By GEORGIA BURNS
MOST of 2009’s would-be journalism graduates are probably panicking, submitting last-minute stories as well as juggling other subjects. But perhaps we should just relax a little more? According to previous University of Canberra journalism graduates, getting good grades has had very little to do with securing a great job.
Renee Konig, 22, graduated in 2007 and says she loves her job as a broadcast journalist for Prime television. Renee now spends her days preparing news stories and presenting them for Prime’s Canberra afternoon bulletin. She credits obtaining the role to her previous journalism experience.
“Experience is the biggest thing, whether its internships or volunteer work. Obviously good grades help but experience is the main thing,” Renee said.
Before working at Prime, Konig worked as a radio producer for ABC 666 and 2CC.
She emphasized the importance of networking and maintaining contacts within the industry.
“It has a lot to do with who you know, it really helps to make sure you keep in contact [with colleagues],” she said.
After graduating in 2008, John Bannon, 26, is now working as journalist for the Cooma Monaro Express, a regional Fairfax newspaper.
Bannon said his previous experience as radio sports journalist for 2CC gave him the experience he needed to further his career.
He said that having “reasonable grades” is important but that experience is vital.
“ If you’re going for a job at a big city newspaper, I’m sure you’ll need outstanding grades but I think experience is still very important,” said John.
Hopefuls would need to do unpaid work to gain experience.
“You have to be prepared to do jobs where you don’t get paid or paid very little,” he said.
Bannon’s work reflects the way in which smaller divisions of news organizations are undergoing practical changes.
He researches, interviews and writes for news stories as well as taking photographs.
“I take all the photos for my stories… ,” he said. “It’s just as much photography as it is writing.”
He said he would ideally like to get back into broadcast journalism, although he knows the environment is very competitive. He also has a teaching degree which he says serves as a useful backup because journalism jobs are often hard to come by.
Hannah Cormick, 22, got a graduate position as the communications advisor shortly after graduating in 2007.
She said her experience as a radio writer and presenter at 2CC was a contributing factor in her selection at Uniting Care, a non-for-profit organization.
But it was her genuine interest and subsequent research into the organization that saw her selected for the highly competitive job.
“They didn’t even ask to see my [academic] transcript… although my resume does note that I’m a member of the golden key honour society,” she mentions, self-deprecatingly.
She said her role at Uniting Care prepared her in many aspects of producing material as well as working with the media.
“The organization is very small and so I had a lot of responsibility there,” she said.
She said the job required her to attend press conferences, write material and keep track of parliamentary happenings pertaining to Uniting Care.
Since March 2009, Cormick has been working as a communications officer for the Department of Human Services. She is excited about her new role in the department’s media team beginning next Monday (26.10.09), which she says will revolve around writing media releases.
She says that although she would eventually like to get back into journalism, her government role has provided her with opportunities to progress in her career.
“I guess it hasn’t taken me long to cross over to the dark side [public relations], but I’ve been given some great opportunities… ,” she said. “A good salary and normal working hours are also good… .It means I can party on the weekends.”
