SYN Media

You can’t be under 26 forever.

When SYNners get too old to volunteer, a lot of them go on to work in the media, taking with them all the skills SYN has instilled in them.

Tara Cosoleto was a regular SYN volunteer from 2015 – 2016 and now works for SBS and AFL.

Read more about her here:

Have you been to uni? What did you study?
I studied a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) at RMIT University.

Did you do any internships? How valuable were these in finding a job?
Internships are extremely valuable! They’re a great place to develop contacts and a portfolio of work, but also to see if your chosen industry is the right one for you. I completed four internships in the last year of my degree at radio and print organisations. Having gone into my degree thinking I wanted to be a print journalist, these internships helped me realise that I am a lot more passionate and better suited for radio. I also met some amazing people and was able to put into practice a lot of the skills I developed throughout my degree.

What did you do at SYN?
I volunteered at SYN in 2015-16. I spent most of time at Panorama- first as a reporter and then as the Assistant Producer in 2016. Panorama was a fantastic platform for me to develop my skills and boost my confidence. I had zero experience being on radio or even contacting talent when I started, so Panorama really threw me into the deep end in the best possible way. I also did some news reading for SYN news, which was fantastic.

What are you doing now? Where are you working? How did you get your job?
I currently have a couple of casual jobs in the industry. I work as a radio journalist for SBS News in Melbourne and I’m a match producer at AFL Media. I was offered both of my jobs as a result of the internship process.

What does a typical day look like for you at SBS and at the AFL?
The two jobs are very different. SBS is obviously very news focused, so I usually write and voice a radio feature in the first couple of hours of my shift before focusing on turning over the news bulletin. This means writing multiple news stories so the language programs have up-to-date news. At the AFL, my job is to produce the match videos for the AFL website and app. This means I watch my assigned game and produce a series of videos. These videos range from short clips of exciting goals and marks, to longer highlights packages and coach press conferences.

What’s the best advice you’ve received about finding a job in journalism?
Persistence is key. You need to work hard and not expect everything to just come to you. Try as many things as you can while you’re studying and build up that CV! Experience is often more important in the industry than your degree.

What made you want to pursue radio over the other mediums?
It was a combination of volunteering at SYN and my internships. SYN helped me realise how exciting and fun radio can be. My internships showed that radio news is consistently fast-past, which is something I really thrive on.

You’re having coffee with a SYN volunteer who wants to do what you’re doing. What advice would you give them?
Just keep doing what you’re doing! If you’re already volunteering at SYN, then you’re half way there. I can’t tell you the number of times I have spoken to journalists or producers who kick-started their careers by volunteering at SYN. So just keep volunteering and take any opportunity that comes your way!

Find Tara via Twitter and Linkedin.

Have a job application you want proofread? Got an idea you want covered here? Are you a SYN alumni who wants to give back? The Job Blog is updated monthly and you can get in touch with the Content Development Coordinator at content @ syn.org.au with any ideas.