Five Traits That Might Land You a Job @ Patch
Former television news professional, Missouri prof and now regional editor for Patch.com, Holly Edgell, shares what she looks for in a job candidate.
By Lurene Kelley, assistant professor of news
University of Memphis
Interested in writing about suburban planning meetings and local restaurant openings? That may not match the glamorous vision you've had of life as a journalist, but hyperlocal Patch.com thinks it the future of the craft. This AOL-funded venture in community news offers quality reporting to areas that don't receive much media coverage, yet have a highly enganged and connected citizenry.
Guess what – Patch.com is hiring. In fact, last year, the organization hired more journalists than any other news organization in the country. Whether its on Patch.com within another news operation - hyperlocal is viable news and business model that should see more growth. The desire to read about yourself or your child in the media or find out what's new with that proposed dog park at the end of your block – well that kind of “my backyard” news will always have an audience.
So, if you’re crafting a resume or preparing for an interview – here are some traits Patch.com looks for in a hire.
This first one is a biggie for a hyperlocal news site like Patch.com or a traditional community newspaper. If you don’t have this trait – local/community news isn’t a good fit. You won’t be happy and your employer likely won’t be happy with you.
1. Interest in local/community news
What’s your reaction to covering a high school soccer match or a board of aldermen meeting? If you roll your eyes and say “boooo-ring” – then Patch and hyperlocal coverage is not for you. Move on to next job opportunity. But if really digging into a community and covering activities and events in ways that few other media outlets are doing – then hyperlocal is for you.
These next traits are crucial for hyperlocal operations, because these types of “newsrooms” are usually lean organizations – just a few people working together to cover a community. These same traits, however, are becoming increasingly important for traditional news organizations, as they work to find new ways to draw audience in online.
2. Initiative
Did you start and maintain your own blog? How many followers do you have? How about a non-profit or new project for your sorority? These types of involvement show initiative. Small organizations, in particular, are looking for someone who will bring new ideas to the table. Show them you have a history of that.
3. Leadership
So you didn’t start something new, but you are the news director for your college radio station or are committee chair for a student government group. Those positions show you are a leader and not just someone who needs a lot of direction. Again, these hyperlocal/community operations are usually small and need someone who can hit the ground running… and keep going with new ideas.
4. Flexibility
Are you someone who learns a system one way and then wants it to stay that way forever? Sure, we all like consistency, but in today’s media environment – things change all the time. New supervisors come in and old systems exit. New technology emerges and old technology takes a backseat. The new journalist is nimble and adapts to change. This may be something you can’t demonstrate in your bulleted resume, but it may be something you address in a cover letter or interview (site the time you were an early adopter to a change at school or work or how you trained others to do things in a new way.)
Of course, if you are not a flexible person – don’t say you are. But just be aware that this will be part of your worklife in just about any journalism career today.
5. Resourcefulness
So you’ve hit a wall and can’t get a website template to take your content. Do you just give up and tell your teacher you can’t do it? Or do you find a new program that allows you to do what you want? If you’re someone willing to experiment with new technology or if you like to think of new ways to do things – new media, in general, is right for you. Dealing with new technology requires an impatience with the status quo, but the patience to experiment with novelties. There is also a certain degree of risk-taking involved to do things in a way you’ve never done it before. It doesn’t mean that you’re fearless, but that you are willing to fall on your face for the sake of creating something better.
General Resume Advice:
Here’s another basic resume tip from Edgell – put your concrete skills and job titles on your bulleted resume. Save some of these trait characteristics (such as “initiative”) for your cover letter. This is where you can say, “In my Multimedia News Lab, I offered to learn the basics of the Twitter application, Co-Tweet, so that we could implement it in our news class. I worked with my professor on setting up our Co-Tweet newsroom and then guided the entire class through the process.”
Of course, it goes without saying that you must familiarize yourself with today’s tech tools. Twitter, Facebook, Flip cameras, editing software – these aren’t just nice extras on the resume. They are requirements. No one’s saying you have to be an expert in everything – but familiarity and some level of comfort with these tools is essential.
Now go out there and cover your community!
By Lurene Kelley, assistant professor of news
University of Memphis
Interested in writing about suburban planning meetings and local restaurant openings? That may not match the glamorous vision you've had of life as a journalist, but hyperlocal Patch.com thinks it the future of the craft. This AOL-funded venture in community news offers quality reporting to areas that don't receive much media coverage, yet have a highly enganged and connected citizenry.
Guess what – Patch.com is hiring. In fact, last year, the organization hired more journalists than any other news organization in the country. Whether its on Patch.com within another news operation - hyperlocal is viable news and business model that should see more growth. The desire to read about yourself or your child in the media or find out what's new with that proposed dog park at the end of your block – well that kind of “my backyard” news will always have an audience.
So, if you’re crafting a resume or preparing for an interview – here are some traits Patch.com looks for in a hire.
This first one is a biggie for a hyperlocal news site like Patch.com or a traditional community newspaper. If you don’t have this trait – local/community news isn’t a good fit. You won’t be happy and your employer likely won’t be happy with you.
1. Interest in local/community news
What’s your reaction to covering a high school soccer match or a board of aldermen meeting? If you roll your eyes and say “boooo-ring” – then Patch and hyperlocal coverage is not for you. Move on to next job opportunity. But if really digging into a community and covering activities and events in ways that few other media outlets are doing – then hyperlocal is for you.
These next traits are crucial for hyperlocal operations, because these types of “newsrooms” are usually lean organizations – just a few people working together to cover a community. These same traits, however, are becoming increasingly important for traditional news organizations, as they work to find new ways to draw audience in online.
2. Initiative
Did you start and maintain your own blog? How many followers do you have? How about a non-profit or new project for your sorority? These types of involvement show initiative. Small organizations, in particular, are looking for someone who will bring new ideas to the table. Show them you have a history of that.
3. Leadership
So you didn’t start something new, but you are the news director for your college radio station or are committee chair for a student government group. Those positions show you are a leader and not just someone who needs a lot of direction. Again, these hyperlocal/community operations are usually small and need someone who can hit the ground running… and keep going with new ideas.
4. Flexibility
Are you someone who learns a system one way and then wants it to stay that way forever? Sure, we all like consistency, but in today’s media environment – things change all the time. New supervisors come in and old systems exit. New technology emerges and old technology takes a backseat. The new journalist is nimble and adapts to change. This may be something you can’t demonstrate in your bulleted resume, but it may be something you address in a cover letter or interview (site the time you were an early adopter to a change at school or work or how you trained others to do things in a new way.)
Of course, if you are not a flexible person – don’t say you are. But just be aware that this will be part of your worklife in just about any journalism career today.
5. Resourcefulness
So you’ve hit a wall and can’t get a website template to take your content. Do you just give up and tell your teacher you can’t do it? Or do you find a new program that allows you to do what you want? If you’re someone willing to experiment with new technology or if you like to think of new ways to do things – new media, in general, is right for you. Dealing with new technology requires an impatience with the status quo, but the patience to experiment with novelties. There is also a certain degree of risk-taking involved to do things in a way you’ve never done it before. It doesn’t mean that you’re fearless, but that you are willing to fall on your face for the sake of creating something better.
General Resume Advice:
Here’s another basic resume tip from Edgell – put your concrete skills and job titles on your bulleted resume. Save some of these trait characteristics (such as “initiative”) for your cover letter. This is where you can say, “In my Multimedia News Lab, I offered to learn the basics of the Twitter application, Co-Tweet, so that we could implement it in our news class. I worked with my professor on setting up our Co-Tweet newsroom and then guided the entire class through the process.”
Of course, it goes without saying that you must familiarize yourself with today’s tech tools. Twitter, Facebook, Flip cameras, editing software – these aren’t just nice extras on the resume. They are requirements. No one’s saying you have to be an expert in everything – but familiarity and some level of comfort with these tools is essential.
Now go out there and cover your community!
