Teresa Buckley is the executive city editor for the Times Union.  James Odato writes a blog about politics for the Times Union.   He also joined the Capitol Bureau in 2008.  Recently they came in to journalism class to talk about journalism and what is important when looking for a job.

It was unfortunate that I attended every journalism class all year but missed out on such a great oppurtunity because I was home throwing up.  Once I found out I missed such a beneficial meeting I decided to look up what is important in your resume if you want to get hired in the journalism world. 

James Odato of the Times Union came to class last Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the Times Union.

The first thing that I learned that I had no idea was how important it was to have a cover letter.  Employers have to go through a great deal of applications sometimes and having a nice cover letter is a great way to have your application stick out from everyone elses.

It is vital that your resume has absolutely no mistakes especially because you are applying for a journalism job.  When it comes to the interview make sure you are familiar with the newspaper you are applying for.  Nothing would look worse than not being aware of the type of newspaper it is.

One other thing interviewers want to know about is if you are familiar with the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Pracitce.  It would be helpful to know the code by heart.

I also learned how it is extremely important to have experience to put on your resume when you are applying.  It doesn’t matter if it is an internship or working for the school newspaper.  Employers want to see examples of the work you are writing.

I wish I went to the class because I feel like it would be extremely beneficial.  I do feel like after reading through some articles online I have a better feel for what employers are looking for.  I hope someday I will be able to say I got the job.

A Local Rivalry

If you haven’t made any plans for the weekend  then the Times Union Center is the place to be tomorrow night.  Tomorrow the areas hottest crosstown rivalry is renewed when UALBANY and Siena meet on the hardwood. 

The Danes are entering the game with a respectable start to the season sitting at 5-2 but the Danes haven’t had the most difficult schedule in the world.  Two of the teams victories are coming from a first year division 1 basketball program in Bryant College.

The Siena Saints are entering this game with a 3-3 record.  While they have played a fairly difficult schedule you have to feel the start to the Siena has been a disappointment for Siena.  They were flat out embarassed in the Old Spice tournament by Tennessee and ended up finishing in dead last.  They are coming off a win over Loyola which might help them enter the game on a high note.

Saturday night plans to be a big night for the city of Albany no matter what team you are rooting for.  Ever since the rivalry was renewed in 2001 this game has been a big draw.  The Saints have won 6 of 7 since they renewed the rivalry and look to be favored tomorrow night.

My prediction on the game is that Siena bounces back after a miserable start to the season with a victory.  Even though I think UALBANY is a more athletic team I think Siena has more talent.  Siena playing the game at the Times Union Center is also a huge advantage.  I see UALBANY keeping it close for a while and Siena pulling away in the second half.  No matter what tomorrow night should be a fun night for Capital Region basketball fans.

0-16?

The look of dejected fans wondering if the Lions will win a game all year. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Over Thankgiving I had the punishment of watching the Detroit Lions play football. I knew they were a bad team going into this game but with the exception of a few highlights I hadn’t sat down and watched them play a full game. Once I watched them I wondered how a team could be so bad.

The Titans had almost 300 yards rushing alone. The team got blown out by 30 plus. I couldn’t belive how bad they actually were. Once the game was over that got me thinking about whether or not this team would win a game all year.

Once I took a look at the remainder of the Lions schedule I thought to myself there is a pretty good chance this team goes winless. Every year we talk about the chances of a team going winless and I always think there is no way. This year I think there is a very good chance the Lions go down in the record books.

Home/Away	Opponent
Home	Minnesota
Away	Indianapolis
Home	New Orleans
Away	Green Bay

Above is the remaining games in the Lions schedule.  The Lions are 0-12 going into there final 4 games of the season.  If you look closely you will see that every team the lions play is fighting for there playoff lives. This means no team they play the rest of the year will be taking them lightly.

Tampa Bay went 0-14 in 1976 in their first year as a team. No team has gone winless since then. No team has ever gone 0-16 in NFL history. I think the Lions will be in the record books at the end of this year.

Building a Career in Magazines and Books

Since I haven’t really checked my email over Thansgiving Break this assigment is late.  I figured I better write it now instead of blowing it off completely. 

Nicole LeBlanc wrote the book Random Nights. Photo Courtesy of Google Images.

Recently in my book for digital journalism class I read about what it is like to have a career in the magazine and book business.  I must say I learned a great deal of information that I did not know.

Nicole LeBlanc, author of the book “RandomFamily” talked about freelancing say that it is a major “gamble”.  She went on to say it isn’t just writing a good story but it is convincing other people that the story is worth there time.

I also learned that it is much more difficult to have a career in freelance writing then it was in the past.  Long narratives are published less and less in magazines now.  Because of this it is very important that the writer spend a great deal of time pitching the story as well as write it.

Joesph Gonrad is a writer that said you should never take a break from a piece.  He said “abandoning projects can become a bad habit.”  I thought that was interesting because sometimes I do just that.

Susan Orlean is a very successful writer that was in the book I read for class. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Ways to eliminate that habit are to give yourself a sample due date or spend more time thinking about the book like during your lunch break or dinner. 

The chapter went on talking about how difficult being a freelance writer can be because of all of these situations but one thing that Susan Orlean,  a writer of many books, said stayed with me.

“Spending time with the orchid poachers made me realize that I do have one real passion: for my work and the idea that it matters.”

When I finished the chapter that quote stayed with me because enjoying what you do and feeling like it is worth while is the most important thing.  Being a writer might be a tough job with the low pay and competitiveness but I enjoy it.  I love writing about sports and I plan on doing that no matter how hard it might be.

Lane is the New Name At Tennessee

After 17 seasons in Knoxville the University of Tennessee will no longer be referring to Phillip Fulmer as the head coach.  Yesterday Lane Kiffin was introduced as the Tennessee Volunteers new head football coach.

The hiring was announced just 2 days after Hall of Fame coach Phillip Fulmer was carried off the field to the sounds of Rocky Top in honor of his 17 seasons with the Vols.  It will be no easy task for Kiffin to turn the Vols around.  The Vols finished a disappointing 5-7 this year with a loss to Wyoming of all teams.

The former Raider coach is headed to Knoxville. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Kiffin is going to be making a little over 2 million a year for leading the Big Orange.  It is actually more than he was making as the Oakland Raiders head coach before he was fired earlier this year.  Before coaching the Raiders Kiffin worked with the quarterbacks at USC.

Kiffin will be joined by his father Monte Kiffin who currently is an assistant coach on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff.  Ed Orgeron, the former Ole Miss head coach is also rumored to be on the staff which will help recruiting in Knoxville.

When you are in the SEC conference and are competing against coaches like Urban Meyer and Nick Saban recruiting can get tough.  Tennessee is hoping Kiffin can tackle that obstacle as well as coach the Vols to success on the field.

It will certainly look different every Saturday when Fulmer isn’t on the field with the Vols.  Hopefully over time Kiffin can make a name for himself and yesterday was the start.

Championship Week in College Football

This weekend in College Football is Championship week. It is the last week in college football before the bowls. For 3 major BCS conferences their conference championship will be decided this Saturday. For the MAC conference a champion will be crowned Friday night.

Friday night at 7 the Buffalo Bills will be in its first ever MAC championship and will be taking on Ball State. Ball State is a heavy favorite in the game. Ball State has a perfect season going so far at 12-0 and they are looking to improve on that record.

Saturday starts the conference championships for the BCS schools. The ACC conference championship should be a great battled this weekend. The Boston College Eagles who are 17 in the country at 9-3 will be taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies at 8-4 and number 25 in the country. The game should be an epic battle between two former Big East programs that have a history with one another.

Nick Saban has his Alabama team one win away from the National Championship. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The game of the weekend if you ask me is the SEC Championship. This game will be played at 4pm on Saturday between Alabama and Florida. Alabama comes into the game undefeated at 12-0 and number 1 in the country. Florida is 11-1 and is number 4 in the country. There is a great chance that the winner of this game earns a spot in the national championship.

The Big 12 Championship will be at 8pm between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Missouri Tigers. The Sooners are 11-1 and number 2 in the country. The Missouri Tigers are 9-3 and number 20 in the country. The Sooners can earn a spot in the national championship with a victory.

A BCS bowl game is given to the winner of each of these BCS games. A very respectable bowl is given to the MAC champion. This Saturday will be a great way to close out the college football regular season. The season has been exciting so far and hopefully this weekend won’t disappoint us. Expect a great weekend of college football.