Three for three
The "hiring climate" in my industry, and my town right now is such that any respectable paper around here would hire someone with 10 years of experience rather than someone like me. And, chances are, they are going to pay this person what they normally reserve for the interns.
I've heard this now from not one, not two, but three newspapers. The first was the biz journal, which I stormed back in April. The editor was kind enough to sit with me and explain everything. What's interesting is that he apologized, and seemed very regretful and sincere. He later called and offered me some freelance work. The next was a colorful weekly paper. The editor I spoke with had come from the east coast 10 years ago, and said she'd taken a huge pay cut just to live and work in Portland. She's not the only one. She said there are plenty more people like her looking for jobs... and they'd get one there before the likes of me.
Last week I had a meeting with the recruiter for the biggest paper in the state. This time I didn't barge in and ask for it, he invited me. He sat with me and asked all kinds of questions like where was I going, and what have I learned over the past couple of years before dropping the same bomb that had been dropped twice before. I wasn't shocked. He told me that they were in a hiring freeze, and even if they weren't many things would have to happen before they'd hire me. One of them being the 100s of qualified applicants would have to drop dead.
There's another paper across the river, but they too rejected me without a meeting. I got a letter this time. What's mystifying is that people still come here. They come positive and excited, maybe to downsize from a big city to a smaller "city" or maybe to upgrade from the country to a big "city." And Portland can't handle it. It's really just a small town, in disguise. The alt weekly did a story a while ago about how many baristas and bartenders have college degrees. But my question is: Why do they stay?
Why am I staying? Why am I changing the course of things and going back to school if it's just this place? Or is it? I'd certainly be able to find something in the Bay Area, right? Even if it wasn't in journalism (big papers there have made huge cuts in staff in the last few months).
I don't know.
I've heard this now from not one, not two, but three newspapers. The first was the biz journal, which I stormed back in April. The editor was kind enough to sit with me and explain everything. What's interesting is that he apologized, and seemed very regretful and sincere. He later called and offered me some freelance work. The next was a colorful weekly paper. The editor I spoke with had come from the east coast 10 years ago, and said she'd taken a huge pay cut just to live and work in Portland. She's not the only one. She said there are plenty more people like her looking for jobs... and they'd get one there before the likes of me.
Last week I had a meeting with the recruiter for the biggest paper in the state. This time I didn't barge in and ask for it, he invited me. He sat with me and asked all kinds of questions like where was I going, and what have I learned over the past couple of years before dropping the same bomb that had been dropped twice before. I wasn't shocked. He told me that they were in a hiring freeze, and even if they weren't many things would have to happen before they'd hire me. One of them being the 100s of qualified applicants would have to drop dead.
There's another paper across the river, but they too rejected me without a meeting. I got a letter this time. What's mystifying is that people still come here. They come positive and excited, maybe to downsize from a big city to a smaller "city" or maybe to upgrade from the country to a big "city." And Portland can't handle it. It's really just a small town, in disguise. The alt weekly did a story a while ago about how many baristas and bartenders have college degrees. But my question is: Why do they stay?
Why am I staying? Why am I changing the course of things and going back to school if it's just this place? Or is it? I'd certainly be able to find something in the Bay Area, right? Even if it wasn't in journalism (big papers there have made huge cuts in staff in the last few months).
I don't know.
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