i'm thinking of going into journalism and start by working for a local newspaper. thing is, i have practically nothing as far as writing is concerned. i like to write, sure. i wrote stories when i was younger (who doesn't?), my seventh-grader teacher complimented me on my writing assignments, in high school my essay (which i am too embarrassed to have written because it was really bad, content-wise) was included in a classroom publication, and i got a's in my english classes. but other than the usual stuff, i can't really brag about being a writer. what do people generally look for when they're hiring journalist-wannabes anyway? the articles in the few local magazines i've read were, frankly, poorly written. i don't think the writers (like me) ever had any official training in journalism either. also, are there any websites where i can get a reality check before i get all excited about working for a newspaper or magazine? i've been reading a few books on newswriting, but mostly they're the stuff i already knew. yeah, i know this message got a little long and rambling. thanks for reading, and more thanks for answering.
What you would have to do for this is write a functional resume. That pays more attention to the skills you have, rather than the jobs you've had. So you could have a section for computer skills, literary skills, communication skills, stuff like that. At the bottom is where you list jobs you've had instead of near the top, only so they know that you haven't been doing nothing, rather than to show relevant experience.
I have three resumes, each with a different focus. They all contain the same information. I just give a different emphasis to certain areas. 1) Education Resume 2) Work History Resume 3) Skills Resume
