How to build a US journalism career as an international student

Editor’s Note: With another fall semester already underway, many international students have arrived in the U.S., and some of you may have started to think about how to build careers and lives here. Four years ago, Leying was in the same position. She arrived at NYU as an international graduate student in multimedia journalism. She started her career with internships in video and documentary production, pivoted to audio journalism after graduation and eventually became a full-time producer at CNN Podcasts. Drawing from her own experience, she provides actionable tips that you can put in practice every day.

1. How to figure out your career goal

Ask yourself what kind of journalist you want to become after graduation - an on-camera reporter, a video producer or a data journalist. You may not have an answer at the beginning of the semester, but your time in journalism school will give you some clues.

First, look for people in the industry whose careers inspire you. In journalism school, you can actually meet more industry professionals than you might think, such as your professors, alumni, or guest speakers. They can inspire you to think about what kind of journalist you want to become.

At NYU’s 2022 journalism orientation, the guest speaker was Lingling Wei, the chief China correspondent at The Wall Street Journal. Her speech made me feel that working full-time in an American newsroom as an international journalist was not out of reach. I also attended a Business Insider info session and met Lilian Manansala, an editor and videographer at BI. Her career path and the videos she produced inspired me to become a video producer or editor in the future.

Second, use your classes to pursue a project you’re genuinely interested in for at least one semester. Interest can motivate you to produce the best work you’re capable of and see how far you can push yourself. Along the way, you can also discover what you like and dislike, which can help shape your career goals.

In my first year of graduate school, I enrolled in photojournalism and creative writing classes in which professors required us to do a long-form reporting project. Because I was interested in K-pop culture, I reported a story about K-pop dancers who rehearsed at Moynihan Train Hall. The story became my first byline outside of student media in the US. I pushed myself to make the story and photos as strong as I could. I went to Moynihan Train Hall multiple times to watch their rehearsals, talk to dancers and get to know the community. I took hundreds of photos of dancers rehearsing at Penn Station and performing in Times Square. Through this project, I found my passion for shooting and editing photos, which inspired me to take more visual journalism classes later in graduate school. It also gave me confidence and solidified my goal of becoming a video journalist.

After collecting your best work from your classes, you can highlight your strongest projects in your resume and showcase the work in your portfolio. Those projects can then become strong examples to discuss when you apply and interview for internships.

2. How to build a professional portfolio

A portfolio of student work can help you secure an internship, but it may not be enough to land a full-time job in a professional newsroom. You need strong, high-quality professional work to strengthen your portfolio. One of the best ways to get those clips is to report or produce your own stories during internships.

But you might ask: I’m just an intern – how can I get this kind of opportunity in a professional newsroom?

Consider interning at a smaller newsroom. I got my start in audio at WJFF Radio Catskill, a local radio station serving the Catskill Mountains of New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania. At the same time, the newsroom consisted of three full-time staff and two interns. The staff gave me full freedom to pursue the stories I was interested in. It also gave me room to try different aspects of audio storytelling. I hosted and produced an audio story about how people from China and Chinese Americans celebrate Chinese New Year differently. The story was personal to me and relevant to the local Chinese community. I also reported on the first and only all-female scout troop in Sullivan County. I interviewed multiple teenage participants and the troop leader. The piece resonated with a local resident, who commented on the story to say her daughter was also in the troop and they loved the scouting experience.

Second, take the initiative to pitch stories and learn what kind of stories the team is looking for. My summer internship at NBC News’ digital video desk lasted only 10 weeks. I tried to pitch at least one story every other day so I could turn some of those ideas into published stories. I gradually learned what the team needed by reflecting on which pitches didn’t work and why. I found that the team needed timely stories with strong visuals that could drive the narrative. One day, while reviewing footage from local news stations, I saw a man shouting for help in Lahaina during the 2023 Maui wildfires. I was so struck by the footage that I pitched the story to the team. My supervisor at the time also thought the footage deserved more attention. The video received more than 130,000 views on YouTube. It became one of the strongest pieces in my portfolio and showed that I could produce quick-turnaround news videos.

3. How to get your foot in the door

Apply, apply, apply! Keep an open mind about different opportunities, especially as an international student without any professional experience in the US. You also never know how different experiences might eventually lead you toward your career goal.

After graduation, I applied for several entry-level positions in TV and video journalism, but none of them worked out. When I saw an internship opportunity at WJFF Radio Catskill in an email from the NYU career office, I thought, why not? This internship not only made me fall in love with audio storytelling but also helped me land a 6-month production assistant role at The Journal podcast.

Tailor each cover letter to the position. A thoughtful cover letter can make a good first impression on hiring managers. The process also forces you to think about why you want the job, what draws you to the company’s work, and what you hope to achieve next in your career. Before I applied for my current role at CNN, I listened to multiple episodes of each show, writing down what I liked about them and what I might do differently if I joined the team. In addition, I knew that for my next career step, I wanted to write and produce episodes every day rather than primarily assist a show.

Prepare thoughtful questions for an interview. They can be about your interviewer’s experience, the show you’re applying to, or the newsroom culture in general. The best starting point is your curiosity. For example, during one of my interviews at CNN, I was curious about how the 5 Things podcast could produce multiple quick-turnaround episodes in a single day. I asked a senior producer who worked on the show. When a company interviews you, you’re also interviewing the company. You can ask about how the role could help you grow and what journalists can learn from working on their team.

Follow your heart when choosing between offers. When I got the production assistant position at The Journal podcast, I also received another offer for a full-time video producer role at a Chinese short drama company with a higher salary. But I decided to stay in journalism. I wanted to follow my curiosity and see where audio journalism could take me. Now I’m producing video podcasts at CNN.

4. How to build your network

I’ve heard about the importance of networking since the day when I arrived in the US, but I’ve spent the past four years figuring out an approach to networking that works for me. Networking can be awkward and overwhelming, but it can also be fun once you find a way that works for you. I think of networking in three levels, each requiring me to step a little further outside my comfort zone.

First, build your network at school. My graduate program’s director organized a dinner so everyone could meet each other before the class began. It was my first opportunity to get to know other journalism students around my age in the US. Collaborating with students from other programs in different classes also helped me build a circle of friends outside my own program. Now we work at different media companies, but we catch up very often after graduation, sharing what we’re hearing about the industry and what we’ve learned on the job. I’ve also stayed in touch with my professors at NYU, emailing them with career updates and asking them for career advice. The network I built at school is my safety net and one of my support systems in the US.

Second, be strategic about networking events. It’s easy to feel lost or overwhelmed at a networking event if you don’t have a specific goal in mind. Before the event, I review the attendee list, look at people’s career paths on LinkedIn, and reach out to the people I’m most interested in speaking with. During the event, don’t be shy about talking to people. Again, genuine curiosity about someone is often the best conversation starter. If I have a good conversation with somebody, I’ll write their names on my phone, connect with them on LinkedIn afterward or ask for their contact information so we can keep in touch. I usually go to networking events with a friend because it makes me feel more comfortable approaching people I’ve never met before. In addition, I give myself some breathing room to relax and enjoy the event.

Third, reach out to people on LinkedIn for coffee. I think this is the most intentional kind of networking because I usually reach out with something specific I want to learn. Before the coffee chat, I review the person’s LinkedIn profile, look at their portfolio, and write down specific questions that I can’t answer through my own research. For example: What is their perspective on the team or role? What skills do they think are most important for the position? If I want a similar role, what experience am I currently missing? What advice would they give me on my portfolio? I also prepare a brief introduction about myself, what I’m currently working on, and why I’m interested in speaking with them.

Don’t be too hard on yourself when a coffee chat or networking event doesn’t lead anywhere. Sometimes you may not get a response from someone on LinkedIn, or you may have one coffee chat with someone and never speak to them again. But you never know where one brief conversation might lead. I met a recruiter at the NYU career fair in 2023 and had a brief chat with him. A year later, he reached out to me about interviewing for a role at a major news organization. When you meet people who genuinely want to support you, make an effort to stay in touch and support them in return. Meaningful professional relationships require effort from both sides.

5. How to keep momentum and stay resilient when things don’t work out in your favor

Alongside all the successes I’ve mentioned, I’ve also faced a lot of rejection along the way. I didn’t get a full-time position right after my graduation. I’ve been turned down at different stages of the interview process. It’s hard to maintain momentum and resilience, especially when things don’t go the way I hoped.

When I receive a rejection, the first thing I do is cry. I think it’s the most direct and efficient way to let out my negative emotions. I give myself a break to process my disappointment and distract myself by doing something else, such as going for a walk, reading a book, etc.

Then I reflect on it: Why didn’t it work out? Once, I applied for a job in Texas that I had been to only once. I didn't get the offer, so I sent an email to the hiring manager for feedback. He told me I was one of their top candidates, but that I lacked reporting experience in the area. He gave me a piece of advice that I still carry with me today: If you can pitch a few stories that show you know the region well, that could help.

I remind myself that even when something doesn’t work out, the effort I put into it isn’t wasted. I still learned something from the experience. I also remind myself that every step counts, and that building a career takes time.

In addition, the immigration environment is becoming more challenging for international students. Several universities have paused Curricular Practical Training (CPT) - a form of work authorization that allows eligible international students to participate in off-campus training related to their curriculum - after new federal guidance changed the requirements for CPT.

It’s important to stay informed about changes in immigration policies, but try not to become overly anxious about it, because we can’t control changes in immigration policy. Focus on what you can control: learning in class, working on your reporting projects, and continuing to build your network. Policies may change, but the skills, portfolio, and professional relationships you build will stay with you. In a polarized era, newsrooms need the perspectives international journalists bring just as much as international journalists need opportunities in those newsrooms.

I recommend keeping a folder of your career achievements and looking back at the pieces you’re proudest of. It can remind you why you chose this path in the first place. That helps you regain momentum and keep moving forward.

About the writer

Leying is a bilingual multimedia journalist with an M.A. in multimedia journalism from NYU. Now she works as an associate producer at CNN Podcasts. She formerly worked at The Journal podcast and WJFF Radio Catskill on national and local news stories in the US. With prior experience in video journalism, she worked at NBC News' digital video desk and Beijing Bureau, where she contributed to U.S. national breaking news coverage and reported on major events in China, like the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She also worked on a PBS Frontline investigative documentary about Jack Teixeira, which won two Emmy nominations in 2024.

About the editor

Mary Hennock reported for the BBC from London then as Beijing correspondent for Newsweek. Her work has also appeared in The Guardian. She now works primarily as an editor on in-depth reports with a China focus.

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Leying Tang. Leying at NYU’s graduation ceremony. May 16, 2024.