I just wrote (with no small amount of pride) about one of my former NPR interns, Emily Schmall. She reminds me of a line I used to hear a lot when I was in school. My news director had to push us a bit when we were learning, telling us that "They can always say no but you'll never know if you don't ask." It's a riff on the line, "You can't win the lottery without buying a ticket."
Emily, like most of my mentees over the years, is not afraid to ask or "no." To be a good journalist you have to become a little deaf to that word. After all, there is a story to report and a deadline to meet and do not have time to negotiate. If someone says no, you go elsewhere. Eventually, someone says yes and you're off. This doesn't just apply to journalism as I think it applies to just about any situation where you look across the proverbial room and see something that interests you.
What about looking for work? What about wanting a promotion? What about wanting a raise? What about finding a company you like that has a job you want? Would you say to yourself, "What the hell? The worst is they could say no."
To be fair, I know a lot of people who have applied for various jobs and haven't gotten so much as a nibble. They can't get a call back or a returned e-mail and if they do get through, they have been treated rudely.
Still, I think you have to decide to do a few things first before you embark on any search. First, how much are you going to put into your search? Second, did you spend a bit of time researching companies before your applied? Next, did you talk to people who already work there? Have you gone to local meetups? And, again before you made any sort of move, did you brush up your online business and social media profile?
The answer to my questions isn't no, is it?
*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog
