Seven ways to get bylines

Don’t wait until you’re hired as a reporter to start acting like one.

Getting articles published is vital to landing a reporting job. Most editors want to see four to six — and sometimes many more — samples of your work.

“It shows much more to those hiring that you’re ambitious about being published, rather than having a resume with a college term paper that never was published attached to it,” said Joe Hight, managing editor of The Oklahoman. “And I can tell you it’s a lot more exciting to see your byline in a publication than the grade that you’ll receive for the term paper.”

While in school, develop a portfolio of good clips that demonstrates your journalism skills. Visit my journalism website to find out how to get bylines.

-Mark Grabowski