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Journalists Could Still Maintain Thriving Careers Amid the Lockdown—Here are 6 Ways How

Like most people around the world, journalists are also trying to navigate their way around the stay-at-home orders and social distancing. The urge to make the most out of time under lockdown is as strong as ever. Some are thinking about writing novels, reorganizing their homes, learning a new language, and perfecting yoga routines.

A lot of people are feeling pressured to use this lull to develop themselves, but the truth is that most of them are just getting by.

Some people who work in the media have been furloughed, some are freelancers who are hunting gigs, and some are trying to get away from journalism as a career. When managing their careers, there are those who are more assertive than others. It’s a good thing that there are lots of small things you can do to give your career a push while on lockdown.

GaudiLab/Shutterstock | Like everyone else, journalists also want to make the most out of their time under lockdown.

Liven Up Your LinkedIn Profile

You may not like the task of updating your LinkedIn profile, but it’s something you should do at least once a year. Make sure that you accomplish the skills section as this can increase your chance of being found through LinkedIn’s search engine.

Create a Website for Your Portfolio

A simple portfolio website doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive to create and maintain. An excellent choice for journalists is making theirs through WordPress as many professional sites use it. Learning your way through WordPress also builds a marketable skill.

GaudiLab/Shutterstock | Create a portfolio website containing all your write-ups.

Finetune Your CV

Limit your CV to a maximum of a page and a half. Don’t include your personal interests and GCSE results. Instead, prioritize and highlight your experience and achievements in the past five years. Treat your CV like a press release. Readers don’t usually go beyond the 1st paragraph if it’s not interesting enough.

Write a Book Proposal

Have you been growing this idea of a possible best-seller? Now is probably the time to develop it. If it’s a non-fiction book, you have to write a book proposal and a sample chapter. If you’re more into fiction, you might want to further your skills through a free online creative writing course by Open University.

GaudiLab/Shutterstock | Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, now is the time to test your idea for a book.

Build Up Your Digital Presence

Start building a presence in social media platforms you haven’t tapped yet. For the ones you already use, double-check if your profile bio is a good reflection of who you are. Also, make sure your profile photo is up to date.

Do a Skills Audit

Check what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you lack digital skills like SEO and content marketing, consider enrolling in free online courses in Google Digital Garage or Google Analytics Academy.

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