Prior to the eighth annual Schieffer Symposium on the News, the five panelists discussed the election and the journalism industry in a question-and-answer session in Moudy Building South’s Convergence Center.

The panelists offered their advice to student journalists hoping to land their first jobs and shared stories about the beginning of their careers.

The speakers agreed that determination was crucial to getting a job. After writing her first big story for Roll Call, Norah O’Donnell called her editor every day until she finally landed the job.

“What you’ve got to remember is that no job is just going to come knock on your door,” Bob Schieffer said.

The media figures agreed freelance work could help students get hired.

“Despite what your parents may have lead you to believe, this world does not function based on ‘People should be nice to you,’” Jake Tapper said. “It just doesn’t work that way.

People will hire you when they see stories you write and want those stories in their newspaper or TV station.”

John Harris said it had become more difficult to move up the job ladder as other journalists had in the past.

“Find an area you’re interested in,” Harris said. “Stake your claim on that, if you’re interested in fashion or sports or whatever.”

The upcoming presidential election was also a focus of the session.

While many young people were galvanized by the 2008 election and President Barack Obama, both O’Donnell and Chuck Todd said they now sensed disillusionment among youths.

Although O’Donnell said she felt education would not decide the election, but would be discussed more in the coming weeks.

“Obama obviously turned out a record number of young voters in ‘08,” O’Donnell said. “And he’s going to want to do it again. Romney will certainly want to engage [Obama] on the issue of college loans and college affordability and all those things of interest to younger voters.”