Tips to Succeed on your First Day on a Journalism Job

Congratulations, you’re starting a new job in journalism! When you start your day, it’s very important to make sure you have a full balanced, healthy breakfast so you’ll have a productive and focused mind during the day. Along with wheat and protein, try to include greens in your breakfast menu to reap all the nutritional benefits. Also adding culinary herbs is beneficial for a nutritional and tasty meal. Remember, it’s important to consume three cups of vegetables every day, so it’s best to start early in the day to incorporate healthy greens for your overall health and performance.

Learn and Analyze the Workflow of the Newsroom and Organize your Activities Around it

Every organization, media or otherwise, will have an original, customized workflow. It’s sometimes organically created out of a basic routine, other times trial and error helps shape a functional work system. Also some workflows are initially organized and planned methodically. Regardless of its structure, it’s very important to learn the workflow of your office within the first week.

Understanding the pathway of a story when it goes from its conception to its publication – along with finding out which specific coworker is responsible for each task – will eventually aide you in figuring out what role you have in the busy newsroom. Some questions you can ask yourself: What key people or team members will you collaborate with? What are the expectations and the time frame regarding your delivered content? Gaining this knowledge will help you save time, as well as allowing you to produce and pitch stories more effectively. In the end, your editors will be very appreciative for your efforts.

Get Used to the Management Style of your Editor

It is critical for you to understand your editor in order for you to be successful within the newsroom. Cracking the key to their expectations and goals will immediately make life for you and your editor easier. It’s very important to keep communication going. Never be afraid to ask the opinion of your editor, regarding how they like to work. Any generic answer you might get should be pushed for more detail, “At what length should the detail of pitches be?” “During which stage would you like to view a draft?” “Would you prefer a Word, Google Document, or another format?” You should also ask when they would prefer to setup check-ins with you. The answers to these questions will help you customize your workflow, in order to lessen stress and friction.

In order to manage your interactions with your editor more efficiently, it’s important to understand and respect the pressures they have to deal with, making sure that you’re doing your part in lessening that load and also not being an addition to their list of frustration and worries. It’s a good idea to speak with your coworkers to get a general idea of your editor’s pressured schedule.

Make Sure You Have a Plan, and Prepare Yourself to Roll With the Ups and Downs

Throughout the hiring process for your now full time job, you trained yourself by rehearsing answers and prepared yourself for contingent factors. But now that you have the job, you can’t allow yourself to relax and stop planning! If you plan your first week or month, it can be a great help in success.

Try and prepare yourself ahead of time and have a list of resources for whatever beat you’re going to cover. If mastering the CMS at your job very important, search for tutorials so you can get up to speed before starting your job.

This tips that will help you on the path of prepping efficiently during your first weeks and month on a new job in journalism. Preparing yourself will give you peace of mind, along with confidence during your initial period in your new and exciting position.