Lowering the bar a notch

Powderhorn · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:39 pm

With the standard unspecified wages, this job raises a few more questions than usual.

Quote:

Description:
A mid-Michigan newspaper is looking for four copy editor/designers, who will be responsible for editing copy and designing pages, including great-looking covers. This position reports to the News Editor. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Edit copy and design pages, write headlines,archive pages, troubleshoot problems on deadline,react to change productively and handle new tasks as assigned,work well in a team environment; collaborate and interact professionally with coworkers, maintain high productivity in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment,come to work promptly and regularly (Duties and responsibilities may evolve to meet business needs)

You pay pizza-shop wages, you get pizza-shop work ethic. On the plus side, business needs seem to frequently evolve to obviate the need for employees to show up regularly ...

FehlingerD · **Joined:** Thu Sep 10, 2009 4:07 am **Posts:** 3

I actually APPLIED for this job, because my boyfriend lives in that area. It was advertised under the Citizen Patriot's Web site, based out of Jackson, Mich.
I applied within days of seeing the ad being posted, and tried calling for an interview a few days later (I was in the area.)
On Tuesday, I get an e-mail. The positions are indefinitely put on hold.
HA.

And this is the THIRD time it's happened to me. What's a young copy editor to do? I'm willing to work for next to nothing here!

Powderhorn · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:13 am

FehlingerD wrote:

I'm willing to work for next to nothing here!

For starters, never admit that. That said, I've lowered my expectations significantly in the past couple of months.

FehlingerD · **Joined:** Thu Sep 10, 2009 4:07 am **Posts:** 3

Of course I would never admit that. I have student loans to pay.
However, a lot of newspapers know that young journalists will just be happy to have a job, especially now. I'm lucky that I got a job just before everything hit the fan. So many of my former coworkers graduated and had no opportunities.
I just don't understand how they can place an advertisement and then cancel it.

Editer · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:30 pm

FehlingerD wrote:

I just don't understand how they can place an advertisement and then cancel it.

Coupla ways:

1. Someone re-counted the beans and realized they can't afford the job after all.

2. The boss's nephew decided to apply.

tommangan · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:42 am

This happened to me: was called in, interviewed and essentially offered a job the newsroom management had no authority to offer -- two days later the publisher said "sorry no new hires."

Only reason I have work right now is that I started a hiking blog five years ago and never had enough sense to find a better hobby.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:49 am

1. Two years ago a university offered me a full-time copy-editing job. Most but not all of the work would involve print publications. The manager insisted that we not talk about pay until the compensation was improved at a budget meeting that week.
A highlight of that meeting was the elimination of the position.

2. I now have a full-time copy-editing job with a daily paper because I spent 18 months with it as a part-timer. During that time I learned online skills that I continue to use there.

3. Two months before I took that part-time job the highest-ups at a non-newspaper publishing company had rejected its copy chiefs' recommendations that I be hired for its daily publication. Supposed reason: Another applicant had experience posting blog entries to a website. I didn't. [That's probably not exactly the reason, but that's what the copy chiefs were told.]

Skills learned over decades of working at daily papers aren't enough anymore. I turned down a full-time job at a major metro five years ago to begin learning those skills. I've never regretted it.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:50 am

"Posting blog entries to a website" hardly qualifies as a "skill."

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:05 am

Phillip Blanchard wrote:

"Posting blog entries to a website" hardly qualifies as a "skill."

You know that. I know that. Probably everyone here knows that.

But to an awful lot of folks with authority over hiring, anything more difficult than checking e-mail is arcane, mysterious and formidable, capable of being performed only by youngsters born 23 years ago with such awesome powers.

Also: Claiming such experience to be necessary is a way of weeding out applicants who aren't fresh out of school. Or aren't willing to be pushed around. Or who expect to be paid a decent amount above minimum wage.

tommangan · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:29 pm

Quote:

"Posting blog entries to a website" hardly qualifies as a "skill."

I'll have you know I resemble this remark.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2009 5:57 pm

Well, there's the issue of whether you want it done right. Or even artfully.

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