Blood, Sweat and Clippings: The Hard Search for Jobs in Journalism

July 20, 2009

The last few months of finding work in my field, journalism, has been the most frustrating of my young career.

Before I get into any specifics, I should lay out the technical information first. After finishing journalism school in April, I have been vigorously searching for journalism work, in various parts of Canada, especially in Toronto.

I have applied to work for small town publications and the big bad corporations like CTVglobemedia; to websites and public relations positions; entry level and middle-management. I have produced resumes, cover letters, gathered references and even compiled some curriculum vitas for about three months. I have rustled up my old and recent clippings and have put my video journalism work, including my documentary, online for easy access.

And to add to the already busy equation, I have been working very odd jobs and freelancing wherever I can receive the exposure.

However, even though freelancing has brought a lot of pleasure and I have been enjoying the exposure, I have never been more frustrated and disappointed in the search for stable journalism work.

Finding a job has been my job for about three months and it seems like I have been fired from this position, too.

As a journalist who understands that the prevalence of an economic “crisis” would make finding work just that much more difficult, and that the lack of full-time work is going to pass, I still have a right to some anger.

I refuse to believe that my qualifications are not enough to get me a job. I will not describe my resume line for line, but I can say that I have worked hard to get to this point. Above the fact that I worked in Latin America and finished at a very reputable Canadian journalism school, I have had zero interview opportunities. You read correctly: zero interviews.

I despise using the “economic excuse.” I could fallback and say that because the big Canadian media corporations, particularly the broadcasters, have rolled back jobs (about 15 jobs lost per capita in Canada). I could also say that there is a lot less capital available in budgets for interns and short contract journalists. Basically I could say that with Toronto being the media Mecca of Canada, there is a certain “big fishes in a small pond” situation that explains my job search futility.

In reality, I know my peers, who finished the very same Journalism postgraduate program in Halifax, have landed journalism jobs or are taking part in solid internships at this very moment. I could not be any happier for them. But, a lot of my graduate peers are also freelancing.

There is no shame in working for yourself and marketing your writing talents as the identity of your “business.” But at this point, until I have some credibility and wide appeal, I need that stable job position. The contacts I gain and the experience and feedback I draw from it will benefit me if I choose to freelance and work from home permanently. But not at the moment.

It may be my hard-headiness that may be preventing my success, but my reasoning is that excuses and concessions can prove to be a real barrier to success.

As a person who tries to approach life wisely, I always want to endorse to live with strong convictions. I live my life always asking questions and seeking the truth. This is why I have been working in journalism since high school and pursued it seriously as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto. I want to follow my own philosophy of “positive thinking,” looking forward and being prepared for anything.

I believe that if you are good enough, and have the materials to back you up, that getting a journalism job should be an advantage. And if I get that journalism job here in Toronto, I have the added bonus of knowing the city inside and out.

Despite my downfalls in the last few months, I have had help from many of my contacts. I had one journalism professor, who shall remain nameless, tell me the following: “Keep fighting, Perry. At this stage, it's perseverance that counts.”

I believe him and that is what I will keep doing. The answer to my stable job problem is not too far away now.

About the Author: Perry is a freelance writer based in Toronto. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2007 and from the University of King’s College School of Journalism this past April. His publication credits include various community and new media publications in Toronto and Halifax and an extended period as a Features Writer and Editor for the Cocha-Banner Magazine, a social issues publication based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He is currently starting up a film production company called Purple Sky Productions and freelance writing in Toronto. To check out some of Perry’s video demo work, you can log on to his YouTube channel, kingperry14. He also operates The Citadel, a sports blog: citadel-sports.blogspot.com.