ongratulations, you've secured your degree and landed your first news gig after college. You're feeling all bubbly inside after accepting your new job offer until you read your employment contract.
You speed through the binding agreement and work your way to the salary section. Suddenly, you have a flashback of what your college professor told you repeatedly, "You must love being a journalist because you won't make a lot of money being one."
If you're just starting out in the news industry don't expect to make the big bucks. From my experience and listening to other entry-level journalists, making a few dollars above minimum wage, while rightfully groaning and complaining isn't uncommon.
Experienced journalists will give you the "pay your dues" speech when you gripe about being underpaid and overworked. We all have to start somewhere in our careers, but we shouldn't sell ourselves short along the process.
It may not always seem like your journalism degree was worth it when you're required to meet daily deadlines, sacrifice personal time, and not complain about the job or the money you're making. What should a journalist expect with their first employment contract?
"I'm not trying to steer you to leave the industry, but if I had to do it all over again, I would have done everything I could to not sell myself short in my early career as a journalist." - Kenasia Johnson
Here are a few ways to be proactive when you have an employment agreement:
Don't walk blindly into a contract: Read the fine print of your employment agreement, then read it again before signing. There are non-compete agreements that you need to fully understand.
Find someone who understands: Find a professional who understands the ins and outs of a contract (such as an employment lawyer) or senior level journalist to look over the agreement.
Ask for clarity: Find your HR department if you don’t understand the fine print. Have them help you go over each aspect of the contract that you don’t understand.
Know your rights and negotiate: You should always know your rights and seek to negotiate your employment contract even as an entry-level journalist. All your employer can do is say yes or no to the requested changes. You will live if they say no, and that’s ok.
Always remember, what you have to bring to the table as a journalist is valuable. That’s why you were hired. When signing an employment contract it should always benefit both parties. You and your employer should seek to understand each other.
A negotiation isn’t an argument, but a discussion on what each party needs. Never feel afraid to speak up, but be reasonable. If you still feel compelled to start your journalist career, by all means go for it!
Respect yourself and always read the contract thoroughly, it can make all the difference.
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