Journalism Jobs and Internships: Resources for Recent Grads

If you’re nearing the end of your time in journalism school and preparing to graduate, congratulations! The last year has presented numerous challenges, and finishing college is a huge accomplishment.

But entering the job market can be intimidating. Unfortunately, there’s not one central place listing all the job and internship opportunities. So it’s important to not just rely on one source. You should be checking for job openings in multiple places so that you don’t miss out on a good opportunity.

We want to help by providing a list of sites to check for the latest openings.

And great news: Almost all of these resources are free to access.

Job Sites to Save

These job boards are updated regularly with openings across the industry and around the country (including remote positions):

• JournalismJobs.com: This is a trusted job board that’s full of recently posted positions for writers, copy editors, and more. You can also post your resume, receive job alerts, and find career advice.
• Journalism Mentors | Jobs: Check out this straightforward, easy-to-browse job board. If you’re looking for an internship instead, you can find those listings here.
• The Media Job Board: This job board offers a handy filter right upfront. Search job openings by location or view categories like part-time, photography, broadcasting, and more.
• BlogHer Job Board: This new job board lists recent remote freelance jobs for creatives. Whether you’re looking for a position in social media, video, content creation, or another creative role, bookmark this page.
• Cision Jobs Board: If you are looking for journalism, editorial, or PR positions, we can help you find that perfect match.

This isn’t a comprehensive list and there are lots of sites with job postings out there. Make sure to also check out listings on the websites of individual publishers, journalism organizations, and cultural associations, for example. 

Newsletters to Sign Up For

There are several great newsletters out there to help media job seekers stay on top of the latest opportunities.

• Journalism Jobs (and a photo of my dog): Mandy Hofmockel’s popular weekly newsletter is one we’ve recognized before. It’s always full of openings across the country that cover a variety of roles and beats.
• The Lead: This is Taylor Blatchford’s weekly newsletter for student journalists (college and high school). It provides internship/scholarship information and advice, and highlights great work from those at the beginning of their careers.
• Opportunities of the Week: This is a twice-weekly newsletter with calls for pitches and freelance opportunities. The pay-what-you-can model asks for $3/month, but sponsored slots are available.
• StudyHall: This community for media workers offers several subscription plans, including the weekly Opportunities newsletter that’s full of pitch calls and job openings.

Hint: Sign up for media industry newsletters like Hot Pod, Deez Links, and Ann Friedman Weekly. Keep an eye out for calls for writers and classified sections in these regular emails.

Find a Mentor

Beginning a career can be daunting and overwhelming. Connect with a mentor to get your questions answered and feel supported.

• Journalism Mentors: In case you need another reason to bookmark this site, it also offers a mentorship program in addition to its job and internship listings. Check it out to get a 30-minute one-on-one session for advice, guidance, or general questions about navigating the media industry.
• Latinas in Journalism Mentorship Program: This program supports Latina journalism students, a community that is underrepresented in the industry and faces unique challenges. Founder Andrea González-Ramírez explains, “Whether you’re struggling with your resume or are excited about changing career paths, this small army of volunteers we’ve organized is here to help you navigate the journalism industry.”

And a few bonus tips…

Here are a few helpful tips that have recently been shared via social media and publications:

Application Tips

Gwendolyn Wu, healthcare reporter at the Houston Chronicle, recently had a helpful Twitter thread with tips for internship applicants. While the tips came from the outlet’s hiring committee, they really are applicable for any job.

Wu said, “It’s best to send your clips as PDFs (or self-hosted links). We had several applications where we were paywalled out of their work. And send your best work. Few, if any, typos, and definitely nothing with a correction. Show us the full range of your journalistic abilities.”

And make sure to check out our post “That newsroom dream job? Here’s what it takes to land it.” for more application pointers.

Putting Together a Strong Portfolio

Poynter is always a great resource for those new to the industry. In a recent post, The Lead’s Taylor Blatchford offered tips for optimizing your portfolio. Among her pointers:

• Highlight your best work, not everything you’ve ever written.
• Use your storytelling skills to provide context about why a certain story is included.
• Organization is key.

Virtual Interviews

Thanks (or no thanks, depending on your feelings about Zoom) to the pandemic, many interviews have moved to a virtual format — and the practice is likely to stick around. Indeed.com has a helpful blog post and video with tips to set yourself up for success.

Indeed explains that “virtual communication requires special considerations and adjustments due to the limited ability to read body language and facial expressions.”

Congrats to all the graduates! Hopefully, these resources are helpful as you start exploring the journalism and media job market.

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Rocky Parker is the manager of Audience Relations at PR Newswire. She works with journalists, bloggers, and content creators to create their targeted newsfeeds from PR Newswire for Journalists. Rocky has also counseled on content writing best practices. Check out her previous posts for Beyond Bylines. When she’s not working, Rocky typically can be found cooking, binge-watching a new show, or playing with her puppy, Hudson.