Joe Grimm's News Jobs Café: Ask the recruiter

Take the $70,000 Job?

Q: I'm in a complicated situation, so I'll try to be as clear as possible!

Currently, I am working as a reporter for a small daily in California. It is my first job out of college and I've been here for just over a year. As you can assume, I don't make a lot of money, about $28,000 a year. In California, that's nothing. My husband is a full-time college student and part-time worker, so making ends meet is very hard. Often times, we have to borrow money from my parents, which kills me every time.

A relative just offered me an opportunity to work as an assistant at her organization for $70,000 a year. The position is more administrative, and pretty much the complete opposite of what I'm doing now. I want to take this position to balance our financial situation for a couple years, then when my husband graduates, go back into journalism.

I'm afraid that taking this position will taint my resume (which is full of nothing but journalism experience), and that getting back into journalism will be incredibly hard.

Am I being naïve? I just want to be able to support my family.

Thank you for your help!

Cristina

A: I sympathize.

You are not being naïve at all. You are in a very real predicament and the rescue that your relative is offering will provide huge relief but it may, indeed, take you out of journalism permanently. That salary is a great one!

Three years down the road, if you try to return to journalism, you likely would face a pay cut that you could not afford. If we suppose your husband's income would make up for the drop, you'll be interviewing with editors who will wonder why you left in the first place and who may doubt that you would be happy working at half your former wage.

There is the possibility, too, that during the intervening years, you will advance at this new company into a job that you like even more and that pays you even better. That might not be so bad.

I cannot advise you on your personal circumstances or your finances. I can only tell you that a return to journalism could be quite difficult. It sounds as though you really love your work. If that is so, I'd look for something in between, such as another form of journalism that will give you a good raise, but that will neither take you out or price you out.

Note: "Ask the Recruiter" has moved to Poynter's new Career Center. The new home is here. Don't forget to change your bookmark.

Could a Credit Check Derail Me?

Q: I've sent out resumes and clips recently, and though it's still too soon for any callbacks, I'm wondering if the sad and sorry state of my personal finances is going to derail my entire career.

A recent post on your blog referenced a candidate filling out background-check paperwork, and I wanted to ask you if credit checks are commonplace at newspapers. I've been through the mill in the past four years with an employer who has failed to generate payroll checks on time, and a layoff.

These things caused defaults of all sorts, and has resulted in a game of catch-up for about two years. I'm making headway, but I really feel that the practice of looking at personal finances would cast me in a negative light despite my abilities, which is not fair.

My current employer certainly didn't let me peruse the books before I agreed to accept their job, and I've showed loyalty to them despite their financial condition. I'd like to see a prospective employer do the same for me.

If I were asked to explain my finances, I would feel uncomfortable mentioning the financial difficulties at my current company because a recruiter may frown on those comments. Still, I would feel the need to defend myself because I have been on several occasions placed in difficult financial situations due to payless paydays.

My questions for you are: Do major newspapers require background checks (credit and criminal -- though I have no criminal record) or just reference checks with past employers? And, if they do, how much weight is put on those findings versus good employer references and well-written clips?

Emily

A: Relax. This is unlikely to come up.

Newsrooms are most likely to check your academic credentials, your criminal record, your Social Security number and to ask for a drug test.

A credit check is not likely.

Each of these steps costs companies money, so they try to do only those that are most relevant to the job. Lying would be bad, of course, and a bad driving record could be alarming if you're going to be driving in the course of doing your work.

But as journalists rarely are asked to handle money, a credit check is not a standard part of most screenings.

If they go further than that, they might check your arrest record. A credit check would be the last thing they might do.

Note: "Ask the Recruiter" is moving to Poynter's new Career Center. The new home is here. Don't forget to change your bookmark.

Moving Expenses?

Q:   I've heard you talk on campus a couple of times, and I was hoping you could help me out with a job situation I'm in. I was offered a job at a smaller newspaper, but they offered me less than was discussed in my interview. I was wondering if it would be OK to ask for more or to ask for compensation for relocation (I would be moving five hours away). I wasn't sure if this is common or not. I really like the location and the newsroom, and I don't want to mess things up by asking for too much money or anything like that. Please let me know what the proper etiquette is in this situation.

Thank you,

Meagan

A: You can hardly mess things up by asking for more money at this stage, unless you issue an ultimatum.

I would first express some confusion as to why you are being offered less than was mentined at the interview. Once you settle on a salary -- and before you accept -- ask about moving expenses.

 

Writing for no pay or low pay?

Q: I've been working at a small town newspaper daily for four months now. I work in circulation, but one month after I was hired, I asked and began writing articles for our weekly entertainment magazine.  In the beginning, my articles were short and I was not getting paid.  But now, 15 articles later, I get paid a very small amount for each contribution (which I had to ask the editor for.)

Though I'm new, I've been the strongest contributer to the entertainment magazine (ie. I have the most articles published in each edition.)  Quality-wise, I'm doing well and improving will each story. I graduated from a great writing program at a state university.

The problem is this:  there is a position opening up for a feature writer of the entertainment magazine, and due to a budget shortage, I'm worried they may just move one of the reporters into that spot and not hire anyone new.  Right now, that's what they've done.  They pushed off interviewing for the position until the fall, but another reporter (Ms. X) has already taken it over and assumed all the responsibilities.

I enjoy writing for the paper.  My writing technique has improved, and length-wise, I'm finishing with upwards of 1,000 words.  I just can't help but feel I'm getting taking advantage of in a way.  I write 2-3 articles a week, the same amount that someone else (Ms. X) is getting paid full time with benefits to do.  My pay is so low, it doesn't even put a quarter tank of gas in my car.  What should I do?

Jeremy

A: This is a good Labor Day question.

Ultimately, you can withhold your services if you are not being adequately paid. You can go write for someone else who will pay you. But it seems you really want to do this work and that, althugh money is important, it is not your only consideration. That's what keeps you writing for cheap.

You'll have to go to the editors and try to negotiate a fair rate of pay. Ask whether you can pick up the job Ms. X would be vacating.

We need experience like this to get the jobs we want, but indefinitely working for free isn't right.

Newspaper pay scales?

Q: Thank you for your excellent advice of several weeks ago.

     (I'm the writer/teacher who has been teaching college part-time for some time but has many clips from phase one of my career.) I am now a finalist at a weekly.

     Are there online resources I can consult if an offer and salary negotiations approach? I do not know the market range in this area. It is a non-union paper in northeast Ohio.

     Thank you for all your help.

Hoping

A: There is not a lot of public data to answer your question. I looked at the posting by the Ohio Newspapers Association and found that no one posts salaries in their ads.

The best I could do was to go to hotjobs.com, put in the name of  a non-union Ohio daily, specify "reporter 1" and it came back with something in the very low $30's. A weekly could be quite a bit less.

When you negotiate, know what you make now, what you can live with and where you'd like to be.

When money comes up, ask the editors about the range for people in the position you've applied for. Be sure to press for consideration for the experience you already have, even though it is not in journalism, because it is worth something.

As you bargain, keep in mind your needs for benefits, time off and training.

Good luck!

Talking salary

Andrea Kay, "The Country's Leading Career Expert," replies to people challenging her advice that new workers not bring up salary and benefits too early in the interview process.

She stands by her advice, though, and says that the smart candidates lead -- and stick for quite a while -- with information about what they can add rather than what they can get.

That is sound advice. But the questioner was giving voice to the widespread feeling that employers, in many cases, seem to hold all the cards when they are interviewing. That has almost always been the case for first jobs

What about salary ranges?

Q: When applying for a job that asks you to mention your salary requirements, how do you calculate an appropriate range? What do you keep in mind when doing this? Your level of experience? The job description? The cost of living in the city the company is in? I don't want to list a range that's way out of my league, but I also don't want to sell myself short.

Sara

A: I would ignore the initial request.

I would prefer to start talking about the job and my qualifications to throwing numbers on the table before anyone knows very much about the other party.

This is the classic problem we all have when we negotiate our salaries.

If you aim too high, you may overprice yourself right out of a job; if you lowball yourself you don't get all that you can.

A range is a good thing to keep in mind. But you might want to keep it there -- in your mind -- and not put it on the table.

Factors for both parties to consider are present wages, experience, special qualifications, cost of living, the wages paid to others doing the same work, chance for pay growth.

As a job-seeker, I would prefer to get the employer to go first with the range they are presently paying in. Then, I would go for the top of that. I would have to have remarkable qualifications to come in above the range being paid to existing employees and I would not like to be the lowest paid person in the group.

Employers have the upper hand in these negotiations because they know the salary situation internally the hold the purse strings and they are the ones who can make the offer. But applicants are not powerless, especially not the best applicants.

Be reluctant to talk money until the application process has gone through several steps and try not to be the first one to put a number on the table.

If they force you: "How much are you making now?" get them to put their number on the table, too. Not a hypothetical number, but the amount they actually pay people to do that job.

Negotiating salary?

Q: My question is about how to figure out a reasonable salary expectation when moving to a new area.

I recently interviewed for a job in a city in which the cost of living is significantly higher than where I now live. The housing costs, from what I'm told, are about double what they are in my town. It's an area that is rapidly growing, and housing costs started exploding within the past few years.

Since the paper is about twice the size of my current paper, it's likely that they pay more, too. But then there's the cost of living to factor in, and I'm wondering how to evaluate a job offer if one is made to me.

Is it too much to expect an overall raise in addition to the extra money I'd need just to maintain my current standard of living in a more expensive town? Or should I expect a salary offer that might put me right about where I am now when cost of living is factored in? I don't want to make a decision only about money, since it does seem like a good job, but I also don't want to sell myself short.

Wondering

A: Let's turn this around. Rather than trying to guess what the newspaper might pay -- which may be very tough to learn as an outsider -- let's concern ourselves wit how much you need to make.

As much as you like the sounds of this job, let's hope you can stay whole AND get a raise if you make the move. Ask accordingly when you get to the negotiating stage.

To work up your salary need, take your current compensation and then factor in differences in the cost of living. Be prepared to ask for money to cover your transitional costs. And do ask for a raise. Your best opportunities for raises occur when you move from one company to another or when you move from one job to another. Don't pass up the opportunity, but be flexible so that you don't toss away the job you really want for what turns out to be a minor consideration.

As you negotiate, be sure you compare the costs and benefits of insurance, savings plans such as a 401(K), stock purchase plans and pensions.

Rate for book editing?

Q: I was asked to help a professor edit his upcoming book. He asked me to figure out how much I need to get paid.

I do not have much experience in this type of work so I really have no idea what the hourly rate should be. Also, he said that I would not be included as an author and he seemed concerned with legal matters. I would like to get recognition for my contribution so I can use it as part of my résumé but I do understand that there are considerations he has to take when hiring freelancers to help out.

What do I need to let him know before I sign up for this?

LA Freelancer

A: You have two issues: Money and credit.

I have seen freelance editors charge up to $75 an hour. As you have not done much of this, that is too high. A beginning newspaper copy editor at a large newspaper might start at roughly $15 an hour, but they also get benefits boosting total compensation to about $20 an hour. I think you should charge near the low end of that range. Part of your calculation should be how deep or intense this editing will be. Is he expecting major restructuring, or is he a good writer with a clean framework for the book? Charging an hourly rate will protect you in case you get into an edit that is a lot more extensive than you anticipate.

As for credit, you can claim work you do on your résumé, whether you get a credit in the book or not.

It is not unusual for book editors to toil in anonymity, just as newspaper copy editors do.

I would not be reluctant to claim the work on your résumé, even though you might not have a credit in the book. To cement things, you might ask the prof for a written assessment of how you do. And be sure to do an excellent job!

How long does a hiring freeze last?

Q: My question is about the term "hiring freeze." Is there a time limit on these freezes? Are they normally temporary/short/long? I am familiar with a "hiring freeze" at the Dept. of Education, but the one I'm thinking of lasted close to a year. At this newspaper, there is at least one opening, but they can't hire anyone.

S.M.

A: A hiring freeze is a cost-cutting tactic. In a hiring freeze, people who leave are not replaced.

These are tough on job-seekers, but they are easier on the employees than two other cost-cutting tactics: layoffs and buyouts.

Freezes can be of varying lengths and even degrees.

A "hard freeze" means that no hiring is done, period. If someone leaves a critical position that must be filled, people inside the company are moved around to fill the gap.

A "soft freeze" may allow for hiring to fill critical positions, but not others.

There is no way to predict how long a hiring freeze will last. Typically, they are imposed to help the newspaper reach a target in its expenses. If departures are rapid, the newspaper will get there faster and the freeze can end sooner. A slow rate of departures can mean a longer freeze.

And, there is always the possibility that the revenue side of the picture may change during the freeze, allowing it to end sooner or stretching it out.

An additional word on hiring freezes. These are hard to deal with whether you're trying to get hired or are one of the people on the inside, working with a reduced staff. But people on the inside may find that a hiring freeze is a time of opportunity, as outside people are prevented from coming in to get desirable jobs. Smart employees may find that a freeze can lead to opportunities.