You don’t need to tell me that it’s tough to launch a journalism career right now. I’ve lived it, and I’ll always have compassion for people who are just getting started.
But when I get emails from students who are struggling, that compassion—and a little anecdotal advice—is really all I have to offer. So when people ask for more, I send them to Lisa Granshaw. Lisa is a fellow journalist who doesn’t just report herself, she has a side career helping people get their footing in the media world.
Nobody can explain what Lisa does better than Lisa herself, so I invited her to write a guest post on the topic. Consulting isn’t for everyone, but this post could help you figure out if it’s what your career might need:
When I was looking for a journalism job right out of school, asking a consultant to help me never crossed my mind. I was confident that my internships, university career services, and mentors could help me get through the rough patches of navigating a career in the media industry.
One unemployed summer and a few years later, I look back at my beginnings and wish I had asked for help in certain areas. Not to say that some of my mentors weren’t able to help me, but many things had changed since they started out a decade or more ago and younger professionals I spoke with didn’t tell me the complete truth about what to expect in the industry. I figured things out and now I’m working in a position I love as a freelancer, but sometimes I wonder if I could have found my way much faster if I had not been stubborn and asked for help.
That’s why I started my own communications career consulting business, Media Career Consulting LLC, this year. Two things inspired me to become a career consultant. The first was looking back on the things I didn’t know when I started out. I wish I had found a specialist I could talk to about the industry back then and know what I know now. Also, over the last few years I’ve become a mentor to a number of young people who ask me the same questions I struggled to figure out on my own at the start. I realized no one was telling them what they needed to hear either. Resumes were styled wrong, cover letters were being reused, people were passive in their job hunt, and few understood how to network in an ever-changing digital environment. I’ve tailored my own business services to deal with these common mistakes and offer help in areas I wish I had had help with when I was starting out. I also offer advice and a truthful, honest look at the media industry on my blog “Lessons from the Newsroom.” [Ed.’s Note: I just guest-posted for Lisa here!]
Of course, hiring a consultant isn’t for everyone. You might already know how to navigate all of these areas or are confident you can work your way up to your dream job on your own. But there’s nothing wrong with asking for a little help if you feel lost. I’ll admit I’m pretty stubborn when it comes to asking for help but now when I see how my outside perspective helps people catch things they overlooked or see the difference it makes when I offer an honest opinion that no one close to them was willing to say, I wish I had had someone like that talking to me. A consultant can help if you find yourself unsuccessful in your job hunt or even in switching from a job you’re unhappy in to your dream position. Spending money on a consultant if you feel lost can help you eventually make a living in a job you love and be worth it in the end.
So if you find your job hunt stalled or are having a difficult time breaking into a certain career, it might be time to bring in outside help. Sometimes that outside perspective can make all the difference in catching what you’re missing and helping you get the career you deserve.
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Lisa Granshaw is a freelance writer and career consultant in New York City. She founded Media Career Consulting LLC to help young professionals interested in a career in the media and communications industry. Her writing has appeared on numerous websites inclduing TODAY.com, BoingBoing.net, the Daily Dot, Parents.com, Vetstreet, and more.