Delaware State Universities Mass Communication department had the opportunity to attend the “Cathy Hughes School of Communications Job & Internship Fair.” I was one of the forty-one that attended, the fair took place in the Newseum and sponsored by Howard University in Washington D.C.
The fair began with two forums, my favorite one was “So You Want To Make It In Journalism?” With five panelists from a variety of backgrounds in television and radio. They discussed a variety of topics within journalism from minorities in the workforce and how to represent without being offensive (saying something as “I do not represent the entire black community, just my voice”). Reels and resumes were discussed, one of the panelists was a recruiter and left us with some words of wisdom regarding creating stories and getting hired. Another panelist was a radio personality and Howard alumni, discussing her experience from having to go outside of her comfort zone in order to get a job outside of radio and later on having the job in radio. Other stories were also discussed from three other panelists. One was a sociology major who ended with a job of Huff Post due to his Twitter following, there was a television talent from working in the news, and the last one was a female Sports Anchor who started in politics and ended with a job discussing her passion of sports.
Three things I got out of this panel was:
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You have to learn how to get along with people, because there is no job in the media industry that you can do yourself.
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Understand the atmosphere and culture before you get to your destination.
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Get as much experience as you can. If your good at what you do, then your in the ballpark.
Next, there was the career fair with representatives from a variety of companies in Mass Communication. Some included Google, Fox News, Oracle, The Wall Street Journal, and etc.
Afterwards, we were able to go through the Newseum with whatever remaining time. I did not get to complete the entirety, I finished two out of seven floors. Visiting one of the two television stations, the 9/11 exhibition, and some others.
Overall, I recommend if you have not attended the Howard Job fair of mass communication then you should at least once. This was my second year of attending and my favorite part of the fair was the panel and talking to Google and Fox News. Taking every opportunity and using my resources to help pursue my long-term goals and future for after graduation.