Tips for becoming a journalist from a trainee reporter

I realise I am extremely lucky to be able to say I'm currently in my dream job at the age of 22. It was first 'real job' - besides a brief stint as a waitress and time spent in retail - and I somehow managed to get my foot on the journalism ladder before I'd even graduated. 

In terms of my job, I still believe it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. In case you don't know... I started out on a six-week paid placement at the Nottingham Post in July. This was then extended for an extra month, and another month, then another six months, until in January I was offered a permanent position.

I was offered the initial placement after going for an interview to be a digital journalist at a new publication the paper was setting up. Despite technically being successful, the job fell through, but luckily I managed to secure the work experience.

I see numbers of work experience students coming through our doors daily, and I can remember the struggle and stress of realising university was soon ending and I needed a job. I could've stayed at Boots, but I knew that wasn't what I truly wanted to be doing.

So around this time last year, before I'd finished handing in my assignments, I started applying for jobs. When it comes to sending in your CV and covering letter, you need to tailor them to every job. It's time consuming, but it's definitely worth it. Make sure you show off your current skills and knowledge, and let the company know how you can benefit them.

In terms of where you should be looking for available positions. I'd recommend these websites:
Mediargh
Local World
Johnston Press
Journo Grads
Diary Directory
And remember - don't ever stop yourself from applying for a job because you don't think you're good enough or have enough experience. There is no harm in sending in an application.

I understand it's hard to get a job in journalism unless you have experience. My experience was my blog, plus a two-week placement at a magazine. But despite this, I understand the importance of getting yourself into an office environment. My first day at the Post wasn't that great at all as I had no idea what to expect due to my lack of experience. But luckily the editors were willing to work with me.

Secondly, whether you're a fresher, handing in your dissertation or are about to embark on a work placement, make sure you work hard. Journalism isn't a glamorous job - there are definitely perks - but it's mostly long hours and stress. The industry is extremely cut throat and filled to the brim with deadlines. And if you don't have passion, organisational skills or a good work ethic, you'll struggle.

Also it's worth working on your contact's list. After 10 months, mine is now nearly bursting at the seams but to start with it was awful having to ask the other reporters for their contacts. Writing a story is a lot easier when you know exactly who you should be speaking to and that by giving them a phone call they'll give you the comment you're after.

And finally, we're in the midst of the digital age so brushing up on your web skills is a must. They don't need to be extensive, but learning how to use Facebook, Twitter, Hootsuite and content management platforms and also teaching yourself SEO is beneficial. If you can, HTML is worth knowing too.

If you have any questions, or would like further advice then do contact me! Although I do realise I'm still very new to the industry and have a lot to learn.

It's best to either use jemma.page@nottinghampost.com or jlpage11@googlemail.com.

Do you want to be a journalist?

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What I wore to my graduation

If you don't follow me on social media then you probably won't know that this time last week I was graduating from the University of Lincoln. I won't delve too much into the day itself but it truly was a special and proud day. The ceremony itself was held in Lincoln's cathedral and castle which created a magical setting.

The university's colours are blue and yellow so I instantly knew I wanted to wear a blue dress. Chi Chi very kindly sent me their Jenny dress* which is absolutely beautiful. It's such a princess dress and extremely well made. It has a low back but luckily comes complete with a padded bust meaning that there's no need to wear a bra. As someone with DD boobs I can vouch for the padding and say it worked very well - I was even complimented on how "great" my boobs looked on the day. Ahh, boys. 

I bought my shoes from the New Look sale and although they weren't the most comfortable, they were very easy to walk in. If you've ever been to Lincoln then you'll realise how important a good pair of shoes is - there streets are cobbled! I wore a simple necklace from Primark and my fake tan is by Nottingham's Saks salon and Xen-Tan (which I've reviewed before). The nail polish on my toes is KIKO's Poker Nail Lacquer in 05* and on my fingernails is Models Own's Coconut Cream*. 

What did you wear to your graduation?
*PR Sample

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Life after university...

My favourite blogs to read are the ones with a bit of personality behind them. I love getting to know the person who writes the blog, and although I mainly read blogs to find out about beauty products, a few personal lifestyle posts never did anyone any harm. So that's what this post is going to be. A bit more personal, a little bit sad but hopefully it'll be relieve me of stress. After all, a blog is an online diary and a way for me to get things off of my chest.

In case you didn't know, I recently finished my final year at university. For the past three years, I've been studying journalism and working hard, whilst maintaining my blog, having a part time job and having a social life. It hasn't been easy, but it's been an incredible journey and I've met some wonderful people on the way. I didn't want university to end, mainly because my friends are now all scattered across the country, but I never imagined that leaving university would be this hard.

This week alone, I've applied for 27 jobs. Since my last assignment was handed in, I've applied for hundreds. Yes, I've had quite a few interviews for some spectacular publications and yes, I'm still waiting to hear back from a few, meaning that I haven't actually received a no from them yet. But there is nothing harder than finding a job after university. You work your butt off for three years to be told that a degree isn't good enough. A degree simply puts you on a level playing field these days, whereas back in the day, it'd put you ahead of the competition.

Rejections are hard enough, but what's harder is sitting by my phone, constantly checking my emails and waiting for someone to give me a yes. All I want is a chance. And of course, some money. I had to stop my part time job at Boots because it wouldn't have been worth the journey every week. But now I have bills to pay, and no money whatsoever coming in. I'm 21 years old and I'm having to ask my parents for money. I shouldn't have to do that, and kills me. It's something I've always hated doing.

This past week has been exceptionally hard. I've been stressed, bored and waiting. There have been times when I've questioned my life; where it's going and if there's any point to it. Today, I received some good news which cheered me up enough to write this blog post. This post doesn't have much structure to it, or much meaning. It's just a way for me to get a few things off of my chest. If you're currently going through the same thing, then I hope you know that you're certainly not alone. Keep working at it, keep trying hard and something will come along in the end. Hopefully. I have my fingers crossed for both you and I.

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So, that's the end of university then [picture heavy]

The first picture taken at university. I look a mess and like a child.

Yesterday saw me hand in my final ever university assignment. It's hard to believe that I've been at university for three years; the time has absolutely flown by. I can remember being at college and thinking to myself; "do I really want to spend another three years in education? It's a long time." But it really isn't. And although nearly everyone says this, university has without a doubt been the best three years of my life, so far. I've not only enjoyed the social aspect of university, I've actually really enjoyed my course (journalism, in case you didn't know).

As well as the obvious (learning how to "cook," fend for myself and meeting some incredible friends), so much has happened:

I went to the hairdressers for the first time, I met the Spice Girls, I got glasses, I became a deputy editor, I ombred my hair, I danced with Britney Spears, I had my hair cut short, I got a DSLR and learnt how to use it properly, I had my first drop of alcohol, I got braces, I did real work experience, I started working at Boots, I started working on the photo counter at Boots, I saw my sister graduate, I got published many times, I tried chilli con carne for the first time, I learnt about the wonders of iPhones, I started liking cheese, I've taught primary school children about journalism, I tried my first Nandos, I've learnt many different skills (almost enough to class myself as a real journalist), I went on the pill for the first time, I went into Space NK for the first time, I had my first skin peel, I've produced many magazines, I travelled and stayed in London alone, I went to my first nightclub, I went on my first real date, I got a spray tan, I learnt about heartbreak, I drove on the motorway, I started taking blogging seriously, I went house hunting for the first time... and these are just to name a few.

I've grown up an awful lot during my time at university. I'm no longer a young, naive girl (I may still be a little bit naive) and I'm now pretty strong and well, an adult. I don't want this post to go on and on, I just wanted a place to showcase my current thoughts and some of my favourite photos from over the years, so that in years to come, I can look back and remember how much of a truly special time university has been. And now I'm going to go because I'm all emotional.

Will you be finishing university soon? Or starting university in September?

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Dissertation help & giveaway

Right now, I'm in the middle of my dissertation and being a blogger, there was only one topic I could choose. That is the relationship between magazines and blogs, of course. This is where I need your help. For my research, I'm conducting surveys: one for bloggers, one for blog/magazine readers and one for PR companies/brands. The surveys are only 9 questions long and I'd love it if you could spare a few minutes of your time to take them. If you're a blogger and a blog/magazine reader, you can of course take them both if you wish. After you've completed the survey, please feel free to fill out the Rafflecopter form below and I will choose a winner in a few weeks time to win a hamper full of beauty products as a thank you.

If you're a blog/magazine reader, please take this survey.

If you're a blogger, please take this survey.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you do take either of the surveys, thank you so much! And I will keep you all updated on the findings.

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Halloween 2012

Hello!

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween the other night? Halloween isn't something that's really celebrated over in the UK - it's definitely not one of the most important holidays but I love it. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love going out and getting dressed up, putting my make up on etc. But there's nothing like getting ready and having to make yourself look quite frankly, ugly. For example, last night it was raining and by the time we got to the nightclub, we were soaked. But we didn't care because we weren't supposed to look nice. But if this would've been any normal night, I know it'd have ruined our night.

I decided to go out as "dead Jemma." AKA a zombie. I don't have a lot (if any) of fancy dress clothes so I decided to use some of my old clothes and cut them up and add blood (or one of my friends added blood as I'm not that creative). Me, my sister and our friend started getting ready at 6pm. Really early but we were so excited. After I got over the fact that I wasn't supposed to look perfect and that face paint isn't make up, I really got into it. It was great to add lots of contour and make it look unnatural instead of natural. I also loved backcombing the hell out of my hair! And although I think my hair is feeling the damage today, it really did complete my costume.

What did you do for Halloween?

xxx

Freshers Photos

Although my blog focuses heavily on beauty, I personally love finding out more about the people behind the blog. So I thought I'd post a few of my personal photos from Freshers Week. I hope you like them and if you end up doing a post like this, make sure you link me too it! I'd love to see :)

If you're wondering where the outfits that I got are from then you can find out here. The leopard print dress isn't featured in that post though but it's from Primark and it cost me just £10.

This was my second freshers week and it was amazing. It was great not having to worry about making friends or worrying about where was the best place to go etc. I'm sad that I only have one more left though. Especially because my first year went so quickly. If you've had/have your freshers week then I hope you have/had a wonderful time :)

xxx