A 'real' day in the life of an investigative researcher...

So, I feel like all I have been talking about is passing along advice about internships, cover letters, and resumes. It's time to talk about what it is I do.

Investigative Researcher...

That title explains it all...I research different elements for stories that we are working on. I make phone calls, set up interviews, and make sure things run smoothly.

Part of my responsibility is fielding incoming calls from viewers and determining which ones would make good story ideas. --When we have interns, I don't have to answer the phones as much :)

I work with the creative elements to a story as well; sometimes I have to do pre-tape or create the chyrons (supers) for a story.

Last Thursday...

Lu Ann asked me to set up a story for her out in NY where a police department uses these guns called "pistolcams," guns with a video and audio recorder attached to the barrel.

Another reporter from our affiliate statin in NY had previously done a story on these guns so I was able to search for this story in our archives and find a lot of the information I needed. --We have this source called Oasis where we can search for stories our affiliate stations have done and watch the packages.

Our affiliate station reported which police department in NY had these pistolcams...This made my research a lot easier...All I had to do was search for the police department on google.com, get their phone number, and call them up. Simple, right?...Not so much.

The first time I spoke with someone from the police department, they told me they knew nothing about these guns and that they had no involvement with the story that was previously done...Okay, I was confused by this.

The reporters script from WNBC in NY said that this police department wanted to bring these guns into their workforce. So, since the police department was being shady...I called the reporter myself; she gave me the contact numbers I needed.

I called the people she refered me to and set everything up!

Sometimes, it's a b*tch...

People hate talking to the media! Not all people, some people try to use the media as a way to shine light on themselves.

The minute I tell someone I'm calling from NBC10, I hear silence on the other end of the line. Many corporations have their own Public Relations department or Media department to deal with people like me...Well, you know what I think about that?...The "big dawgs" of these companie don't know what to say themselves so they hire "professionals" to make something up for them.

That might be a bit harsh but sometimes us journalists are treated as if we're monsters, it's like we carry this negative connotation with us....We can't be calling for a good reason, especially not from the Investigators Unit.

Digital Content Producer...

I produce the web content for the Investigators web page...Check us out: Investigators

Since it's only my first month at this job, I haven't been able to change the layout of our web page yet. I think the layout we have right now sucks! People can't find a damn thing on our site and I don't blame them. It's all bunched together.

What I would like to do is make more sections and spread things out. I've been talking to the webmaster of nbc10.com about ordering a new layout so hopefully that will be happening soon.

But for now, I come up with all the creative elements that go along with the stories we are doing and put them on the web. We might put up extended video or a slideshow or a feedback question...Or, maybe we'll put them all up at once!

Working with the web has taught me a lot. And, it's really cool to look on nbc10.com, click on the Investigators and see my own work posted.

The almighty resume...

We all know how important a well structured, strong resume is...I mean, that's what we basically work our butts off in school for.

...We join our school TV or radio station...We become Admissions Ambassadors, giving tours to prospective students, tutors, or mentors...We apply for different honor societies and even join clubs related to our majors...All because we want to put those experiences on our resume...All because we want to look more desirable to employers...(If you're not doing these things, you should start!)...

One thing I've learned is that leadership skills are one of the most important things employers look for in a potential hire.

Prospective Investigative Interns...

My supervisor, Producer Ed Dress, is in charge of interviewing all potential interns and making all the hiring decisions. Now that I work beside him, I also must help make decisions regarding who would be best for our department. Just so you know, it is a HUGE turnoff when an interviewee is TOO enthusiastic...We had one girl practically begging us to hire her for the internship. Needless to say, she wasn't hired.

Let your resume sell yourself. Ed will ask questions based off of the different experiences he sees down on paper. Then, he will ask you how you might handle certain situations that might occur in the office. Now don't get me wrong, be enthusiastic...And, smile! But, don't overdue it. Fakeness is easy to pick-up on.

The length of an interview varies, that's why a strong resume will help the hiree remember you. Your interview may only last for 15 minutes. Especially since the journalism industry is unpredictable and journalists are always on deadline.

A journalist might think the day is going really slow. Then, all of a sudden, they're paged and being sent down to City Hall to chase after Andy Reid's sons...That's the way it is...

So anyway, even if your resume lasts 15 minutes...You can be remembered! A strong resume helps the hiree, in the investigators case Ed, remember your face. It's has that, "Oh yeah, I liked him/her," effect.

Resume Tips...

• Revise, revise, revise! Just like your cover letter, you don't want any misspellings or typos!

• Your resume should be short and to the point. I've always been told to keep my resume to 1 page. Being a young, undergraduate student it's not necessary to have more then 1 page. If you are an older adult, with more experience you may need more than 1 page. (That's what the lady in my Career and Academic Planning Center told me at Rowan...I followed her advice and I seem to be doing well).

• Like your cover letter, structure your resume so that it suits the position you are applying for. Your objective section, the discripter sentence that tells the employer what your goal is and why you'd be good at it, should be changed with every position you apply for so that it relates to that position.

• Include your part time job even if it doesn't relate to the journalism position you're applying for. It shows employers that you've had previous work experience. (Some people may tell you not to include these little part time jobs in your resume...I included my part time serving position at Famous Dave's in mine.)

• Use neutral color paper, normal margins (1inch on the top/bottom and 1.25inch on the sides), and allow some space between each section. Your resume should be easy on the eyes...The easier to read, the better.

• Don't write in first person using "I."

• Be consistent in your bolding, capitalization, bulleting, and italicizing.

• In order to save space, don't include jobs that you've had 10 or 15 years back.

Sample resumes...

JobStar Central is a great place to find sample resumes, not just cover letters. They offer tips as well.

Also, check out RemXfinancial.com. Liz Gangi, an alumni in my sorority at Rowan, Alpha Epsilon Phi, is a staffing manager at RemX and came to our Alumni Career Day last year. She gave us a whole packet with resume and interviewing tips.

Fisher, Holly. (April 2006). Strong cover letter, resume keys to getting noticed. Quill. 94, 45.

Gangi, Liz. (2007). Resume tips. RemX financial staffing. www.remxfinancial.com

The almighty "Cover Letter..."

I say "almighty" because most college students are afraid of writing their first cover letter, I was! But, don't be. Trust me, I know a cover letter is one of the most important things in standing out among all the other job seekers in the professional world, but be confident.

A cover letter is like a little introduction to your resume; it shows employers what they can expect. Therefore, you want to dig deep and pull out those great writing skills you have...Impress them, but don't try to overdue it, I'm sure they can sense exaggeration and "fakeness." Also, let the employer know what your goals are, short and long term. And, most of all, demonstrate a level of professionalism.

Things to keep in mind...

• Revise, revise, revise! You might need to read over your cover letter 50x before you can finally stock it into those envelopes and send it off. You don't want any typos or misspellings, that shows employers you're lazy and unprofessional.
  

My little rant...
When the Investigators receive emails from viewers who are asking for help, for the Investigators to "investigate" their situation...I expect a certain level of professionalism in their written pleas. I realize that these emails are not cover letters or resumes, but if you are sending an important message asking for help, you have to establish an initial feeling of credibility. And, when it looks like it took you 5 seconds to type the email, I'm kind of turned off. I feel like I shouldn't have to try and figure out what you're trying to tell me, if our help was important to you, you would sit down and take time to get the message across.

• 2. Adress your cover letter to the specific person you are sending it to. Make sure the name and title are spelled correctly!
  
  
• 3. Don't make your cover letter long....Like I said, it is a little introduction to your resume. You don't need to repeat things you have listed in your resume. Focus your cover letter so that it shows the employer why you would be a good fit for the position.
  
  
• 4. Every cover letter you send should not be the same. For every position you apply, customize what you write and what you focus on to suit that position. For example, you might want to change some of the experiences that you have when applying for a position as floor manager from when you are applying for a position in promotion.
  
  

My cover letter...

Here is the cover letter I used when I applied for the position of Investigative Researcher.

(Home address goes here)
August 31, 2007

Melissa Moroney
NBC10
10 Monument Rd.
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Attention: Job # 620607

My strong social skills, along with diverse leadership experiences, make me a valuable candidate for the Investigative Researcher position. My leadership experience has prospered throughout my college years as I am currently Vice President of Recruitment for Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority as well as a leader in various chair positions. I worked as an Admissions Ambassador my junior year in which I conducted campus tours and completed various secretarial jobs in the Admissions office. I serve as a member on Rowan University’s Greek Judicial Board and hold an executive board position in Lambda Pi Eta communication’s honor society.

As a former intern at NBC10 in the investigative unit, I have had the opportunity to work under Emmy award winning investigative journalists and producers. Some of my responsibilities included identifying key stories for air, viewer correspondence, uploading video on the web, and working in the iNews program.

As a member of the Rowan Television Network, I have also gained experience in the many behind the scenes and technical aspects of television. I have had experience as Production Assistant, Floor Manager, Technical Director, Talent, Character Generator, and Director for a one time talk show.

My resume is enclosed for your evaluation. I hope you will consider me in high hopes of the Investigative Researcher position. Thank you for your time and feel free to contact me any time at (phone number) or (email address).

Sincerely,


(sign your name here after you pring your cover letter out)


Jaclyn R. Morlock


One last thing...

I'll try to find the different cover letters I wrote when applying to different places for an internship this past summer in order to show you how I tailored them to suit the internship I wanted.

Meanwhile...

Here is a link to JobStar Central where you can see examples of other people's cover letters as well as additional information on writing your cover letter.

Fisher, Holly. (April 2006). Strong cover letter, resume keys to getting noticed. Quill. 94, 45.

My situation...

I worked at my internship 40+ hours a week starting May 29th and ending August 29th. That's a lot of hours without pay! But, I loved it! When I tell you I worked 40+ hours that means I sometimes worked up to 50 hours a week! BUT...I loved working every single day at NBC10 and I loved helping as much as possible. I wanted to be apart of all the different stories that the Investigators were working on.

Throughout my internship, I never thought, not even once, that it would turn into a full time position. I mean, those things rarely happen, especially since I'm still in college. But, ya know, I kept the advice that Professor Farney gave me in the back of my mind at all times.

I've always been the type of person that likes to smile at everyone and who works hard. But one of the best pieces of advice that Professor Farney gave was to make sure you always dress for the position you want really. Even on casual Fridays, I would wear a nice pair of jeans with a dressy, button-up shirt with high heels.

My internship was really over August 24th...

But, I called Lu Ann Cahn and asked her if she would like me to come in Wednesday, August 29th and Thursday, August 30th, because I had off from my serving job. She said she would love that! So, I went in both of those days...I was happy to!

Anyway, that Thursday, August 30th, Lu Ann called me and was asking me about my class schedule for the upcoming semester. She asked me if I thought about applying for the position that opened up in their unit. She told me that they may be able to work around my class schedule if necessary. First of all, I was honored. All along I said that whoever got that position would be extremely fortunate because the producer, Ed Dress, and reporter, Lu Ann Cahn, would teach them everything they need to know and make them a star!

I talked to my mom, dad, other family members, professors, and advisors who all told me that if this was something I could see myself making a career out of, I should take it. They told me I could handle working a full time job and going to school full time. So, I applied...But, not without some good advice.

What you need to know before applying...

• The title of the job, the position within the department, and what reasonable advancement there can be.
• Is it a true 40 hour/week job, or will you be carrying a lot more and doing it on a salary?
• (For those still in college)- will they be flexible for classes and if they say so, will they put it in writing in your contract?
• Talk to others who have had similar positions, have they moved up? And, to where? Or, did they leave and start somewhere else?
  

Are you looking for a job....

A good thing to do is post your resume on monster.com, careerbuilder, or, more specifically, journalismnet.com.

Posting your resume helps publicize who you are and what related experiences you've had related to your professional area of interest. And, it's important that you make sure you're constantly updating your resume and profile on these sites! It helps mold a resume that really shows eomployers what it is that you ultimately want to do with your life.

Not sure how to write a resume or cover letter...

I was SO confused when I first realized I needed to write a resume and cover letter. I remember I went straight to Rowan University's career and academic planning center to ask for help. If you're in college and you have a resource such as this on campus, take advantage of it!

The woman I spoke with went over my resume with me and showed me different styles of what a resume could/should look like. She also gave me a booklet on cover letter writing. However, this information is only beneficial if you take the suggestions and practice, practice, practice. Practice writing your resume and cover letter; it may take quite a few drafts before you finally come to a final draft that you are happy with.

One final thing...


Simply posting your resume on one of these sites, careerbuilder, monster.com, and journalismnet.com is not the only thing you should be doing in order to get a good job. If you have an internship you will receive inhouse emails that list different job openings within the market that are not open to the public. Therefore, an internship will really open up a lot more doors for you!

My next post...

In my next post, I will have information on how to write a good resume and what you should say in a cover letter.


Cypher, Joy. (2006). In-class notes. Introduction to communication studies.

I promised some internship tips and advice...

Before I started my internship at NBC10 I emailed one of my professors Christine Farney who I had for a journalistic writing course. I told her about the internship and I asked her for any advice she could give me so that I might be more prepared. So, I wanted to rewrite the email she sent me so that her guidance may help others.

"Hello again,

Most of the advice I could offer falls into the 'soft skills' category because, quite honestly, anything they want you to know they will teach you so they mold you the way that suits them best. They just want to make sure you have the basics covered. And, soft skills are what make working with other people either a great experience or a miserable one. Most of what I'm going to say is common sense that, unfortunately, isn't all that common among intern who I have seen in actions. So just be aware of these things:

• Show up a few minutes early every day
• Make sure you say 'hello' and 'goodbye' to people in the morning and afternoon...You want to be seen.
• Strike a nice balance- be friendly in the office, but do not spend too much time talking
• Never be the first to leave (leave when the people you look up to do)
• Ever if your 'job' isn't paid, still treat it like a priority--don't...switch your schedule, change your hours, leave early etc.
• Dress better than the other interns(...Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have
• Even if the language/dress is casual, always be/act/speak professionally
• Show initiative
• Listen
• Observe the culture around you- find out what is important to your boss and mimic that (what does he do? stay late?...does he prefer email to voicemail when it comes to questions?)
• Never, ever badmouth anyone...
• Don't be an assignment-hog and compete against other interns...
• Offer to stretch your skills by taking on additional responsibilities
• Ask your boss how you're doing, if there's any room for improvement
• Don't come back late from lunch
• Ask employees/bosses about their experiences, their background, their advice...
• Be humble. Know that you don't know everything yet...
• Don't be afraid to ask questions
• Don't putz around on the Internet visiting sites like Myspace and Facebook..."
  

Professor Farney says that if interns follow these guidelines they can build credibility and trust with their supervisors. And, she says with credibility and trust, a person can go anywhere in life.

Try these out...

These tips seemed to work well for me!

It’s seriously like fate….

I found out I got the internship at NBC10 in the Investigators Unit last March. I was so happy to have gotten this internship, but at the same time I found myself complaining at times because I knew my summer was going to be tough. I would work full time (40hrs.) at the internship and then at my serving job on top of that. My weekends were shot and some of my nights too.

But, once I began working at NBC10, the worriment of missing out on time with my friends vanished. I loved what I was doing SO much that it wasn’t a big deal if I missed a night out with the girls. I became so focused on what I was doing and how I could be better at it.

My internship…

I had NO idea what the heck I wanted to do before this past summer; I just knew I wanted to work in TV. And, I knew that in order to work in TV, I needed an internship. So, I started applying to different news stations in the area. I don’t even know why I applied to news stations because I never thought I wanted to be a journalist.

Most people think about getting coffee or running errands when they hear the word “intern.” And, to a certain degree they are right. Interns do a lot of the brunt work, but that’s how you learn. You may log a million interviews while you’re there, but by logging, you hear the questions reporters ask, the way people talk, and how to pick out the best sound for the story package. In every task you’re given there is a lesson you can take from it.

Just so you know, I never had to get coffee…

I fielded phone calls, responded to emails, logged tapes, pitched stories, put video up on the web, shadowed reporters in the field, and worked in the iNews program. I had the opportunity to be hands on in all aspects of the business.

Moving up the ladder…

In order to become successful in this business, you have to start at the bottom rung of the ladder and move on up. There’s no way of getting around it. And, one of the best ways to get a head start is…an internship! Internships play a key role in getting your foot in the door of the newsroom.

Take Cherie Bank for instance. She was an intern at KTVI in St. Louis before landing herself a job at that same station after graduation.

The Investigative Producer, Ed Dress, was an intern at NBC10 before he got a position working with Herb Denninburg.

Managing Editor, Lisa Spinosa, and Producer, Alexis Fischer, were interns with Ed Dress in the Investigative Unit before becoming NBC10 employees.

I don’t think there are many employees working in journalism whether it be a reporter, photographer, director, or producer who didn’t start out with an internship somewhere. Making it inside the newsroom is all about the people you know. Therefore, if you stand out as an intern, you'll have a better chance to stand out among the dozens of other applications stacked on the news directors desk.

Really….get an internship! Here are links to apply for an internship at the three major news stations in the Philadelphia area: NBC10 Internships, ABC 6 Internships, and CBS 3 Internships.

Or, look up an internship that most suits your needs at JerseyIntern.com

*I have some good tips that were given to me before I started my internship last May, I'll have them for you with my next post tomorrow.


Duggan, Eileen. (September 2007). Moving up the tv ladder. St. Louis Journalism Review. 37, 28.

Let me give you more background about my topic…

A Day in the Life of an Investigative Researcher will discuss the different aspects of working in journalism. I want to take you all inside the newsroom where I will talk about how to get started in the business (I will use examples of how reporters, Lu Ann Cahn and Harry Hairston, Producer, Ed Dress, and me, Investigative Researcher, got started!).

I will talk about the competitive aspect to this crazy business and how you can put yourself in a position to succeed. I have advice on resume and cover letter writing as well as on internship opportunities (Internships at NBC10). If you want to become a reporter, I’ve found an article that you’ll want to read!

Is this “Biz” meant for you…

The one thing I’ve learned thus far…you either love working in the news business, or you don’t. The hours are crazy…

Don’t even think about making plans at night; you never know when breaking news will hit.

But, what I love is…every day brings something new. One day I’m finding someone from the health department who can explain how hundreds of pigeons flocking to a single neighborhood can have an unhealthy effect on all its residents; another day I’m trying to get in touch with Kenny Chesney’s “people.”

The news business is dynamic…

It is important to know what you’re getting yourself into. The best way to do this is by getting an internship! Another good idea is to read articles written by scholarly authors who have had experience working in journalism. By knowing more about the way a newsroom functions, you can better prepare yourself.

To tell you the truth, I had no idea I wanted to EVER work in news until my internship this past summer. So, the whole news thing was new to me. I spent the summer reading up on different reporters and producers and asking for advice from others in the business.

Wherever I could go to find out more…I went. Now, I hope to be one of those “go-to” people for other aspiring journalists.