finding my next data journalism role

Amidst the conversations I've had with hiring managers and recruiters lately, I feel overwhelmed by the possible permutations life can go! I want to lay out a framework for deciding where I want to build my career next to clarify guiding principles and what I really want amidst the noise.

Start with some reflection prompts at the beginning of the process.

• Create a bookmarks board of stories I would have loved to work on...stories I find inspiring, meaningful, or that push the boundaries of craft. Will this role help me work on similar stories?
• Define my non-negotiables. What basic level of income do I need? What is the earliest I'd be willing to move? etc.
• Ideate a bucket list for my life. This was an idea from someone I consider a mentor. How do I make my work fit around the things I want to do in life and not the other way around?
• List the skills I want to continue growing in. Apply to jobs with descriptions that generally align with that skillset (though it's important to read between the lines of a job description and recognize that they are usually only a starting point).

Create a decisionmaking matrix.

Inspired by a video that Gabby Merite shared with the Elevate learning community, I created a rubric to evaluate whether a newsroom role would be a good fit for me. This helps me prioritize certain variables in different seasons of life. For example, in two months when I'm no longer on a severance package, maybe "income" would have a higher multiplier. I want to reiterate that this isn't a sole determinant for a decision, but rather a way to clarify what is important to me and what questions I need to ask the team.

Draft questions to understand the team culture

For me, the people I work with are the most important aspect of a job. I pour a lot of my energy into my work and the spaces I'm in. I want to be around people who inspire me, people who are thoughtful about what they produce in this world, and people who are generous.

• Is this team a service desk? How often do people on the data/graphics desk pitch and publish their own stories? If the desk wants to publish something, are they treated as their own editorial vertical with their own editorial power or do they need to collaborate with another vertical? Are data/graphics reporters seen as journalists in their own right or as the "people who crunch the numbers?" Is their work referred to as "content" or "stories?"
• How much buy-in does this team have within the newsroom? How much of their time/energy goes into evangelizing their work and getting buy-in? How do the higher-ups in the newsroom evaluate the performance of this team? How hard is it for this team to backfill positions or get the headcount for promotions? How much turnover has there been?
• How committed is this team to DEI beyond lip service? What is the demographic makeup of their team and leadership? In the newsroom overall, does the racial diversity of the masthead reflect an overall culture of anti-racism and inclusivity? How is the newsroom investing in the next generation of journalists from historically excluded communities?
• What are the overall vibes of the team's leadership? Is there a clear mission for the purpose of the team? Are the leaders good managers and advocate for the long-term growth of their reports across the newsroom? How would managers structure 1:1s? Are the managers actually trained to manage people? What are examples of feedback they've given their direct reports? How are stories assigned/what is the pitching process?
• What are the overall vibes of the team? Do I leave interview calls feeling excited and inspired? Is there good documentation and scalable, sustainable workflows? Is everyone on the team treated as if they have something to learn and something to teach? Are they always just trying to get through the news cycle or is there space for building their skills? What rituals does the team have, such as skillsharing sessions, project retros, etc.? Is there room for me to influence the direction of the team culture?

Identify my potential gaps as a candidate.

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of my insecurities, but I shall save the deeper-rooted ones for therapy.

• The lack of interactive dataviz in my portfolio. Despite having a degree in interactive media, I produced very little of it during my time at axios which focused on creating dataviz for newsletters. To gain more professional experience, I have taken on freelance opportunities that will help me grow in this area. I can also carve out time for personal projects, though I am eager to be as screen-free as possible in this transition period.
• My poor interviewing skills. Let's face it, I ramble too much and I am a deer in the headlights when asked about a project where I did X. I do believe some of it is related to ADHD and difficulty with auditory processing/staying on track with the question that was asked, but being able to explain process and convey vision is important outside of an interview context too! Though I obviously want to be genuine and honest, practicing responses could help me become better at articulating my thoughts concisely in multiple spaces.
• My portfolio only showing form not function. Right now, my portfolio is a grid of images showing a range of chart types. This is less than 5% of all the dataviz I've ever worked on in my career, but I wanted to show my skills in riddling out chart forms and that I was innovative despite being in a "dailies desk" role. To demonstrate that I'm actually quite thoughtful about my design, I can provide some process walkthroughs.

Establish guiding principles

The job market can be really robotic, so I want to outline the kind of person I want to be in this context.

• Try not to let application outcomes determine my self-worth. I'm very good at my craft, but a lot of other people are too and it's a rough job market right now. I say try because it's easier said than done.
• Be open and transparent and operate from an abundance mindset.
• Don't waste anyone's time, including my own. Only apply to jobs or take recruiting conversations with teams I have a genuine interest in. If a role has many potential beige or red flags, get clarity early on in the process.
• No newsroom job will likely be perfect. As one mentor reminded me, this industry changes so much and you can only operate on assumptions of what you think the team will look like beyond three months. Having clear boundaries in what I'm looking for is valid, but overall, the people I work with are more important than the scope of the work and no job is worth significantly changing my personal life for.

Anyways, if you're reading this, it's probably because you asked me for advice in finding a data journo role and I sent you this link to read first. I just want to reiterate that this is my experience alone and that I'm in the privileged position of having a severance package, freelance income, and U.S. citizenship. If I needed health insurance or income to pay rent or a visa right now, this post probably would not exist and I'd probably take one of the first job offers that came my way.

This is also my first time going through the job market for a full-time role, so I'm learning as much as you are (if you have any advice, please share!) I also want to remind you that as much as you are being interviewed, you are also doing the interviewing to make sure this opportunity is a good fit for you. A newsroom data/graphics team should deserve your time and energy and you are worthy!