Jennifer (Johnson) Hicks was a DJNF intern in the summer of 2001 with The Boston Globe. She returned for her senior year at the University of Oklahoma, where she was editor of the student newspaper. She traveled back to The Boston Globe in the summer of 2002 for a second internship before heading to New York for her master’s in journalism at Columbia. Jennifer is now an assistant news editor at The Wall Street Journal Online where she supervises the WSJ.com homepage most nights
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Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my residency in Philadelphia and my internship at The Boston Globe. It was the most intense editing experience of my life, and it completely prepared me for my current job as an editor at WSJ.com. Now, as someone who conducts hiring, I always hope to get candidates with a DJNF internship on their resume.
On to the advice portion of this post:
Don’t Give Up: When I graduated from Columbia in 2003, jobs were hard to find. I wanted to stay on the East Coast, but a professor gave me this wise advice: Sometimes you have to leave New York to get to New York. I took my first real job as the night editor at the Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix, then a Gannett newspaper. It was a great decision. I know I learned more by starting out in Muskogee than I would have if I’d stayed in New York. Six months later, I took a job at The Wall Street Journal Online, where I have worked for more than four years.
All this to say: Don’t be discouraged by a job hunt that seems to be taking forever. While you’re looking and interviewing, don’t just sit on your butt. Take on relevant projects that will bolster your resume. Write and edit a blog. Learn new skills like Flash or video editing. Be a mentor at a college newspaper. These extra things will go a long way toward helping you land that great job.
Be a Sponge: Be an expert on everything — from your publication’s style to its publishing systems. By doing this, you will shine in the newsroom and you’ll become a go-to editor for the big stories. Be on top of changes in your newsroom and in the industry, and learn to roll with the punches. Learn everyone’s names and what they do. Make connections, and be the person others come to in a pinch. You want to be the one who answers people’s questions, not the one who is constantly asking them.
Be Flexible: Volunteer to work extra hours or on weekends when there is a hurricane, election or other big story. These can be perfect opportunities to shine and show off your best work. As the needs of a newsroom change, be willing to slip into a new role or take on new duties. And tackle these challenges with gusto.
