Top 15 skills that employers want from journalism grads

Some students embark on their Journalism course with a rather restricted view of where they might want to work and what 'journalism' entails. As you progress through the Deakin course you should have a more realistic view of what it means to be a journalist. For instance, it's not enough just to want to write.

Employers will be as interested in your news gathering abilities and your ability to show initiative as they will in your writing skills. These are some of the things that employers look for in journalism graduates:

1. enthusiastic self starters
2. good news gathering skills
3. good research skills
4. good people skills
5. good grasp of spelling and grammar
6. good, clear, writing style
7. solid current affairs
8. curiosity and tenacity
9. mature outlook
10. good IT skills
11. good understanding of the law as it applies to journalism
12. adaptability
13. typing skills
14. shorthand (still very important if you want to work in a newspaper)
15. ability to manage time well and meet deadlines