Assembling a Portfolio to Nab a Journalism Job

After you've clearly defined your goals and networked a bit, it's time to assemble a portfolio that reflects those objectives (if you haven't done so already). A standard portfolio consists of a cover letter, resume, references and clips--in that order.

Supplies

-Black binders (I recommend the 1-inch Premium by Wilson Jones)
-Clear sheets (LOTS)
-Resume paper (Staples or Office Maxx has a wide selection)
-Multiple black print cartridges (you're going to be photocopying A LOT) or lots of change if you're using a copier at a library or an office store
-Computer paper (LOTS)

Cover Letter

Keep it to one page. Use tight, clear sentences. Since it's for a writing position, the cover letter is an indirect way to showcase your writing ability, so write well.

The format for a cover letter typically goes:

First paragraph--State what position you're applying for and make a connection with the newspaper by showing you know their company.
Second paragraph--Your journalism experience
Third paragraph--Why you're a good candidate/skills
Fourth paragraph--Close it out and encourage a follow-up.

Resume

You can put the Objective and Summary first, if you'd like. However, I've heard that it's not good, because you need to get Journalism Experience up there as soon as possible. On mine, I cut those two categories altogether.

Put Education and Awards BELOW Journalism Experience. Remember that you're a professional now (not a student), and you want your experience emphasized instead of your education.

Finally, put Computer Skills and Other Work Experience at the bottom, and the words "References Attached" (center-aligned) as the last line.

References

Make sure your three to five references are either college professors or editors/reporters and list their titles. In addition to contact info, you might want to throw in Relationship and Years Known. Also, don't enclose mailing addresses--they aren't necessary, and they take up unneeded space.

Clips

Selecting these will most likely be the hardest part of the portfolio. You might want to customize them for each opening (i.e.-put in sports clips for a sports reporter position), so the clips are relevant to the beat.

Here's five factors to take into consideration when deciding if a clip is good to enclose:

Quality-make sure it's good writing and reporting
Recency-you probably don't want to put in something you did a long time ago
Location-where the article appeared in the paper
Content-enclose articles in which the content is compelling, not too fluffy
Variety-make sure you enclose a wide range of clips to show your versatility

Sometimes an opening will request a certain number (or number range) to enclose. If they just want to see your best work, it's upto you how many you enclose. That can be anywhere from 5-12 usually. Regardless of how many writing samples you put in, make sure your absolute best stuff is up front, as editors may not even read past the 5th one.

Costs

Alright, I don't mean to intimidate you, but I want to be honest with you--the price of assembling a portfolio can be hefty. Between the supplies, shipping and handling, you're looking at $30-$40 minimum per port. Don't be surprised if you've spent a couple hundred dollars in your first month.

In addition, it takes a lot longer than you would imagine to assemble each portfolio. I would suggest always having at least four or five spare ones around, with writing samples, resume and references already in them. That way, when you apply to another newspaper, all you have to do is customize and write your cover letter.

Also, a tip I received from the post office: If you're sending in-state, ship First Class. If you're sending out-of-state, ship Priority Mail.

Following Up

Contact the editor or whoever you sent your port to (it might be the HR director) within one week of delivery. Not one week from shipping out. Give the person a bit of time to review. When you follow up (either by phone or E-mail--I suggest doing both), make sure you verify that he or she received your package. Don't ask for an interview, ask if they got it.

Final Words

Assembling a portfolio is by far the hardest, most time-consumptive and expensive part of the whole ordeal. If you can master this stage, the job search becomes loads less burdensome. Stay positive and plug through. You can do it.