About Journalist Jobs in Birmingham, AL
Birmingham Journalism Jobs Overview
In today’s culture of accelerated app usage, instant gratification, and clickbaiting for page views, journalists need to keep one underlying directive in mind: adaptation. There’s ever-growing competition for attention playing out in the digital space, with social media, legacy publications, and new media all battling it out. Hence, those who can integrate their journalistic acuity with tech proficiencies will get the best journalism jobs.
Do you have an inquisitive mind? Are you a good writer who isn’t afraid to ask tough questions and do the legwork? Do you enjoy delving into datasets to extract the right information? Then you may want to jump into a journalism career. Your daily schedule will have you pitching story ideas; researching documents and archives to synthesize facts; making calls to gather quotes or schedule interviews; hitting the field to observe and report; strapping yourself to your desk to pump out articles on-deadline; and working with your editor on revisions before going to press.
You can expand your search for media jobs by checking out these similar positions:
About Working in Birmingham, Alabama
As the largest city in Alabama, Birmingham is an ever-burgeoning nexus within the Southern United States. With its clement winters, a vibrant art-and-music scene, and a food culture propped up by several James Beard Foundation award winners and nominees, Birmingham has a lot to offer. Not to mention the hulking, 56-foot cast-iron statue of Vulcan—an homage to the city's iron-and-steel-industry beginnings (and one of the largest sculptures of its kind throughout the nation). Residents also enjoy a quality of life enhanced by thousands of acres of parks and urban green spaces (about 11,712 square feet per capita).
Additionally, the economy has a solid outlook, with Birmingham over the next 10 years, and the average cost of living in Birmingham is lower than the rest of the state and country. As job opportunities continue to diversify (and a robust healthcare field steadily grows), more and more people are flocking to Birmingham. Meanwhile, you can also take a look at Hoover, Tuscaloosa, and Decatur, for extra job openings in the regional area.
Update Your Birmingham Journalism Resume
Recruiters for journalism jobs will be looking for a particular set of accomplishments on your resume, so make sure to highlight the following:
- Interviewing skills (and whom you’ve already interviewed and/or profiled).
- The nature of your source list and how many contacts you have within certain industries.
- Any stories that you broke or scoops/exclusives that you brokered.
- Any awards you received for outstanding reporting.
If you’re already concentrating on any specific fields or subject matter, give some examples of how you’ve applied your expertise. But if you’re still feeling jammed, read through our reporter resume sample. You should also include a magnetic cover letter that outlines your journalistic ethos—everything from your storytelling approach and aptness for uncovering stories before others to your ability to protect sources and hold corruptors accountable. Get some pointers from our journalism cover letter.
How Much Do Journalism Jobs Pay in Birmingham, Alabama?
Got money on your mind? You should! Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. Our Salary Tools can help you understand what you can expect to make in journalism jobs in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as the skills that can boost your value and what the next steps in your career might be. Right now, the median reporter pay in Birmingham is $39,917 per year, which is 2% lower than the national average.
Find Your Next Birmingham Journalism Job. Monster Can Help Get You Started
Are you prepared for a career in journalism? If so, set up your profile on Monster for free and begin clicking on those journalism jobs. When you sign up with us, you’ll receive custom job alerts and expert advice on how to negotiate your salary in Birmingham, how to nail your job interview, and more.