Surviving CCNMA job fair

After two days at the CCNMA job fair, here is what I have learnt and I would like to share with you guys.

1. USC has an amazing journalism program and their internships, networking opportunities are top notch. Instead of going to Akerman Union and getting name cards from HR, their job fair features director level recruiters, such as . My advice is, if you are not from USC, join some organization that give you access to job fair to connection like that, or have some USC friends and make them update you with what's going on in their program.

2. Arrive early. why? a. get your money worth. b. eat their complimentary breakfast, ( again you only get that from USC) c. when it is quieter, recruiter or volunteers has more patience becoz there is no line.

3. Network like you are speed dating. Job fair is always disheartening because you feel that they only have that much time for you. If you are ever shy or not used to promoting yourself, start off with journalism organizations. They are the more friendly, approachable people that you can start with. Practice with them and when you get into a nice conversation and start asking about each other's backgrounds, making jokes and getting more comfortable, you ask them for advices, how to approach those people in the next booth. They will usually tell you. I have two guys looking at my resume and telling me what changes I should made and what strength I have. ( will get into the resume critique later ) You do not get that from UCLA career
center. they dont know journalism.

4. Then you move on to the big time recruiters. Look for the recruiters that are hiring for a lot of publications. Some of the recruiters are corporate recruiters and they hire for a lot of newspaper. They talk to you and they access your strength and then they will decide where to forward you too. These are the people that you can be slightly honest with because they are not your future boss, they just hire and they need to see the real strengths. Tell them your goal and SELL your strength. If you wrote a big story for APA/AM tell them about those story and spend the bulk of your conversation on those experience. i realise that is the time when they really get engaged and take notes about you.

5. By now you should be pretty comfortable talking about yourself. Now you move on to the director level recruiters, the person who is the big boss who actually took the time to come to the job fair becoz of USC! Now that you are not shy anymore. you must ask questions. New York Times editor and recruiter Randy Hagihara said that the most disappointing thing is to see a reporter say that he/she has no more questions. Pretend you are doing a story on the recruiter.

Here are some of the questions you can ask: ( according to Hagihara)

• what are they looking for in a potential candidate

• How did they started in the industry ( great icebreaker becoz everyone wanna talk about themselves and again, it is better to ask them in the morning becoz by 4 pm they would have told their life stories 50 times.)
  

• What a some advice they would like to give to young journalists like you
  

6. Here you go, you are pretty exhausted by now. They say that you should network with other students in the job fair, but i don really see that is useful because it is a hyper selfish atmosphere and everyone care a lot about themselves. you make sure that you collect your goodies and souvenir and take a banana home for snack

7. Not over yet. You follow up with all the people you have talked to. Email them a thank you note, restate your interest and include a soft copy of your resume even though you've already gave them one at the job fair.

Sorry I miss out one important point:

things to bring

• A lot of resume

• name card if you have one

• work samples

• notepad or paper, you will need them

• big bag

• girls: suit jacker or sweater ( i was frozen the whole time)

• girls: bandaid for your high heels, you dont wanna be limping becoz you have a blister
  

( i gotta go sleep now) Stay tune for Resume/Cover letter and
interview advices from a panel workshop with McCatchy Newspaper's
Reginald Stuart ( he almost made me cry becoz he is so sweet), LA
Times' Randy Hagihara and ABC News Diversity director Diane Medina.