You have completed your communications degree and want to get stuck into the sports journalism industry, but where do you begin? Let’s take a look at how to prepare and some useful tips.
Preparing yourself for a career in journalism
You may have the qualifications you need to kick-start your career, but what about the experience? Perhaps you wrote blogs or volunteered for your university newsletter whilst studying, which is a great way to gain first-hand experience in writing for an audience and keeping up with deadlines. That said, most hirers will want to see a proven track record of not only your writing abilities but also your other skills.
Journalists don’t just turn up, write an article, and go home. Like most jobs, journalism requires organisational skills and the ability to carry out all the administration that goes with writing reports. This could be sourcing images, checking copyright, interviewing people, finding facts, attending events, and much, much more.
To ensure you are as ready as can be, you may wish to get yourself signed up on a course that offers you more insights into the day-to-day duties of a journalist. A variety of courses, such as sports journalism courses and online journalism courses, are available from providers such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/journalism-courses/sports/.
Other tips for graduates when applying for work
Now that you know what hands-on experience will be expected of you, you should consider how you might go about applying for a job in the industry.
Firstly, you should ensure you check your CV for typos or mistakes. If the employer is going to task you with writing content, they want to know you have excellent attention to detail. Furthermore, you should always enclose a sample piece of text to showcase your talents. Use this to convey how passionate you are in your writing. If you are applying for a sports journalist role, be sure to tailor your sample to the sports industry, keeping in mind the audience the company you are applying to will be writing for.