Q:I have been at a national weekly in New York City that caters to a specific ethnic group for the past five years, since I have been out of college. I worked my way up from intern to page designer to reporter and when the editor-in-chief left, all the responsibilities went to me. I ended up with the illustrious title of Deputy Editor and my job description was what you can imagine. I have been doing this for a year and now I have had enough. I talked to the publisher about going back to reporting, but told I couldn't for a variety of reasons.
For about a month I have been sending out my résumé and clips, most of which are about a year and a half old. I have applied to reporting jobs, editorial jobs, and even some publishing jobs, and I have not heard anything in return. While I know the search can go like this, I wonder if it is something turning people off.
I know I am writing well-crafted, engaging cover letters, my résumé is pretty to-the-point, and my clips have been edited by the best. Is it my title that is scaring people off? Do I need more clips from other papers?
A good amount of newspeople here in New York know my current publication, and I am looking for a slot at one of the daily tabloids, which my former editor said I am not overshooting for. Could I be deluding myself?
Jill
A: I do not think you are over-reaching, though it is hard to learn anything from silence.
Are you applying for live openings? Applying during a freeze is likely to meet with a cold silence. When papers are not hiring, try to get in for a no-strings informational interview to learn about the place, let them learn about you and position yourself for the eventual thaw. Do not try to distort an informational interview into a job interview.
Another problem may be that you are applying for reporting jobs, running into a stack of competitors with current daily experience. It could be editors who are looking to hire are dismissing you too quickly, categorizing you as a weekly journalist.
Reporters are so much easier to find than editors, I would try this tack:
If you want to be a reporter, apply for those openings when they occur, but make sure that the hiring editors know you are a reporter with managerial experience. This is your advantage. A smart editor will see you as someone who can move into an editing role later -– or someone who can show some leadership as a reporter. It sounds as though you’re sick of being an editor right now, but don’t sweep that possibility completely off the table, as it may be your best bridge to a new job.
