
me or give me information about the internship program for the future because I
am a freshman. Some did give plenty of information and even tips to make sure I
will get the internship when I apply. It really bothered me because they are
not willing to make exceptions if the freshman has a lot of experience. Although
we are freshman, my peers and I have worked hard in high school to obtain
experience through internships so we would not have issues getting internships
in college. The fact that some of the representatives were not willing to
interview me, or take my resume because I am a freshman is really annoying.
Although this happened, it was a really great experience and I look forward to
going again next year. Next year, I will be more prepared and will do more
research for the companies I plan on interviewing with so I will have a better
chance at obtaining an internship.
Media Participation Project
For my media participation project, I wanted to contribute to a magazine or newspaper on campus by writing an article. I did not want to choose a specific topic to write about, because I wanted to get a feel for being assigned a topic that I may not know anything about. I chose to email a girl named Jamie who was one of the main editors of the Campus Trainer. She is a student here at the University of Maryland and like me, she is majoring in Journalism. While talking to her, I really appreciated how together she seemed, and even with all of work on top of editing the magazine, she was uniform and clear about the whole procedure of me writing the article.
This magazine is student run and it is all about health and exercise. Jamie emailed back very quickly and gave me multiple options to write about, but she said that the article they most wanted in their magazine was about Gluten-free diets. She wanted me to research the effects that Gluten has on some people and why people who may not be allergic to it decide to go on Gluten-free diets. This topic may sound like it does not have much depth, but after writing it, I learned a lot about these diets and the health problems that go with being allergic to Gluten.
While writing this article, I found structuring the writing to be the hardest part. All Jamie assigned me was the topic, so I did not know the specifics that she wanted me to mention or how she wanted me to organize my paragraphs. This type of writing was very different than writing any english paper, because I did not have an outline or a specific structure to follow. By the end, I realized that I preferred this way of writing, because I could rely on what I thought sounded best, and the Jamie said she was happy with the finished product.
I have yet to see my article in the newspaper, because the edition has not come out yet, but I am very intrigued to see how it looks on paper, because I sent the final draft to Jamie over email on a word document. Writing this article made me feel very professional and it gave me a taste of what working at a newspaper or a magazine would be like. Also, communicating with Jamie helped me practice talking to other employees and making plans about times to meet and what to write.
This magazine is student run and it is all about health and exercise. Jamie emailed back very quickly and gave me multiple options to write about, but she said that the article they most wanted in their magazine was about Gluten-free diets. She wanted me to research the effects that Gluten has on some people and why people who may not be allergic to it decide to go on Gluten-free diets. This topic may sound like it does not have much depth, but after writing it, I learned a lot about these diets and the health problems that go with being allergic to Gluten.
While writing this article, I found structuring the writing to be the hardest part. All Jamie assigned me was the topic, so I did not know the specifics that she wanted me to mention or how she wanted me to organize my paragraphs. This type of writing was very different than writing any english paper, because I did not have an outline or a specific structure to follow. By the end, I realized that I preferred this way of writing, because I could rely on what I thought sounded best, and the Jamie said she was happy with the finished product.
I have yet to see my article in the newspaper, because the edition has not come out yet, but I am very intrigued to see how it looks on paper, because I sent the final draft to Jamie over email on a word document. Writing this article made me feel very professional and it gave me a taste of what working at a newspaper or a magazine would be like. Also, communicating with Jamie helped me practice talking to other employees and making plans about times to meet and what to write.
Journalism Career Fair
The Journalism Career Fair, held at the Grand Ballroom in Stamp Student Union, was a brief but rewarding experience. News outlets at the event ranged from nationally recognized sources such as HBO's "VICE" and NBC Universal. Other local stations such as WJZ was also at the event. Along with networking with the mass media organizations present at the event, I was also able to mingle with fellow journalists. We compared resumes, dress etiquette, LinkedIn loopholes, and so much more. We all congregated at a table and viewed each others works and discussed goals and aspirations. It was refreshing discussing our fears and excitement as we enter into the journalism world. The one tribulation I noticed while searching the fair was the lack of internships available for underclassmen. I spoke with Talia Richman, '17, about her freshman internship at USA Today. We discussed how the key to internships at our age is through networking. One program that caught my interest was a course held at George Mason University. You complete an internship with one of the affiliated outlets, then attend various classes throughout the semester. These classes are taught by journalists from various news outlets and Universities in DC/MD/VA area. Overall, the journalism career was a good taste of what is to come in my life. I have newly acquired skills and mindsets for the next time I go to a career fair.
Media Participation Project - Griff Volker
For my Media Participation Project, I wrote an article for capitalsoutsider.com. I knew for my project that I wanted about sports in some way, as I would like to become a Sports Journalist in the future. After receiving an email from Beteck about an opportunity to write for the website, I was excited to learn that I would be able to write sports articles. And after posting my article (which you can see here), I want to continue writing for the website during the school year because I enjoyed the experience.
Beteck gave me the name of the Capitals Outsiders editor, Ben Sumner. He works for the Washington Post and graduated with a degree in Journalism from UMD. I knew that I would have to get in touch with him fast, as I assumed that other students would job at this opportunity. I emailed him and told him I was interested in writing for the website for my project. He told me to take a look at the website and at some of the articles, then to pitch an idea for my first article. I then went to the website and looked at what had been posted.
The website is more of an off-beat website compared to most of the other sports websites, so I began to think about what article I should write. I wanted to make a good first impression with my first article. I didn't want to post something off-beat because I wasn't sure if he would like the humor or the subject matter before he got to know me. After seeing that there weren't any articles using advanced statistics, I realized that I should write an article using advanced statistics. This way, I could post something that was different from all of the other articles on the website, Ben could see how thorough my article is, and then he would offer to have me write more articles. He had told me that if I write enough articles for the website, then I could go to a Capitals game and sit in the press box, which would be really exciting.
For one, I didn't know what the advanced statistics in hockey meant, and I did not know how I would incorporate those statistics into a thorough analysis. After texting my friend from high school, who is a big Capitals fan, he told me that the Capitals defense did not do well last season. After looking up the statistics for the defense, I began to write my article. A few days later, I had finished, and Ben posted it to the website. He invited me to the website's group Facebook page and gave me a WordPress account for the website. I was very excited when Ben said that he would love to have me write some more articles for the website in the future.
After contacting Ben and getting my article published on the website, I felt that I gained some firsthand experience in communicating with employers and writing articles through email. I felt that this helped me with my communication skills, and now I know not be nervous when emailing a potential employer. Writing for Capitals Outsider also gave me the opportunity to think about article ideas, and now I know how pitch new and interesting article ideas that will keep readers interested. Through my Media Participation Project, I have a better understanding of how to be professional and how to pitch and write articles.
Beteck gave me the name of the Capitals Outsiders editor, Ben Sumner. He works for the Washington Post and graduated with a degree in Journalism from UMD. I knew that I would have to get in touch with him fast, as I assumed that other students would job at this opportunity. I emailed him and told him I was interested in writing for the website for my project. He told me to take a look at the website and at some of the articles, then to pitch an idea for my first article. I then went to the website and looked at what had been posted.
The website is more of an off-beat website compared to most of the other sports websites, so I began to think about what article I should write. I wanted to make a good first impression with my first article. I didn't want to post something off-beat because I wasn't sure if he would like the humor or the subject matter before he got to know me. After seeing that there weren't any articles using advanced statistics, I realized that I should write an article using advanced statistics. This way, I could post something that was different from all of the other articles on the website, Ben could see how thorough my article is, and then he would offer to have me write more articles. He had told me that if I write enough articles for the website, then I could go to a Capitals game and sit in the press box, which would be really exciting.
For one, I didn't know what the advanced statistics in hockey meant, and I did not know how I would incorporate those statistics into a thorough analysis. After texting my friend from high school, who is a big Capitals fan, he told me that the Capitals defense did not do well last season. After looking up the statistics for the defense, I began to write my article. A few days later, I had finished, and Ben posted it to the website. He invited me to the website's group Facebook page and gave me a WordPress account for the website. I was very excited when Ben said that he would love to have me write some more articles for the website in the future.
After contacting Ben and getting my article published on the website, I felt that I gained some firsthand experience in communicating with employers and writing articles through email. I felt that this helped me with my communication skills, and now I know not be nervous when emailing a potential employer. Writing for Capitals Outsider also gave me the opportunity to think about article ideas, and now I know how pitch new and interesting article ideas that will keep readers interested. Through my Media Participation Project, I have a better understanding of how to be professional and how to pitch and write articles.
Journalism Career Fair - Griff Volker
I attended the Journalism Career Fair at the Stamp Student on October 20th. While I must say that I was intimidated by the upperclassmen that were there, I felt that I gained some good professional experience that will help me in my career as a journalist. So as I walked in the ballroom with my blue corduroy khakis, my navy blue blazer, and a folder full of resumes, I saw for the first time how important communication skills are in the journalism field. I looked to my left, and there was a booth set up for WJZ, the local news in my hometown. The lead anchors were interviewing prospective students looking for internships. I looked to my right, and there was a booth for USA Today. I could tell that the people that were getting interviewed were not only upperclassmen, but upperclassmen with more experience than I had. I wandered aimlessly around the ballroom, where I felt like people could tell I was a freshmen. After not seeing anyone I knew and realizing my resume was not as strong as the other candidates, I went outside and asked where the discussion panels were being held. I figured I could at least get some first hand knowledge from some journalists in the field. I walked down the hall and up the stairs, hoping that I can get something out of this experience.
The discussion panels that were being held on the 2nd floor were not very interesting to me, and I thought that it would be better if I just left. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a small sign outside of a room. I couldn't make out the entire sign, but I could see two words; Sports Journalists. I rushed over in excitement, signed the attendance sheet, and although I was a few minutes late, I sat down in the back next to a kid with brown hair, a red shirt, and a black jacket. For the next half hour, I listened to the great George Solomon and the panel of recent UMD graduates talk about their careers in journalism.
One thing that was emphasized during the panel was that you have to use networking to your advantage. They all said the Mr. Solomon gave them their first jobs, as he was able to get in touch with people on behalf of his former students. While they all had various jobs from running their own news show to working for SB Nation, they all offered one piece of advice; be patient and persistent. One of the panelists said they lost count of how many resumes they sent out after 120. I knew that if I was going to be a journalist, I had to accept that there may not be many opportunities for jobs, and that I had to use my networking and communication skills to succeed in the business.
The man that was sitting next to me asked a panelist a question, and I later found that he had interned for one of the panelists. I was thinking that I would be really nervous approaching one of these panelists on my own, so after the panel was over, I introduced myself to man sitting next to me. His name was Alex, and he is a junior at UMD and a writer for the Testudo Times. After chatting about baseball, I asked what it was like to intern for Pete Volk, who was one of the panelists. He said that he enjoyed the experience, and offered to introduce me to him. I introduced myself to Pete and shook his hand, and said I would be interested in interning for him. I handed him my resume, and he told me he would email me that night about whether I could write for the Testudo Times. Within two hours, I got an email from him, and I am now currently in the process of becoming a writer for the Testudo Times.
So after walking in feeling like I could never be able hand my resume to anyone and having them be interested in me, I came out of the Career Fair with an internship opportunity in my hands. A stroke of luck for me really; If I hadn't been sitting next to Alex, I would have never been able to get my internship. Funny the way things work, isn't it? So what I learned is that if you are able to network, have good communication skills, and show some initiative, you can be successful. Overall, I felt that the Career Fair was a great experience for me, and the experience will help me with my career in the future.
The discussion panels that were being held on the 2nd floor were not very interesting to me, and I thought that it would be better if I just left. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a small sign outside of a room. I couldn't make out the entire sign, but I could see two words; Sports Journalists. I rushed over in excitement, signed the attendance sheet, and although I was a few minutes late, I sat down in the back next to a kid with brown hair, a red shirt, and a black jacket. For the next half hour, I listened to the great George Solomon and the panel of recent UMD graduates talk about their careers in journalism.
One thing that was emphasized during the panel was that you have to use networking to your advantage. They all said the Mr. Solomon gave them their first jobs, as he was able to get in touch with people on behalf of his former students. While they all had various jobs from running their own news show to working for SB Nation, they all offered one piece of advice; be patient and persistent. One of the panelists said they lost count of how many resumes they sent out after 120. I knew that if I was going to be a journalist, I had to accept that there may not be many opportunities for jobs, and that I had to use my networking and communication skills to succeed in the business.
The man that was sitting next to me asked a panelist a question, and I later found that he had interned for one of the panelists. I was thinking that I would be really nervous approaching one of these panelists on my own, so after the panel was over, I introduced myself to man sitting next to me. His name was Alex, and he is a junior at UMD and a writer for the Testudo Times. After chatting about baseball, I asked what it was like to intern for Pete Volk, who was one of the panelists. He said that he enjoyed the experience, and offered to introduce me to him. I introduced myself to Pete and shook his hand, and said I would be interested in interning for him. I handed him my resume, and he told me he would email me that night about whether I could write for the Testudo Times. Within two hours, I got an email from him, and I am now currently in the process of becoming a writer for the Testudo Times.
So after walking in feeling like I could never be able hand my resume to anyone and having them be interested in me, I came out of the Career Fair with an internship opportunity in my hands. A stroke of luck for me really; If I hadn't been sitting next to Alex, I would have never been able to get my internship. Funny the way things work, isn't it? So what I learned is that if you are able to network, have good communication skills, and show some initiative, you can be successful. Overall, I felt that the Career Fair was a great experience for me, and the experience will help me with my career in the future.
Media Participation Project
Jessica Fischberg
Unwind Magazine
Unwind Magazine
When
we were first assigned the media participation project at the beginning of the
semester I had no idea what I wanted to do. Choices like writing an article for
The Diamondback, shadowing a professional journalist, and volunteering at WMUC
all seemed liked good options but nothing was truly standing out to me. Once I
heard about Unwind magazine, I immediately knew I wanted to write an article
for this magazine as my media participation project. This magazine features
articles on health, arts, entertainment,
music, movies, televisions, enterprise, style, and the College Park community.
The
co editors in chief, Amanda Eisenberg and Katie Wilhelm, assigned me an article
topic that included famous model Karlie Kloss and her new partnership with
Momofuku Milk Bar to create Karlie’s Kookies. At first I was very intimidated
writing an article for the magazine because I felt that I did not have enough
experience. But as soon as I started researching the topic and talking to
sources I knew that this was the right project for me. I enjoyed writing an
article on a topic that was of interest to me. In the article I share that both
the 5boro Kookie and the Perfect 10 Kookie are gluten free and sold online and
at Momofuku Milk Bars locations in New York City. A portion of the proceeds
from these cookies is donated to FEED Projects, a foundation that supports
programs and organizations in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition.
Writing
this article for Unwind magazine affirmed my goal to have a career as a
journalist for a fashion, entertainment, news, and lifestyle magazine. This
career aspiration combines my interest in style with my love of writing and
sharing news with others. I am excited to continue being involved in Unwind
magazine throughout my four years as a student at the University of Maryland.
Writing articles for this campus publication will help develop my skills as a
journalist and prepare me for a career in the field of journalism.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Media Participation Project- Katie Fox
Katie Fox
For my media participation project, I decided to write an article for University of Maryland's magazine, Unwind. I decided to write for Unwind for my media participation project because I have previously read the magazine and I knew I was interested in all of the topics that the magazine covers. Someday I would love to write for a fashion magazine and writing for Unwind would set me up to see if I would want a career such as this. After deciding to write for Unwind, I first met with Amanda Eisenberg to discuss what the media participation project was and what I was planning on doing for my project. Being interested in fashion, entertainment and news, writing for a magazine seemed to be a perfect opportunity for me. When meeting with Amanda, we discussed the possible topics I could cover and when my piece would be due. I would be writing an article for the month of September/October. The story I decided to write about was upcoming movies students should have on their radar to see this fall! After having a lengthy meeting with Amanda, she connected me with Jenny Hottle, an editor for Unwind magazine, who would be overlooking my work and approving what I had written for the magazine before it was published. Jenny and I emailed back and forth and met multiple times to review what I had written, adjusted a few things and finally having her approve my final piece. After writing my article about upcoming movies for Unwind, I was extremely proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone and doing something that I have never done before. When the magazine was published, I took several copies from the Student Union and seeing my name in the magazine reassured my original goal of being a journalist. After writing for the magazine and putting my heart and soul into my writing, I understood this is what I want to do for a career and made me realize that I want to stick with the path I always had, being a journalist.
Journalism Career Fair- Katie Fox
Katie Fox
On October 20th, 2014 I attended the Journalism Career fair in the Stamp Student Union at University of Maryland. When I approached the fair, there were roughly seven students sitting outside of the ballroom, checking your name, class and handing you a name tag where you wrote your first and last name and placed it on your chest. People were dressed in business attire and suits. There were many students at the fair. Slightly overwhelmed, yet excited, the student that wrote down my name for attending also handed me a pamphlet that had every media organization listed that was presented at the fair.
When I walked into the ballroom, there were tables set in a U shape around the room, making it easy to walk around, viewing all of the businesses presented. There was also a food buffet in the middle of the room where students ate and socialized after their interviews and discussions with the representatives from the organizations. After looking at the pamphlet, some of the organizations presented were HBO’s “Vice”, WUSA, WJZ, USA Today, bustle.com, Discovery Channel, and DC Internships.
The first table I decided to get information from was DC Internships. Finally after waiting in line, I shook hands and spoke with Joe, one of the companies representatives. He informed me that DC Internships is where students live at George Washington University, but get credit though George Mason University. He also explained students work experience is roughly 30 hours per week. Also, attending the University of Maryland, we are in a great location so close to DC, it is a great opportunity for students to take advantage of our location and go downtown to DC whenever possible. After thanking Joe, giving him my resume, and taking more information about DC Internships, I decided to roam around the room more.
After glancing at each table, I found a table that caught my eye called bustle.com. Once again, I waited in line with my resume in my hand. When approaching the table, I introduced myself and spoke with Alexandra Finkel, the recruiting and editorial operations director for bustle.com. She explained to me that bustle.com is an online magazine that is a paid internship and is for an academic year semester or summer internship. The magazines headquarters is located in Manhattan, New York City or can be accessed online. The magazine revolves around lifestyle, news, entertainment and fashion. Students who have interned for this magazine have gotten jobs at SELF, Entertainment Weekly, Brides, Esquire and The Knot. The magazine requires interns to work a minimum of 2-3 full days per week and you must apply to one of the main topics that the magazine covers. Once Alexandra and I were finished discussing all of the benefits of the magazine, I handed her my resume, took her card and filled out a quick surgery online.
Attending the Journalism Career Fair was important and my goal is to attend every year. I think it will help me in the long run because it is a good way to get your name out, your resume and get information on different internships that maybe I was no aware of before. Also, there were many different internships available under the journalism category, which was also nice because it gave students the option to venture out to different parts of journalism. I cannot wait for what the future holds and eventually landing one of these internships.
On October 20th, 2014 I attended the Journalism Career fair in the Stamp Student Union at University of Maryland. When I approached the fair, there were roughly seven students sitting outside of the ballroom, checking your name, class and handing you a name tag where you wrote your first and last name and placed it on your chest. People were dressed in business attire and suits. There were many students at the fair. Slightly overwhelmed, yet excited, the student that wrote down my name for attending also handed me a pamphlet that had every media organization listed that was presented at the fair.
When I walked into the ballroom, there were tables set in a U shape around the room, making it easy to walk around, viewing all of the businesses presented. There was also a food buffet in the middle of the room where students ate and socialized after their interviews and discussions with the representatives from the organizations. After looking at the pamphlet, some of the organizations presented were HBO’s “Vice”, WUSA, WJZ, USA Today, bustle.com, Discovery Channel, and DC Internships.
The first table I decided to get information from was DC Internships. Finally after waiting in line, I shook hands and spoke with Joe, one of the companies representatives. He informed me that DC Internships is where students live at George Washington University, but get credit though George Mason University. He also explained students work experience is roughly 30 hours per week. Also, attending the University of Maryland, we are in a great location so close to DC, it is a great opportunity for students to take advantage of our location and go downtown to DC whenever possible. After thanking Joe, giving him my resume, and taking more information about DC Internships, I decided to roam around the room more.
After glancing at each table, I found a table that caught my eye called bustle.com. Once again, I waited in line with my resume in my hand. When approaching the table, I introduced myself and spoke with Alexandra Finkel, the recruiting and editorial operations director for bustle.com. She explained to me that bustle.com is an online magazine that is a paid internship and is for an academic year semester or summer internship. The magazines headquarters is located in Manhattan, New York City or can be accessed online. The magazine revolves around lifestyle, news, entertainment and fashion. Students who have interned for this magazine have gotten jobs at SELF, Entertainment Weekly, Brides, Esquire and The Knot. The magazine requires interns to work a minimum of 2-3 full days per week and you must apply to one of the main topics that the magazine covers. Once Alexandra and I were finished discussing all of the benefits of the magazine, I handed her my resume, took her card and filled out a quick surgery online.
Attending the Journalism Career Fair was important and my goal is to attend every year. I think it will help me in the long run because it is a good way to get your name out, your resume and get information on different internships that maybe I was no aware of before. Also, there were many different internships available under the journalism category, which was also nice because it gave students the option to venture out to different parts of journalism. I cannot wait for what the future holds and eventually landing one of these internships.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Journalism Career Fair
On Monday, October 20, I attended the Journalism Career Fair in the Stamp Ballroom. There, I experienced what it is really like to try to network with future employers, compete for internships and practice the daunting task of applying for employment.
Because I am not looking for employment as of right now, I thought I would begin my career fair adventure at the DC Internships stand. I am very interested in working for a publication this summer and gaining work experience to build my resume and broaden my journalistic network. However, the program that this company had to offer was quite different than what I had hoped for: instead of working for a professional company as an intern, I would be required to take classes (specifically economics) and not necessarily gain the hands-on experience of a true journalist because of this. I will still probably look into this as an option for a summer internship, however, I am not necessarily interested in this specific program.
I talked to a few broadcast stations afterward, and to no surprise, they wanted nothing to do with any freshman who isn't even enrolled in the journalism school yet. I find this extremely frustrating because as young journalists, we all need to start our resume building somewhere. As a result of this reluctance to accept young students into internship/career opportunities, I left the career fair with several business cards as well as the many copies of my resumé that few companies were interested in taking.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Journalism Career Fair
Krystal Rennie
Journo200
Professor Henry
23 October 2014
On October 20th 2014 I attended the 2014 Journalism Career Fair. Dressed in my best business outfit, I was excited and nervous to see what the fair had to offer. I arrived at the Stamp Student Union on campus and was surprised to see so many people. I signed in and one of the desk workers informed me that a Sports broadcast journalism panel was about to begin upstairs. I have always had an interest in sports journalism so I figured that I would go see what the panel to offer. Before I went upstairs I poked my head in the Grand Ballroom where I saw so many tables and representatives from different organizations spread throughout the room. I saw a lot of interactions between representatives and students. I took a quick second to walk around and speak to one or two representatives but I was easily intimidated by the big names that were surrounding me. It was almost surreal to think that if I stayed on track, I could potentially be employed with USA Today or other popular news networks.
The sports broadcast journalism panel started at 3pm so I made it upstairs just in time. On the panel there were 4 University of Maryland alumnus and the panel was lead by a professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. The students were asked questions about their experiences here at Maryland and how it prepared them for the real world. They spoke one by one about how they received the jobs that they have now. They gave us a lot of helpful advice on how to make it and become successful in the world of journalism.
Journo200
Professor Henry
23 October 2014
On October 20th 2014 I attended the 2014 Journalism Career Fair. Dressed in my best business outfit, I was excited and nervous to see what the fair had to offer. I arrived at the Stamp Student Union on campus and was surprised to see so many people. I signed in and one of the desk workers informed me that a Sports broadcast journalism panel was about to begin upstairs. I have always had an interest in sports journalism so I figured that I would go see what the panel to offer. Before I went upstairs I poked my head in the Grand Ballroom where I saw so many tables and representatives from different organizations spread throughout the room. I saw a lot of interactions between representatives and students. I took a quick second to walk around and speak to one or two representatives but I was easily intimidated by the big names that were surrounding me. It was almost surreal to think that if I stayed on track, I could potentially be employed with USA Today or other popular news networks.
The sports broadcast journalism panel started at 3pm so I made it upstairs just in time. On the panel there were 4 University of Maryland alumnus and the panel was lead by a professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. The students were asked questions about their experiences here at Maryland and how it prepared them for the real world. They spoke one by one about how they received the jobs that they have now. They gave us a lot of helpful advice on how to make it and become successful in the world of journalism.
There were a couple of things that I learned from listening in on the career fair panel. One things I learned was that one always carry your resume with you because you never know when an opportunity will present itself. The former students also stressed the importance of being versatile in this industry. They explained to us that It is better to be skilled in multiple things then in just one aspect of journalism. It was really helpful to hear former students talk about their experiences because they were once in my position. It was also a bit intimidating to think that I was sitting in the same room as writers and reporters from popular newspapers around our metro area.
The career fair provided a great opportunity for me to begin to broaden my exposure to all the possibilities that lie in the world of journalism. I will be attending the fair every year in hopes of learning more about possible internships and job offerings.
Journalism Career Fair-Connor Bell
Connor Bell
Prof Henry
Journalism 200
21 October 2014
Journalism
Career Fair
Dressed in my business causal outfit
and high hopes in my mind, I set off to the Stamp Grand Ball Room for the Journalism
Career fair. I didn’t know what to expect at first, I was nervous because I
felt underdressed; I had no suit or tie just a casual preppy look was all I
could find in my closet. When I first got to the fair, I checked in at the
names table and thank God I only had to write my name down and didn’t have to go
in with the label of “freshman” on my chest. Inspired by a new confidence I
rode that confidence like a wave into the ballroom and immediately saw where I
wanted to go.
There was a booth for DC internships set
up in the far back corner of the fair that nobody was in line for. As a man who
went to high school in DC for 4 years I had a pretty good understanding of
D.C.’s surrounding and thought this possible internship would be good for me. I
walked up to the man running the booth and when I shook his hand it was like
rest of the room was empty and my could only hear the sound of his voice. The
man’s name was Matt and he described to me that Capitol Hill and other
government locations around DC were looking for young writers for summer
internships. The interns would live in DC for a month and work on different
speeches and news broadcasting stations all around the area. I loved this idea
s much so I took as much brochures on it as possible and read up well on the
subject. The next booth was ABC 8 Channel 7 News that I was excited for because
I always wanted to see scripts for the news and to be able to edit them as
well. Unfortunately for me, ABC was only hiring and interning Juniors and
Seniors, so the nice woman gave me her card and said she would try and do her
best to remember my name in years to come when I would actually be eligible for
the internship.
The third and final booth I went to
was a booth for the Discovery Channel, which is hiring summer interns to work
at their local head quarters in Silver Spring, MD. My intention was to write or
edit scripts for this company when they do their nature documentaries and to be
able to travel to the places they film those documentaries as a result. I have
always loved those documentaries so I thought it would be really amazing just
to see one up close, let alone work on one live.
` In total I feel the career fair was a
huge success. I didn’t get a job on the spot but I learned valuable information
about different companies and what they’re looking for in a journalism major
intern. I will most likely try and get the Discovery Channel summer internship,
as that seemed the most appealing to me. Now all that’s left to do is become a
better writer by the day and grow older until I can finally get more internship
opportunities in the fair in years to come.
2014 Journalism Career Fair
On Monday, October
20th, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism held a career fair at the Adele
H. Stamp Student Union for students majoring in journalism.
As the fair was
intended for current journalism majors, I had to check in as a journalism student
seeking extra credit. Once I did this, I was told that I was required to attend
one of the panels. The speaker of the panel that I attended was Michelle
LaRoche, Editor of Development for The
Wall Street Journal. Upon entering, I wasn’t totally sure of what to
expect. However, it immediately became clear that the objective of the panel
was to inform attendees of the expectations of interns, as well as internship
applications, at The Wall Street Journal.
First, Ms. LaRoche stated that, at The
Wall Street Journal, they expect their interns to have previous internship
experience, making it clear that this paper is not for beginners. In addition,
she informed us that interns are treated like all other staff. While it is
understood that they may need some help adjusting, interns are expected to
already have gained the ability, through schooling and previous experience, to
keep up with the rest of the staff. Then, Ms. LaRoche discussed the resume,
cover letter, and clips, which are all required as part of the internship
application process. She stressed the importance of chronology on the resume,
especially when listing journalism experience, and if there is a noticeable gap
in dates, then it is preferable that the reason is brought to light in the
application’s cover letter. As far as the clips go, Ms. LaRoche said that she
looks for writing that looks at commonly covered events from a different angle
than everyone else and that it doesn’t matter where the clip comes from as long
as it’s some of the person’s best work. Overall, I was really glad I sat in for
the panel because it gave me a better idea of what all should be on my resume,
no matter where I’m applying to.
Although I had to
leave for a class after the panel, I was able to return for the last fifteen
minutes of the fair. Unfortunately, most of the employers had already packed up
and left. Most of the few that were left had a person being interviewed right
then and there at the booth. One still had a long line of people in business
suits, holding resumes, all waiting to speak with the representative at the
booth. I was a little discouraged by this. However, I still wanted to approach
at least one booth, so I walked up to the first one that didn’t have anyone
else at it. Unfortunately, it was not a booth for a particular newspaper or
news station. The booth was for DC Internships. I learned that DC Internships
gives students a chance to live in Washington, D.C. for a period of time during
the summer and intern with companies, or in this case news stations, which
coincide with their intended major and interests. In addition, participants can
take courses that help prepare them for applying for jobs in the future. I was
actually really glad that I ended up talking with the representative at the DC
Internships booth, because I’m now really interested in their program.
Even though I did
not get to fully experience the main part of the career fair, I was still
really glad that I went. It was a great experience, and it has helped prepare
me for when I attend again as an upperclassman. I now know how to dress, what
to bring with me, and what to have on my resume. The career fair was definitely
geared toward upperclassmen journalism majors, but I know that when I reach
that point, I’ll have a better idea of what to expect.
Briana Provost
Professor Henry
Journalism 200
20 October 2014
Reflection on the
Career Fair
One of
the first things that comes to a girls’ mind when they are told they have to
dress up for an event they think: What am I going to wear? So all dolled up in
my dress pants and blazer I marched to the career fair. I was unable to attend
the first career fair so I really didn’t know what to expect from the
journalism career fair. I remembered that students had shared before in class
that their name tags had said that they were freshman connection. I was happy
to say that everyone’s name tags were the same and that I at least didn’t physically
have anything on me that said I was a freshman. The room set-up was simple. Along
the four walls of the ballroom were all of these different tables that were
there representing a different news company. If you wanted to interview with
that news company for an internship or a job, then you would get in line to go
talk to the people from that news group and sit in, what I called, the “hot
seat.”
Being a freshman has its ups and
downs. Walking into the career fair, I thought that there would be many
opportunities for students of all grade levels, but many were just looking for
upperclassmen. However, a part of me was glad that they weren’t looking for
freshman just yet because there wasn’t much pressure for me to get that
internship. Naturally I wanted to make a good impression, but I knew that my
future didn’t necessarily depend on this career fair considering none of the
news companies wanted to hire me anyways. Looking around the room, there were
many juniors and seniors fidgeting because they were on-deck for the hot seat. I,
however, seemed to be one of the lucky ones that didn’t come down with the case
of the nerves.
I only went to two tables at the
career fair because I had a limited amount of time before I had to get to class.
The first table I went to was the Washington Internships table. D.C.
Internships is a company that places journalists in different internships for a
summer in Washington D.C. The people who were talking to students at their
booth were really friendly and they were really welcoming to freshman. I need
to work back home this summer so I wouldn’t be able to apply for this upcoming
summer, but D.C. Internships will be a good opportunity to keep in mind for the
summer or my sophomore or junior year. The second table that I visited was the Baltimore Business Journal. The people
they had behind their table weren’t as talkative and it challenged me to talk
more to them. Their paper also focuses heavily on the economy, and I am not so
sure those are articles are the type of articles that I would want to write. However,
they were one of the few tables there that were a newspaper, and it was a
really good practice for interviews were employers expect you to talk without
many questions of you.
I was a little disappointed to find that most of
the tables were only for broadcast journalism majors. I intend to major in
multiplatform journalism and so I was hoping that there would be more papers
and magazines there than there were, but attending the career fair was still an
interesting experience none the less. Practicing speaking to two very different
types of potential interviewers was very beneficial. This experience taught me
that I need to be prepared for both every potential question that could be
asked and be prepared to talk in the case in which no questions are asked at
all. I also would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the snack table that they
had laid out in the middle of the room. I am glad that I attended the career
fair to get a taste of my future and get a glimpse of what I will have to do in
the future.
Alex Flum Career Fair
On Monday October 20, I attended the career fair in the ballroom at the stamp student union. It was a very interesting experience and I'm glad I was able to do it. I brought some copies of my resume with me to give to the people that were manning the tables. They were impressed with all the journalism experience I had. I visited the booths of NBC4, ABC7 and News channel 8, CBS9 and WBOC. I also visited the career center booth. Despite the fact that they were impressed most places said to come back in two years. Overall, it was a great experience and a great to get my foot into the door of the journalism world.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Journalism Career Fair
Kyle Melnick
On Monday, October 20, I attended The Phillip Merrill College of Journalism Career & Internship Fair in the Stamp Student Union. I had a great experience talking with employers in the journalism field and seeking an internship for this summer. I was disappointed in the fact that the majority of the employers present involved work in the broadcast journalism field. I plan to go into multi-media journalism, so there were not as many options for me. This was seen when I talked to ABC, who stopped listening to me once I told them I was mainly interested in multi-media journalism versus broadcast. Overall, I was not intimidated by the employers, as I was confident in my resume and have experience being interviewed before.
The first employer I talked to was D.C. Internships. The people representing them at the table were very nice and welcoming about their program. They told me that the internship involves living in D.C. in the summer and working with some of the top journalists in that area. I would also take a class at George Mason University to learn more about journalism. Their internship is interesting and I may apply, however, their journalism internships focus mainly on politic writing, which I am not as interested in as sports writing.
After waiting in a long line, the second employer I talked to was USA Today. They were very friendly as well, and explained to me the positions that sports writers occupy on the staff. They were impressed with my resume, and encouraged me to apply. However, they said that freshman usually do not get internships with USA Today, and that I would have a better chance in the future. Regardless, I plan to apply and seek and position writing for USA Today.
Afterwards, due to my interest in print journalism, I spoke to the Baltimore Business Journal. The people representing the Baltimore Business Journal at the table seemed uninterested in me as I told them about my experiences in the sports journalism field. They stopped looking at me in the eye when I described my sports journalism experience, which made me realize that I would not want to work for them. Their magazine is focused more on jobs and business than it is sports. However, they did say they want some writers for sports business. Regardless, I was displeased with the Baltimore Business Journal and moved on.
Lastly, I spoke with WBOC TV16. I was expecting to receive a similar response from them that I got from ABC. However, they were very welcoming to the fact that I plan to focus on multi-media journalism. They said they were looking for people who can talk in front of the camera, as well as write long scripts and stories. They were very friendly and gave me an application to fill out.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience taking part in the Journalism Career Fair. I have never attended a job fair like that before, so it was an unique first experience. I gained practice in talking with employers on the spot, and learned a lot about different businesses, television stations and publications that I could apply for. This fair was the start for me to find an internship for this summer, and I hope that maybe I found a future employer at this fair. Regardless of what happens, it was a good experience and helped get my name out to publications that I would be interested in working for.
On Monday, October 20, I attended The Phillip Merrill College of Journalism Career & Internship Fair in the Stamp Student Union. I had a great experience talking with employers in the journalism field and seeking an internship for this summer. I was disappointed in the fact that the majority of the employers present involved work in the broadcast journalism field. I plan to go into multi-media journalism, so there were not as many options for me. This was seen when I talked to ABC, who stopped listening to me once I told them I was mainly interested in multi-media journalism versus broadcast. Overall, I was not intimidated by the employers, as I was confident in my resume and have experience being interviewed before.
The first employer I talked to was D.C. Internships. The people representing them at the table were very nice and welcoming about their program. They told me that the internship involves living in D.C. in the summer and working with some of the top journalists in that area. I would also take a class at George Mason University to learn more about journalism. Their internship is interesting and I may apply, however, their journalism internships focus mainly on politic writing, which I am not as interested in as sports writing.
After waiting in a long line, the second employer I talked to was USA Today. They were very friendly as well, and explained to me the positions that sports writers occupy on the staff. They were impressed with my resume, and encouraged me to apply. However, they said that freshman usually do not get internships with USA Today, and that I would have a better chance in the future. Regardless, I plan to apply and seek and position writing for USA Today.
Afterwards, due to my interest in print journalism, I spoke to the Baltimore Business Journal. The people representing the Baltimore Business Journal at the table seemed uninterested in me as I told them about my experiences in the sports journalism field. They stopped looking at me in the eye when I described my sports journalism experience, which made me realize that I would not want to work for them. Their magazine is focused more on jobs and business than it is sports. However, they did say they want some writers for sports business. Regardless, I was displeased with the Baltimore Business Journal and moved on.
Lastly, I spoke with WBOC TV16. I was expecting to receive a similar response from them that I got from ABC. However, they were very welcoming to the fact that I plan to focus on multi-media journalism. They said they were looking for people who can talk in front of the camera, as well as write long scripts and stories. They were very friendly and gave me an application to fill out.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience taking part in the Journalism Career Fair. I have never attended a job fair like that before, so it was an unique first experience. I gained practice in talking with employers on the spot, and learned a lot about different businesses, television stations and publications that I could apply for. This fair was the start for me to find an internship for this summer, and I hope that maybe I found a future employer at this fair. Regardless of what happens, it was a good experience and helped get my name out to publications that I would be interested in working for.
Journalism Career Fair
Lauraine Genota
Excited, nervous, and intimidated. Those were some of the
things I was feeling as I walked into the Journalism Career Fair on October 20th.
I signed in, made a name tag and entered the Grand Ballroom of Stamp. The first
thing I noticed was the different booths; I walked around a couple of times to
see which organizations and employers were present. There was NBC, ABC,
Discovery, USA Today, and many others. It was intimidating to see the long
lines of journalism students and the representatives already interviewing them.
I was nervous because I have never been to a career fair so I had no idea what to
expect, but I was excited to see which organizations would be there.
After contemplating which organization to speak to first, I
finally lined up for the DC Internships booth. They offer summer internships in
DC, where you take classes at George Mason and are guaranteed internships in
the area. I think it’s a good way to gain experience in the journalism field.
From there, I lined up for ABC/Sinclair Broadcasting Group. I spoke with a
representative and he told me that they were mostly looking for rising juniors.
He told me to continue getting good grades and to be involved in campus and community
activities. He said he’ll see me when I’m a junior. I also went to the
Discovery booth, but I didn’t have enough time to go to most of the booths
because I had to go to class.
Overall, this was definitely a good learning experience. I’m
glad I went as a freshman so I can see how things work. Hopefully next year
there will be even more opportunities and more representatives. Although I’m
leaning towards broadcast journalism, I was hoping there would be newspapers
and magazine organizations there, too. Maybe next year? I'll definitely be looking into some of the opportunities I heard about during the Fair.
2014 Journalism Career Fair
On Monday, October 20th, I attended the Merrill College Journalism Career Fair, which featured a wide variety of organizations and local TV stations. I arrived there at 1:15pm, just as the program was unraveling. The ballroom wasn't packed yet, but there were long lines already forming for the popular TV stations such as NBC, ABC and others. I noted that the vast majority of students there were juniors, seniors or graduate students. However, I still approached the booths with confidence.
I noticed that the booths were mostly for broadcasting-- there were a few specific print dashed here and there, but that was the minority. Although I am aware that as a journalist, I should be open to all fields of the career and know the ways of each role a journalist takes, I was disappointed. I was expecting to see more newspapers and magazines featured here.
The first booth that I approached was the DC internships. This is a program where you spend weeks in the nation's capital and explore the dozens of opportunities that it offers to journalism majors. Each participant is assigned a mentor, someone experienced in the field, and guided through each of the different areas of journalism. This program is definitely is in one of my 'internships to think about' list.
The next place that I approached was the Bustle Magazine table. They are a purely online magazine, featuring everything from News to Fashion. They are currently looking for people who can cover the upcoming elections or anyone that can shadow a politician. They are solely based in New York, however, they are open to writers from across the nation. I was highly interested in this publication because that's the field that I want to be in. I love the atmosphere of a publication and the variety of jobs that can be fulfilled in one. I talked to one of the editors there, Alex, and she answered all of the questions that I had. I will be contacting them for an internship!
After this, I wandered around and talked to the people in the Discovery booth and glanced at the rest of the tables. After a while, I left, with the papers and brochures from each.
I had a great experience, but one thing that I would alter would be to have more print/multi-media platforms there!
Journalism Career Fair
Jessica Fischberg
On October 20, I attended the 32nd annual College of Journalism Career Day & Internship Fair held at the Stamp Student Union in the grand ballroom. The event had representatives from both broadcast and multiplatform journalism media organizations. It was very intimidating waling up to the sign in table in front of the ballroom realizing that I was underdressed. Many students at the fair were in work attire and looked like they have been preparing for this event for a while. When I realized that most people here were upperclassmen and graduate students I felt intimidated because they likely had a lot more experience in the journalism field than me. Even though I felt unprepared I still decided to go in to the fair because it would be good practice for when I actually go on interviews for jobs and internships in the near future.
On October 20, I attended the 32nd annual College of Journalism Career Day & Internship Fair held at the Stamp Student Union in the grand ballroom. The event had representatives from both broadcast and multiplatform journalism media organizations. It was very intimidating waling up to the sign in table in front of the ballroom realizing that I was underdressed. Many students at the fair were in work attire and looked like they have been preparing for this event for a while. When I realized that most people here were upperclassmen and graduate students I felt intimidated because they likely had a lot more experience in the journalism field than me. Even though I felt unprepared I still decided to go in to the fair because it would be good practice for when I actually go on interviews for jobs and internships in the near future.
The first table I walked up to was
DC Internships. This organization is based in the countries capital and it
offers college students a chance to gain experience through internships and to
gain college credit by taking courses at George Mason University. Students are
assigned an internship in their area of interest and also have the option of
being assigned a mentor. Having a mentor can give one valuable advice and
information about journalism as a career. The next table I approached was
Bustle, which is a Website that has articled on various topics including News,
Politics, Entertainment, Fashion, Lifestyle, and Books. As I was talking Meredith
Turits, one of Bustle’s senior editors, I got very excited because I realized
that I could truly see myself writing for a website like this in the near
future. The senior editor even mentioned that one could apply for the summer internships
with little experience. Overall attending the career fair was a valuable
experience and I plan on attending this event each year as a student at the
University of Maryland.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Journalism Career Fair
Kirstyn Flood
The Journalism Career Fair was held in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union ballroom on October 20, 2014. At the entrance of the fair were registration tables, where students were asked to state their name and class before being checked off of the class list. They were then asked to write their name on a name tag in thick, black or blue sharpie, which they placed on the front of their blazers or the breast-pocket of their button-down shirts.
This exclusive event gave Journalism students the opportunity to meet representatives from reputable news corporations and non-profit organizations. These representatives came from WJZ-13, WJLA and USA Today, among others. It was a little intimidating, watching the professionally-dressed students get interviewed by the representatives, but I was ready for the challenge. I made my first stop at DC Internships, an organization that sets students up with summer internships at the US Department of State, The Pentagon, and even the White House. After speaking with the representatives, taking their business cards, and giving them my resume, I felt confident enough to speak with people from other corporations and organizations.
Not only did I give my resume to DC Internships, but I also gave it to the Discovery Internship Program and the Sinclair Broadcast Group. I spoke to people from the Radio Television Digital News Association, Bustle online magazine, WJZ-13, and the National Association of Black Journalists. Although most internships are only available to junior and senior Journalism students, it felt good to give out my resume and to make my presence known.
I plan on attending the Journalism Career Fair every year because it's important to keep an eye out for opportunities. With the evolving Journalism industry, students will reap the benefits of participating in fall, spring and summer internships. I'm very excited for the future and to land an internship at a news station, newspaper, or magazine.
October 21, 2014
The Journalism Career Fair was held in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union ballroom on October 20, 2014. At the entrance of the fair were registration tables, where students were asked to state their name and class before being checked off of the class list. They were then asked to write their name on a name tag in thick, black or blue sharpie, which they placed on the front of their blazers or the breast-pocket of their button-down shirts.
This exclusive event gave Journalism students the opportunity to meet representatives from reputable news corporations and non-profit organizations. These representatives came from WJZ-13, WJLA and USA Today, among others. It was a little intimidating, watching the professionally-dressed students get interviewed by the representatives, but I was ready for the challenge. I made my first stop at DC Internships, an organization that sets students up with summer internships at the US Department of State, The Pentagon, and even the White House. After speaking with the representatives, taking their business cards, and giving them my resume, I felt confident enough to speak with people from other corporations and organizations.
Not only did I give my resume to DC Internships, but I also gave it to the Discovery Internship Program and the Sinclair Broadcast Group. I spoke to people from the Radio Television Digital News Association, Bustle online magazine, WJZ-13, and the National Association of Black Journalists. Although most internships are only available to junior and senior Journalism students, it felt good to give out my resume and to make my presence known.
I plan on attending the Journalism Career Fair every year because it's important to keep an eye out for opportunities. With the evolving Journalism industry, students will reap the benefits of participating in fall, spring and summer internships. I'm very excited for the future and to land an internship at a news station, newspaper, or magazine.
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