Q. I've started to write some application essays and haven't had much success so far. I started with the short answers first because the longer ones are way too daunting. But when I reread what I wrote it was all so boring.

Is every little thing you write supposed to be super creative and introspective, or can you just answer the question, "Why do you want to attend this university?," without a big production?

As for the longer essays, I just can't come up with anything that interesting about myself to write about. I haven't had any huge setbacks, I haven't read a book that changed my life and I wasn't involved in any significant local issue. I've read all the tips on writing these and know it doesn't have to be about something extremely major, but I can't think of anything at all.

For one, I was asked to write a profile on myself in news or features style, as if I had interviewed myself. Should I focus on something small, or give an overview of my life? Would they want to hear more about my writing or something completely different?

Stuck

A. At every level, from school applications to job applications, readers are looking for similar things:

• How do you write?
• How do you think?
• Do you have passion?
• What can we learn about you?
  

The first two are about the quality of what you write. Use a tight outline, a beginning that has a little mystery to entice them to read and a conclusion that ties it together or takes us back to the beginning. Don't be stuffy, be creative. But then have someone good edit your work.

For the last two, seize on one to three issues, events or influences that have contributed greatly to the relevant parts of who you are. Increasingly, this will mean who you are as a professional. If you are going to study or commit to journalism, look for those epiphanies when you decided to go into journalism -- or when you really realized how powerful journalism is for you.

Think about role models. When did you choose them and why? Lessons and inspiration from real people will resonate louder than what you read in a book -- even if it is a book that the person judging your essay has also read.

Think about setbacks or challenges that you overcame.

Tell a story about something someone said about your work that made you realize this was the right stuff for you. Or write about the excellent kind of work you plan to do.

You'll be able to think of one or two clear, meaningful turning points.

Please e-mail your career-related question to Joe. You'll have an answer soon.

Coming Friday: This journalist is afraid that years of covering NFL sports and working on a sports desk will limit his options in some editors' eyes. How does he change that perception?

Q. The most well-known publication I write for provides no editorial feedback and doesn't pay me. I write commentary and poetry and do some editing. My ideal scenario would, of course, be to find a publication willing to pick up my column and bring me on board as a paid staff editor.

I have sent queries to similar organizations but haven't heard back. I don't know that it would be to my advantage to use my current stuff for other kinds of job opportunities and assignments because the content I write is ''out there'' as far as journalism goes.

Can You Take it With You?

A. This sounds tough but is not entirely awful. You are writing for a place with huge brand identity and, although you are not being paid, you are in a symbiotic relationship. The publication benefits from your content and you benefit from the publication's audience. I have worked in similar, unpaid arrangements myself.

The ideal move would be to remain with that platform but get paid. So, talk to them. Cautiously broach the idea of moving your column to a paid platform somewhere else. There are two reasons for doing this: To remind the publication that we all have other options and to see whether it snaps back and promises to fight you for the rights to the column. If there is no money and no resistance, you could keep sending out applications and ideally take what you have developed (at your own expense) with you.

If, however, you cannot find a paid home for what you do, you will have to weigh whether the benefits you get from this relationship -- branding, exposure and experience -- are worth the time you are putting into it.

As for using this as a credential with other outlets that might not appreciate the value of the content, this is one of those things that would work better as a line on a resume and as a few lines in the interview rather than as a sample of your work.

This question grew out of the Oct. 14 Poynter Online chat, "How Do I Make a Good First Impression?," which you can replay here. Colleen Eddy and I will have another live chat, "How Do I Write an Effective Cover Letter?" at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday.

Ask a question today, get an answer and a free book. Just e-mail me your career questions about clips, resumes, interviewing, internal transfers or whatever else is on your mind, and I will send you a free copy of "The Best of Ask the Recruiter," as well as an answer.

During a time when the news industry is frantically searching for solutions and new directions, journalists' lives have been disrupted by cutbacks and job changes. Poynter Online wants to help by sharing stories of success seekers. We are offering how-they-did-it snapshots from people who faced employment challenges and found some measure of success.

FLORANGELA DAVILA

Age: 42

New job: Lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. I teach multimedia journalism and communication classes to undergraduates. My course load varies. This quarter I'm teaching three classes.

I'm also a freelance reporter for KPLU-FM. I file primarily arts-related stories to this NPR-affiliate. Reporters produce their stories, and we're also responsible for shooting photos for the Web.

Old job: Reporter. I worked 14 years for The Seattle Times in both the news and features sections. My beats included race/immigration, the environment, night culture, TV/radio and general assignment.

Chantal Anderson Florangela Davila Biggest change so far: I have more energy and enthusiasm because I'm trying new things and really enjoying it. But there's more stress because my schedule is crazier and I'm trying to carve out time to freelance while teaching. 

I left because: I took a buyout in May 2008 because I wanted to try different forms of journalism.

I was out of work for: Zero days. I wanted a change from writing stories but not from storytelling. I was willing to retrain myself and I knew I didn't want to leave journalism entirely. So I reached out to both the university and to KPLU.

I had taught occasionally at the University of Washington so I knew the department chair and was brought on part-time. I had already taken some classes (local film school) to learn some new tech skills. The department thought having a journalist who was in the process of reinventing herself would be valuable for students.

I decided the best way to learn audio was at a public radio station. I connected with KPLU about interning (for free), but luckily the station secured some grant money for a special project so I came on for that, did some multimedia work, learned how to report for radio and have turned into a freelancer ever since.

I relied on: Three months' pay from a buyout, and on my spouse, Glenn Nelson.

This new gig is: I'm working more hours (editing papers takes forever) and earning about 60 percent of what I used to earn. And yes, that change in income can be stressful. But I'm more engaged in my work and happier.

One thing I miss about my old job is: The luxury of a long lunch.

One thing I don't miss is: A morose newsroom.

I'm lucky that: I have the best of both worlds. I can still report and create while getting to mentor and learn from my students.

The hardest part was: Not having an identity for a while. I wasn't immediately reporting, so not being able to say "reporter" was a really weird thing.

I learned that: People (bosses; potential employers) will reject you. But then there are always other people who are willing to believe in you and give you a shot. I had zero radio experience but KPLU was willing to train me. That support was a great motivator and it allowed me to create other opportunities for myself, including shooting a short documentary for the station.

The department has trusted me with developing new classes, and I've also been able to pursue other opportunities, such as teaching multimedia to high school students, this past summer.

My advice: Connect with people doing the work you want to do and offer to intern. Find mentors and learn from them. Take advantage of the many available training opportunities out there to learn new skills.

I was pretty much a "lifer" at the paper and I had never spent much time thinking, "What's next?" And then I fell into a slump; I wasn't motivated and I felt disillusioned. But I did some serious thinking, took some classes, figured out an end-goal and then tried a few things.

I've failed and I've been rejected along the way, but life is also always full of (good) surprises. Reporters are inherently skeptical and we tend to be our own harshest critics. But this is really the time to cheerlead ourselves on.

If you have a transition story that might help other Poynter Online readers, please e-mail Joe Grimm at joe.grimm@gmail.com. You can also e-mail him with your journalism career questions.

For this week's career chat, Poynter's Joe Grimm and Colleen Eddy shared tips on what to include (or not include) in a cover letter. The chat included tips on how to write good opening lines in cover letters, who to address cover letters to and how to best use them to attract potential employers.

You can revisit this link at any time to watch a replay of the chat. 

Twitterers can tweet their questions or related thoughts in advance to #poynterchats. You can revisit this link at any time to replay the chat after it has ended.

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=bb5e4be61e" >What do I pack in my cover letter?</a>