Thursday, October 11, 2007
Worst jobs for the future
Worried about what career to choose? Well then Fortune magazine has just the article for you.
And not so good for newsreporters and writers either. Gulp.
Read here -> The Worst Jobs For The 21st Century
An interesting read with a slideshow that talks about what jobs NOT to get into in the years ahead. Bad news for economists, programmers, radio announcers and such like.Health care, education and financial services--if you're looking for work in the coming decades, these are the fields to get into.
What to avoid? The usual suspects.
And not so good for newsreporters and writers either. Gulp.
Read here -> The Worst Jobs For The 21st Century
Labels: jobs, work and study, writing
Thursday, March 29, 2007
How to land a writing job
Every day I get 2-3 emails saying," I want to write for JAM." The email often reads like this:
hi
I am interested in freelance writing. Please give me information about it.
XXX
Right - I should sell the job to you. I'm not that desperate! Here's another sample:
Hi,
Writing has been my passion and media my obsession. Pls visit my blog ABCD to get a feel of my truest passion in life . Pls let me know about further proceedings..I am excited .
regards
XXX
Slightly better. But again, I am unlikely to get excited by such an applicant. It's not clear what he can do for me.
So here are a few guidelines on how to apply for a writing gig - whether freelance or fulltime.
a) Make sure your initial email is written in the Queen's English. Not orkut English, or yahoo English,or sms English. I can't emphasise this point enough!
b) The fact that you blog is good, but not enough. Many people use blogs to express their thoughts and feelings - not the kind of stuff that can actually be printed in a magazine.
So using your blog as a sample of what you can do may not be a good idea. At the very least, give links to a couple of specific posts that showcase your best work.
c) Send a writing sample which you think might be worthy of publication. To do this, you'd have to make a quick study of the magazine/ paper/ website you are contributing to.
For example, poetry is never published in JAM (unless it's out and out funny). Neither are reviews of art exhibitions. So just don't send stuff like that!
d) Come up with story ideas. The Editor is not your teacher. He/ she is not going to hand out homework. The best thing would be for you to suggest topics you can, or would like to write on. If you have a special expertise or interest (say rock music, or technology) - use that as a selling point.
All your ideas will not get accepted but the fact that you came up with them shows you have initiative. It makes you stand out from the crowd.
e) Keep your deadlines. If you need more time, let the Editor know a bit in advance, not after you've missed it (and they've torn their hair out trying to reach you!)
Blank space is an editor's worst nightmare. Anyone who misses their first or second deadline is a no-no in my book. No matter how talented you might be.
f) Don't even think of cogging. We can smell it. It may be that freelance review writers in Delhi
Naaree.com: Freelance writers, columnists
JAM magazine: Full time writer
Twenty Onwards media: Writing and reporting
There is also an internship position in the editorial department of MoneyLife magazine which involves transcription, data collation and proofreading. If you wish to pursue a career in journalism, there could be no experience more valuable than working under two of India's most highly respected business journalists - Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu.
Learn more about this opportunity here.
hi
I am interested in freelance writing. Please give me information about it.
XXX
Right - I should sell the job to you. I'm not that desperate! Here's another sample:
Hi,
Writing has been my passion and media my obsession. Pls visit my blog ABCD to get a feel of my truest passion in life . Pls let me know about further proceedings..I am excited .
regards
XXX
Slightly better. But again, I am unlikely to get excited by such an applicant. It's not clear what he can do for me.
So here are a few guidelines on how to apply for a writing gig - whether freelance or fulltime.
a) Make sure your initial email is written in the Queen's English. Not orkut English, or yahoo English,or sms English. I can't emphasise this point enough!
b) The fact that you blog is good, but not enough. Many people use blogs to express their thoughts and feelings - not the kind of stuff that can actually be printed in a magazine.
So using your blog as a sample of what you can do may not be a good idea. At the very least, give links to a couple of specific posts that showcase your best work.
c) Send a writing sample which you think might be worthy of publication. To do this, you'd have to make a quick study of the magazine/ paper/ website you are contributing to.
For example, poetry is never published in JAM (unless it's out and out funny). Neither are reviews of art exhibitions. So just don't send stuff like that!
d) Come up with story ideas. The Editor is not your teacher. He/ she is not going to hand out homework. The best thing would be for you to suggest topics you can, or would like to write on. If you have a special expertise or interest (say rock music, or technology) - use that as a selling point.
All your ideas will not get accepted but the fact that you came up with them shows you have initiative. It makes you stand out from the crowd.
e) Keep your deadlines. If you need more time, let the Editor know a bit in advance, not after you've missed it (and they've torn their hair out trying to reach you!)
Blank space is an editor's worst nightmare. Anyone who misses their first or second deadline is a no-no in my book. No matter how talented you might be.
f) Don't even think of cogging. We can smell it. It may be that freelance review writers in Delhi
Naaree.com: Freelance writers, columnists
JAM magazine: Full time writer
Twenty Onwards media: Writing and reporting
There is also an internship position in the editorial department of MoneyLife magazine which involves transcription, data collation and proofreading. If you wish to pursue a career in journalism, there could be no experience more valuable than working under two of India's most highly respected business journalists - Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu.
Learn more about this opportunity here.
Labels: journalism, writing
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