Networking Strategies for Foreign Journalists in the US

As a journalist, you are familiar with networking to build your contacts for research, stories, features, and news.  As a job seeker in the United States, there are some key strategies you need to know to build relationships for a successful job campaign.

1. Alumni – No matter your country of origin or the country where you attended university or received your journalism degree, you need to build relationships with alumni.  So, if you attended the Faculty of Communication at Yeditepe University in Turkey or the India Institute of Journalism, or CFJ or CELSA in Paris, alumni connections are critical for your job search. Here is how you can connect to alumni from your graduating class, five or ten years ago or earlier.  You may find alumni on LinkedIn by searching for the name of your school or university.  Then search by the city where you live now in the US, then look at the companies where they work.  When you click on the company, you can scroll down the page to find the names and photos of dozens of alumni.  Then you can ask to connect by adding a private note that says, “I noticed we are both alumni from (Name of your school). Let’s connect.”  Once they accept your connection, you can write a message asking to learn more about their career path.  Then set up a phone call or Zoom meeting.

2. Professional Association – As a member of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States (AFPC-USA), you already know the benefits of joining: meeting other journalists, attending events, learning more about your craft.  In addition to AFPC-USA, you might wish to join another organization or two such as The Society of Professional Journalists or the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, or the American Copy Editors Society.  If you are a freelancer, you may find these organizations beneficial: National writers Union or the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

3. Volunteering -Even though you are busy with your day job as a journalist, it is worth your time volunteering for a cause you believe in, whether that is a local soup kitchen or food pantry. Or, if you have children, go to their soccer or little league games, or join the Parents Association of your children’s school.  Or, perhaps, you join the board of your condo or co-op building. Why volunteer?  Volunteering puts you in touch with lots of other people who share your passion and interest.  Building relationships with these people allows you to tap into their networks.  They may connect you to other professionals who know of opportunities in media.  You can add volunteering to fill a gap on your resume.  You may get a reference from the person in charge of the volunteers.

4. Civic or religious organizations.  When you join the Elks, the Masons, or the Lions Club, you can build relationships with other professionals who can then introduce you to their colleagues.  When you join a church, temple, synagogue, or mosque, you see people weekly and develop friendships. Everyone has their own network of 100-200 people.  Some of these people may be in your field or know people in your field and then introduce you to potential hiring managers.

5. Hobbies – What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?  Whether you are an avid reader or golfer, card player, or sports fan, you can find a group of like-minded souls who share your interest.  So, when you join a book club, an adult soccer league, the local gym, or take a class at the local community center, you meet people with like interests.  They, too, have networks of professionals, some of whom might be useful for your job search.

Remember: the key to getting your next job is building relationships to get meetings that lead to jobs.