Reporting tips: Getting the job

For every journalism job, there are dozens and dozens of applicants. So how do you make sure you get that coveted role? Firstly, by having a great application, and secondly, by giving great interview. I've sifted through many, many job applications and conducted and sat in on more than my fair share of interviews, so here's a quick guide to some things (I think) can help you get the job you want, whether it's as a reporter or a news editor.

Shorthand
If you're applying for a reporter position and you haven't got a shorthand qualification of 100wpm or more, your application is going straight in the bin. If you haven't got 100wpm shorthand, I can't send you to court. If you haven't got 100wpm shorthand, it's going to take you twice as long (at least) to write up interviews, because you've got to transcribe them first. And if you haven't bothered to get 100wpm shorthand, why should I believe you're dedicated to being a journalist?

Be accurate
I've been on both sides of this - as a recruiter and as an applicant. With the latter there was a typo in one of my job applications, and it was really, really embarrassing. I wouldn't have interviewed me, but luckily the editors were much kinder than I am. I take a hard line - if there are errors in your application, then my first impression of you is that you're not good at proofreading, and that you don't take care over your work.

Anticipate the questions
Sure, the interviewer could spring something really horrid on you, but you can prepare for some of the questions you'll be asked. Every interview I've done (on both sides) has included at least some variations of the following:

• Tell us about yourself/your career to date
• Why do you want to be a journalist/stay a journalist in this tough industry?
• What's your proudest achievement/biggest story?
• What qualities do you have that make you a good journalist?
• Why do you want this particular job?

Know the basics
In addition to the questions above, you're probably also going to be asked a few law and ethics questions. These will largely revolve around the PCC code and your basic law for reporters - contempt of court and libel. If you don't know your 10 points for magistrates' court, what libel and contempt are, and if you aren't well versed in privacy guidance (especially with Leveson having just happened) and the rest of the PCC code, then what have you been learning?

Stop rambling
Taking 10 minutes to answer the first question in an interview ("tell us a bit about yourself/your career") is not going to endear you to the interviewer. Keep your answers to the point, expanding where necessary and stopping when you've run out of things to say. Don't be tempted to keep talking because the interviewer is pausing to write things down, a little silence never hurt anybody.

Familiarise yourself with the product
Please, please, please don't go into an interview without having read the newspaper/website you're interviewing for. And, if time permits, make sure you've glanced at it on the day of your interview.

Show some life
Journalism - whether you're a reporter or a news editor - is about communication with people in person as well as through the written word. Be engaging in your interview, show you're going to be good at the people stuff as well as the computer stuff.

Reveal your passion
Not as risque as it sounds, this is all about showing you've got that hunger for the industry. I want to see you're passionate about your chosen career, whether that's through your work experience history or through your enthusiasm for devouring the latest news and newest social media innovations.

Don't be afraid to be nervous
Nerves can help if you channel them in the right way, and being a little bit nervous before going into an interview shows that you care about the outcome. Just don't let the nerves overwhelm you.

Smile
What it says on the tin.

Good luck!

• Other posts in this series are how to make the newsdesk put you on its A team, photographers and photographs, making contacts, and how to get the best out of press officers.

Review: The Social Animal and Public Policy, a masterclass with David Brooks

David Brooks has a CV that reads like a dream career for most journalists. 

Currently working for The New York Times, he's previously worked for publications including The Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic Monthly, has interviewed presidents and has sat in on countless political pow wows.

Brooks has also written a book, The Social Animal: A Story of How Success Happens, and it was lessons from that he talked about at a masterclass today, held at the headquarters of London charity Kids Company.

I don't know what I went into the masterclass expecting, but I left feeling pretty awed by Brooks, and also with lots of ideas about how we as humans should operate to ensure success, not just in our lives but for society as a whole.

There were three core things Brooks chose to address first: that most of our processes are unconscious, that emotions are at the centre of our thinking and add value to things, and that we are deeply social creatures.

Brooks gave plenty of examples from his own life as a journalist, as well as from various studies, to talk about how humans develop and how the social self is at the core of what we do, even if we don't realise.

Governments, unfortunately, aren't ruled by emotions, or by things like love, and they also aren't ruled by the desire to give up all sense of self and work for the greater good, like Frances Perkins, who was the first female member of the United States cabinet - back in the government of Roosevelt in the 1930s and 1940s. I'd not heard of Perkins before this masterclass, but her story sounds fascinating, and she sounds like the kind of leader we need more of.

Brooks left me with a lot to think about, not least how in the face of poverty and hunger we can all do our bit to try and change policy so that a greater number of people are helped.

And, if you have the chance to see Brooks speak, I recommend you do so - he's an engaging speaker, with fascinating stories and a great mind.

Reporting tips: Proofreading

This is by far the riskiest blog post I've written, since it's about proofreading and I'm bound to make a mistake that I won't spot on my subsequent read throughs. Still, let's treat it as a proofreading test for everyone. 

Proofreading is a key skill for journalists, since it's really annoying for news editors and subs to get work littered with easy mistakes that would have been spotted had the copy been read through by the reporter before it was filed. Here are a few tips to help you spot most of those pesky mistakes:

Reread
This might seem obvious, but reread copy after you've finished it. I have seen so many pieces of copy where a reporter has clearly not even glanced at their work after completion, as if they had they would have noticed the typo in the first line.

Give yourself some time
Often it's difficult to spot a mistake straight after you've written something, so work on something else for five minutes and then go back and reread your work. That little bit of time will often give you the fresh pair of eyes you need to spot any errors.

Read out loud
This does help, because then you're actually taking in what you're reading, and you'll stumble over anything that's wrong.

Read backwards
You don't have to read the letters backwards (!), but start at the end of your piece and look at each word on its own. This sounds strange, but it'll really help you see if you've got the spellings of words right, and if you've used the correct type of word (there/their/they're). It helps because you're reading the word that's actually there, and not what you think you've written based on what comes before and after.

Print it out
A little bit environmentally unfriendly, so don't do this for every piece. Printing something out and reading it in hard copy will make mistakes easier to spot than looking at it on the screen you've been staring at for the past few hours.

Read in a different programme
If you can't print your work out, read it in a different programme to the one you've written it in. So if it's in a content management system you use, copy and paste it into a word document. Again, the different format will make you see it differently and you'll be more likely to spot errors.

Read the contractions
If you've used contractions, read them out as what they would have been if you'd used both words, just to check you've used the right forms. So where you've written "you've" read it as "you have" when proofreading.

And that's it. Mistakes will happen (until humans are perfect mistakes will always happen), but following the steps above means you'll make fewer errors. As an exercise, use the steps above and point out the mistakes I've made in this blog!

Reporting tips: five ways to always have stories for a rainy day

It's five minutes before a news meeting, and you've got nothing on your news list. This is not a situation any reporter wants to find themselves in. With a bit of preparation and some work, you should always be able to have something to put forward in a news meeting. The following five things are all something you should be doing, and should all generate stories - they may not be splashes, but as said previously, the paper is made up of more than just page leads.

1. Freedom of Information requests
FOIs are a good source for journalists, but they take a bit of planning. You need to think carefully about what data you're going to ask for. Be very specific or you may find that the body you're asking is able to avoid your request. If in doubt, break down the information you're asking for into bullet points to make it absolutely clear what you want. 

Since FOIs take about a month to turn around (that includes you sending them, acknowledgement of receipt and the 20 working days an organisation has to get them back to you), you can't have them ready for tomorrow's news meeting. But put a few in and when they're back you have them at your fingertips. And since FOIs are often not hugely date sensitive, you can wait for a week you have a quiet news list to put them forward.

2. Council meetings and agendas
They may be a bit dull sometimes but local councils provide some of the bread and butter content for local papers.

Make sure you've got all major meetings in your diary (full council, planning and cabinet), and that you peruse agendas as soon as they're available so you can identify a story as soon as possible. You won't need to cover every meeting, but knowing what the local authority is focusing on will make you a valuable person in the newsroom.

Councils can provide stories all year round, and one of the best ways they can generate stories are through planning meetings. Make sure you read up on any significant planning applications, and develop them to make them fuller stories. For example, there may be plans for a massive supermarket at the edge of a small village - speak to residents and owners of small shops about how they think it will affect them, and you've got yourself a story.

3. Celebrities
Most papers have some sort of a celebrity in their catchment area, so make sure you know what they're up to, from their latest projects to what charity work they're doing to if they're having a baby or getting married.

Stories about major celebrities will likely be picked up by nationals first, but there's always the possibility you'll get something first. Linking to the above point about council planning meetings, it's always a good story when your local celebrity decides they want to build a massive extension complete with swimming pool to their house. Nationals aren't going to find this, because they're not going to be scanning planning agendas like you are.

Also, if you can try and get to know the celebrity's PR (this won't work if it's Brad Pitt but for more minor celebs you should be able to make it happen). This way, if the paper runs a campaign or starts to support a local charity, you can try and get a line or two from your celebrity backing the cause as well.

4. Magistrates' court
Back in the day, papers had enough staff to be able to cover magistrates' court full time, but that's not so much the case anymore.

If your paper isn't doing so already, pitch to the news editor that you should cover court one morning a week, preferably on the paper's quietest day. Some weeks you won't get much, but on a good morning you can get a few page leads, a couple of nibs and downpagers, and some leads on stories for the future. 

5. Police meetings
Set up regular meetings with your police press officer, and get them to tell you what the local force is working on. Every force sets itself priorities, both long-term and short-term, and some of these can make good news stories.

Sometimes police campaigns can also lead to campaigns or long-term coverage of something for the paper. For example, the police may be putting a focus on combatting domestic violence because of an increase in incidents. Instead of just doing one story on the police's work, why not do a series of focus pieces? You could speak to the police, charities working with victims, victims themselves and more. Suddenly a story you got from the police has turned into weeks worth of copy for the paper.

Also, make sure you keep an eye on public meetings the police may have, anything on the force's Twitter feed and any live chats officers may do online.

In pictures: snapshots from a news editing week

Some people believe journalists live hugely glamourous lives, getting free clothes, tickets to all the latest events and bylines on the cover of Vanity Fair every day. I guess it's like that in the films (see How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, The Devil Wears Prada etc), but in real life, not so much. Here's a little taste of reality, with some pictures of life as a news editor of a weekly paper in London.

Thursday
The diary for the week includes a visit to a school to talk about a project my company has launched - I may be a grown woman, but speaking in front of teenagers still terrifies me. Meanwhile, reporters cover court on both Thursday and Friday, and usually come back with some decent stories, which readers love.

A meeting between news editors and photographers in the afternoon gives both sides a chance to air any problems or issues - both sides have plenty.

Sometimes life on a weekly is glamourous (rarely though), and you get to go to the launch of London Fashion Weekend and get a goodie bag - never underestimate the pull of free stuff for journalists. It's just a pity there were no pens in the bag.

 

 

Friday

Plans for the week's paper start off largely blank, and get filled with ads as we go, so trying to anticipate how much space I'll have for stories is often a guessing game - one that I succeed at only 50 per cent of the time. By the way - ROP=run of paper.

A visit to the local MP's office always results in some interesting stories. Thursdays and Fridays are a good chance for me to get out of the office and get writing, as after the weekend I'm chained to the desk trying to meet deadlines. Seeing one of our local MPs is also a chance to see her office cat, which is always asleep whenever I visit. Must be a Friday afternoon thing - I know plenty of journalists who wish they had the same luxury.
 

I spend a lot of time in my car, commuting between home and work or travelling between the office and patch. Luckily, my car is cute, of a colour that's not easy to miss in a car park, and full of everything I need - shoes for any occasion, a collection of music and a good heating system for when I'm stuck in the cold on the motorway.

A colleague on a sister paper makes a heated point about old style telephones and 999. I believed her, and you've got to admire her conviction, even if a quick search on Google shows she was wrong.

It's rare, but we do manage to escape the office for lunch at times. When the day is getting stressful, Turkish food is the only thing that helps. There's really no need to see the menu though, a lahmacun (Turkish pizza) is always the way to go.
 

Saturday/Sunday 
I've yet to go to a film premiere, but I do get plenty of screeners for films I've never heard of that I watch at weekends so I can write reviews on them for our what's on guide and for this blog. Surprisingly, this one - Welcome to the Riley's - was actually quite good.

Monday 
Monday mornings, ahead of rapidly looming deadlines, I like to try and ease into the day with breakfast (healthy hot water with lemon, unhealthy pain au chocolat) and a magazine. I believe this issue of Time is about a month old, so I'm playing catch up. And unlike Warren Buffet, optimistic is not how I usually start my week.

Much of Monday is spent putting together the front of the book, reading reporters' copy and placing it on pages. It's a task that can be frustrating due to the system we use, which always seems to go on the blink just as the paper is at the most crucial point. CTRL+S is the most important computer command in my life, and one I use constantly.

Tuesday 
Once the paper has gone to press on Tuesday afternoon, the week starts again. And usually with some meetings that involve me doing some waiting, and staring at my feet.
 

A quote about books to finish the week off. If we're applying this to newspapers, then local newspapers unfortunately probably fall in the first half of the quote.

Reporting tips: photographers and photographs

What's that? You're a reporter and photographs don't concern you? Think again. However great your story is, however many hundreds of words you write, nine times out of 10 a photograph is going to make it better. And the best of those photographs will be taken by the photographers in your newsroom (and not by you on whatever digital the newsroom can afford). Here's a quick guide to ensuring you get the best pictures to accompany your work. This is just from a newsdesk's point of view, so photographers, if you've got something to add leave it in the comments below.

Treat photographers well
This is such a basic rule, but it's so ignored in newsrooms. Photographers are just as essential to the work of a newspaper as reporters. In fact, they're probably slightly more essential, since no one will read a paper devoid of images. Bear that in mind, and make sure you don't make unnecessary demands, are rude or dismissive, and say thank you.

Give a good brief
A photographer turning up to a job blind won't get photos as good as those done by a photographer turning up informed. Photographers don't need to know every word you're writing, but do give them all the information they need to take a photograph that is relevant to your story. 

Think about how many pictures you'll use
Following on from the point above, if you need a page of pictures, ask for a page of pictures. If you need just a couple, ask for a couple. Don't just assume the photographer will know. It's frustrating for you if you were expecting the photographer to come back with eight pictures and they've only come back with one, and frustrating for them if they submit 20 pictures to you and you only ever intended to use one. 

Share your ideas 
Photographers are the experts when it comes to visuals, but if you've got an idea in mind don't be afraid to share it. Discuss any ideas for visuals to accompany a story with the photographer, and chances are they'll be able to work with that and come up with something even better incorporating your ideas.

Think about stock pics
There are certain people you're going to need to use photographs of often - police officers, councillors etc. Plan in advance and ask for a range of stock pics of these people. Ask photographers to get pictures of people behind their desk, on the phone, at the computer, outside their office building, by a police car (if they're in the police) etc. In the long run this saves the photographer from having to keep going back to get pictures of these people, prevents the paper from having to use the same picture every time, and also saves time for the person who is in the picture, as you'll only have to take up their time once.

Don't expect miracles
Sometimes it rains, or the subject isn't comfortable being photographed, or something else goes wrong. In the same way jobs will change on photographers despite the best intentions of reporters when they're booking something, photographers won't always be able to get the photographs you want because circumstances dictate it to be so. 

Communicate
If you feel you're not getting the photographs you want, take a look at yourself and check whether you're doing all the right things when booking a job (see all the points above). If you are and the photos are still not what you want, sit down and talk to the photographer and see if there's a better way the two of you can do things. In a similar way, if you see something you really like that the photographer has done, let them know. Everyone likes to know they're appreciated now and then.

In memory of Marie Colvin

Journalism has a bad reputation, but one look at Marie Colvin and her work and anyone can see that it can be a honourable profession. I have a huge respect for war reporters, and for Marie, who put herself in danger time and time again, until it eventually cost her her life.

Today journalism lost Marie, who was more than just a war reporter. She was a reporter on the human condition, and her reporting brought home to the privileged and the free how others in the world were suffering.

In a speech two years ago about the importance of war reporting (full text here), she said:

Covering a war means going to places torn by chaos, destruction and death, and trying to bear witness. It means trying to find the truth in a sandstorm of propaganda when armies, tribes or terrorists clash. And yes, it means taking risks, not just for yourself but often for the people who work closely with you.

And:

We go to remote war zones to report what is happening. The public have a right to know what our government, and our armed forces, are doing in our name. Our mission is to speak the truth to power. We send home that first rough draft of history. We can and do make a difference in exposing the horrors of war and especially the atrocities that befall civilians.

She bore witness, and exposed the truth, and there will be people out there who will get away with things now that she is no longer here to shine a light on the injustices they are taking part in.

In one of her final posts from Baba Amr in Syria she wrote:

Sickening, cannot understand how the world can stand by and I should be hardened by now. Watched a baby die today. Shrapnel, doctors could do nothing. His little tummy just heaved and heaved until he stopped. Feeling helpless. As well as cold! Will keep trying to get out the information.

Marie was not the only person to die in the attack in Syria. Photographer Remi Ochlik was also killed, and dozens of others died as Syria continued its bombardment in Homs, while masses more have been killed over the past months. I never met Marie, but from everything of hers that I have read and heard and seen, she would want those who died in Syria to be remembered just as much as she is.

So, we must ask ourselves, in memory of Marie Colvin and because she no longer can, how can we stand by and watch as injustice rages across the world?