The competition for journalism internships is fierce. Here are seven tips you can use to give yourself a good chance at landing one.
1. Work for a Student Newspaper, Website, TV or Radio Station
This is probably the single most important thing you can do to boost your chances of getting an internship. Editors and producers want to see interns who have a passion for, and commitment to, the news business. What better way to demonstrate that than to work for your college newspaper, TV or radio station?
2. Build a Portfolio of Your Work
Whether you’re collecting clips from a student newspaper or a collection of taped reports for broadcast, it’s important to build a portfolio of your work that shows off your talents. Great clips and tapes are more likely to land an internship than great grades.
3. Keep Your GPA Up
As we’ve just said, work experience generally trumps academics in the news business. But why shoot yourself in the foot by getting lousy grades? A high GPA is an additional feather in your cap when you’re applying for internships.
4. Apply Early
Deadlines for internship applications are usually months in advance, so apply early. Summer internships, for instance, often have application deadlines in December and January. Don’t miss out on a great internship by missing a deadline.
5. Give Them What They Want
Pay close attention to the application instructions. If the newspaper asks for six clips, give them six and not seven. If the news website wants applications e-mailed, send yours that way. Nothing torpedoes an application faster than an applicant who doesn’t follow instructions.
6. Keep Your Resume and Cover Letter Short
Keep your cover letter and resume to one page each if possible. Don’t try to pad your resume with a lot of odd jobs that have nothing to do with journalism (like that pizza delivery gig you did last summer). Remember, you’re a student – no one expects you to have a five-page resume yet.
7. No Typos, Please
It can’t be said enough – typos are a surefire way to doom an internship application. Triple-check your cover letter and resume to eliminate misspelled words, lousy grammar and awkward sentences. You could be the most promising young journalist in the country, but if your cover letter has a typo, your application will end up in a wastebasket.
