Ask the Recruiter

Q: Since I finished college in May 2005, I've worked at two smallish dailies in my company. I'm definitely not ready to leave my current job yet, but I would really like to try my hand at freelancing on the side.

I did this once before, during my last semester of school, because our assignment was to write, pitch and get a piece published. Luckily, mine made the front cover of the weekly paper I chose, and I was paid.

My company does permit us to write on the side as long as the stories aren't for competing publications. How can I break into freelancing for a magazine or other publication without too many connections to other working journalists? How do I explain to my sources that I'm writing a story without being affiliated with the publication I want to pitch it to? I would be grateful for any information you can give me.

Hoping For More Experience

A: This can work. It sounds like your company has an accommodating freelance policy.

Begin by choosing a publication that you can write for more than once. It is not efficient to invest a lot of time in researching and pitching to be a one-hit wonder.

Once you have a publication picked out and have studied a few issues, find out who handles the freelancers, and pitch your story. As you don't have much a of a network, you will be building one. This person will be part of it. If he or she agrees to consider the article, tell sources, "I am freelancing an article for Magazine X." I can tell you would not imply that you are a staffer for it.