If you’re looking for top tips on how to get a job on a local newspaper – ask an editor.
Anita Syvret, editor of the Gloucestershire Echo, has given us the benefit of her advice.
Things an editor looks for in job application letters and CVs:
Faultless spelling – if journalists can’t be bothered to get spelling right when they are trying to get a job, they’re not going to bother when they’ve got one.
Get my name right. It’s not vanity – it’s a matter of accuracy.
Find out the editor’s name – it shouldn’t be difficult for someone who wants to be an investigative journalist. Letters addressed to Dear Sir/Madam go straight in the bin.
Hobbies (on the CV): a journalist without outside interests will never make it if they are not interested in anything other than newspapers.
The common touch – too many journalists read the Guardian and think it’s beneath them to watch soaps, even though our readers love them.
An interesting letter – the story any applicant knows best is their own life story. If they can’t make themselves sound interesting, they haven’t a hope of turning anyone else’s life into a good read.
No smart-arse tactics – applications dressed up to look like wanted posters are tiresome.
Local knowledge – journalists who have grown up in the area they are covering are like gold dust.
Cuttings – about six.
What Editors look for at interview:
Personality
Personality
Personality
Clean fingernails
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