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Hello. I am Leonor Ayala, Chief Recruitment and Business Development Officer for URL Media Recruiting and Talent Development. I’m back in San Francisco and reflecting on our road trip to Washington, D.C., last week, where we hosted a series of career-related workshops during the National Press Club‘s annual Career Day.

The Press Club’s Career Day convening coincided with the layoffs of hundreds of incredibly versatile and skilled Voice of America journalists. During our rapid resume review session, we met many highly talented journalists, foreign policy specialists, and experts suddenly thrust into a competitive job market. And so many of the people we met last week had not updated their resumes in years or, in some cases, decades or had no LinkedIn presence.

So, this week, I want to share with you all a few key points to remember – whether you are dusting off your resume in hopes of starting a job search or are newly on the market, here are a few things to start doing and keep in mind as you go forth:

  • Refresh your resume every time you start a new role, and update it once you are six months into the new role.
  • Keep a journal detailing your wins, lessons learned, and professional growth. This will help you when you need to update your resume.
  • Don’t list tasks for each role; tell a story highlighting your impact. For example, did your reporting change or shape a new policy shift? Did your reporting increase traffic or audience share? What metrics are associated with your role that you can point to to tell a story of your successes?
  • Network all the time –even when you are employed. Your network is what you will lean on when you are suddenly out of work and is your key resource for getting in the door. 
  • Tailor your resume to each role you are applying for. The job description will contain keywords and skills that you can use to maximize your visibility in AI resume filters.
  • Keep your LinkedIn profile updated! Recruiters use LinkedIn as a first impression of you and your skills.

We’re here to help. Email talent@url-media.com with feedback, thoughts, or questions.

SUBSCRIBE to the URL Career Newsletter for more tips as well as lists of open and available roles.

Leonor Ayala is the Chief of Business Development and Partnerships for URL Media, leading its recruitment practice. Before joining URL Media, Leonor was a leading network television news executive who worked at NBC News in New York for 18 years. At NBC News, she led the network's diversity and inclusion programs while co-producing award-winning programs. She co-founded NBCU Academy - the NBCU News Group's flagship training program for college students and young professionals. She most recently served as the creator and executive editor of NBCUAcademy.com – an open-access journalism and media training website. Leonor led the curriculum design and implementation for internal and external DEI-centered newsroom training programs for the NBC News Group. She also oversaw the creation and management of several employee resource groups within the news division. She is a Rutgers University graduate pursuing a Master's at New York University. She is a 2023 Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Sulzberger Fellow. She lives in San Francisco.