As children, we are conditioned to compete with our peers. The overachievers tussle over who will be at the top of the class. You go up for the lead role in the school play against a girl in your English class. In high school, your rival for class president, football quarterback or homecoming queen is another upperclassman.
In the workplace, age no longer determines who you’re up against. At any moment, you might be jostling for recognition against another journalist from a very different background. They may have been born in another generation, have a fancier education or enjoy family connections that open doors that seem permanently closed to you.
For journalists entering the profession, that can lead to a startling question: How do you get what you want when someone else seems to have the advantage?
A reporter in Minneapolis sent this question to Ask the Recruiter:
“I just turned 24 and have been reporting professionally in the Midwest for around five years. Despite the widespread ‘lazy Gen Z’ allegations, I’m an incredibly hard worker. But with all of the slimming and shifting happening in the industry right now, I often find myself competing with reporters who have remarkable careers under their belt. … I’ve covered nearly everything, from trafficking to the courts to the tribes to energy to immigration operations. I would like to think the quality and quantity of the stories I’ve already helped tell demonstrate my commitment to this work. But over and over again I am beat out by the vets.”
She is right. It can be hard to beat out someone with more experience, accolades or deep industry connections. But she — and anyone else who feels outmatched — should apply for their dream role anyway.
You might not get the job within your first few months on the hunt. You might go through many rounds of interviews and still come up short.
It helps to realize other journalists are not your adversaries. We often don’t know what someone else has going on and why they were chosen for a role. Instead of comparing ourselves to them, it’s more useful to focus on the only thing we can control: how we show up for ourselves.
In an increasingly competitive field, what work can we do to be ready when the right opportunity comes along? And what, if anything, can we learn from someone else’s success?
Look for opportunities to improve throughout the job hunt. When someone lands a job you wanted, read their LinkedIn profile and clips. Is there something about their approach that you can borrow to up your game? When you get rejected, ask the editor if they can give you feedback on what you did well and what you could do better next time.
Knowing what makes you stand out is critical in a tight job market. Think deeply about your experiences, skills and viewpoint. What can you offer that another candidate can’t? What is the message you are sending others about why they need you on their team?
Once someone you trust has reviewed your application materials to ensure they are as persuasive as possible, you need to consistently network and strategically apply for roles.
In a few sentences, explain what you can do for the newsroom. Let them know you are hardworking, curious, adaptable. Demonstrate that you have a plan to succeed if you’re hired, including story ideas, an approach to source-building and at least a passing understanding of the news the organization covers.
Take interviews, even if you aren’t sure you want the gig. They help you practice selling your skills and learn more about how hiring managers operate. Read job postings to better understand how newsrooms describe their priorities.
Newsrooms often tell candidates who don’t secure an offer, including less experienced journalists, to keep working on their skills, stay in touch and try again. These aren’t empty words. Many journalists don’t land at a newsroom until they’ve been rejected several times. So when an editor tells you to stay in touch, do just that.
This shouldn’t be a transactional relationship. Aim for a genuine connection. Send emails from time to time sharing your latest big story. Keep up with industry news and congratulate them if their team wins an award or lands an outstanding scoop. Connect on social media and like their posts. They just shared that their son got married? Congratulate the happy couple, just like you would for any other social media “friend.”
Early-career journalists do have some advantages in today’s job market.
When leaders are looking to stretch limited budgets, they are often more willing to hire a less experienced reporter, especially if a newsroom veteran turns down, say, the statehouse beat reporter job because they can’t afford to accept an entry-level salary. If you can afford it, go for these less competitive jobs. (And then feel free to ask for a raise after six months or a year of crushing it. You deserve it.)
More junior candidates also benefit from being able to ask for help or mentorship, while more seasoned journalists may feel pressure to deliver at a high level from day one.
As with any candidate, less experienced reporters can get ahead by showing they have specialized skills that newsrooms need. One recent intern impressed leaders at my newsroom with her AI skills. Others can stand out with know-how in video editing, data journalism, audience growth and story ideas that appeal to underserved audiences, including Gen Z and people of color.
Nearly every aspect of making it in journalism can feel like competing against other journalists for scarce resources: finding time on your overworked editor’s calendar; being picked for one of 10 summer internship slots; securing a raise from a limited budget.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I have adopted a mantra from my Cuban American family: “Lo que está pa’ ti, nadie te lo quita.” This translates roughly to: What is for you, no one can take away.
This doesn’t mean being passive.
Chase your dreams. Hound editors for opportunities. Sharpen your toolkit.
But also be kind to yourself. Have faith in yourself. And remember that someone else’s win is not your failure.
Want to chat about your career questions? Email me at cristina.silva@globe.com with the subject “Ask the Recruiter.” Questions can be published with your name or anonymously.
Whether you’re searching for your first newsroom job or your next leadership role, the Media Job Board features hundreds of opportunities from news organizations across North America.