Joe Grimm's News Jobs Café: Ask the recruiter

How Long to Park in an Interim Job?

Q: I left a staff reporter position in September that I held for two years at my hometown 70,000-circulation daily in order to move to New York City.

I arrived without a job and have been working as a waitress for the last few months, but next week I am interviewing for an editorial assistant position with the AP Business Desk. My question is whether I am overqualified for the job, and if it would be better to hold out for a reporting position at another news outlet.

The editorial assistant job is obviously a step up from my restaurant gig, but I'm worried that if I accept and shortly thereafter end up looking for a position that allows for more writing and reporting, it won't reflect well on my reliability. What do you think?

Thank you,

Jackie

A: It does, indeed sound that you are overqualified to be either an editorial assistant or a waitress. However, either job will keep you in New York City and it's better to sling faxes than it is to sling hash.

If you accept a job that makes your AP tenure a short one, you should have no problem if you make sure you stay with that subsequent job long enough to establish that you are not a job-hopper.

No, the real problem would be if the AP feels ripped-off that they hired you and you didn't stick around.

So, anticipate that by talking about it in the interview. It sounds as though they will spend almost nothing for recruting, interviewing or moving you, so they do not face very muc financial exposure. So, the issue would be any investment in training or time.

They know you've worked for a 70,000-daily. They know you're a journalist. Explain what you're doing and ask what they see as a reasonable minimum commitment on your part. It probably is unwise to tick off one of the nation's largest employers of journalists, so make sure you're on the same page.

A note for you and others: In some cases, employers will have new hires sign an agreement that, if they leave within a one- or two-year window, the employee will reimburse moving costs.

Note: "Ask the Recruiter" has moved to Poynter's new Career Center. The new home is here. Remember to change your bookmark.

Relocation costs?

Q: I may have a job offer soon with a newspaper and I am wondering at what point should I talk about relocation costs, etc. I've only worked for Knight Ridder and each time it varied by paper.

At one place, it was the same for everyone (I think around 6 weeks pay). I later went to another KR newspaper and this wasn't mentioned until after I accepted a job and the salary. The editor then gave me the name of someone in HR and we kind of worked out what the moving expenses would cost. I think I got gypped, though, after talking to other reporters who told me they actually got a bonus.

Normally, I don't bring up salary or moving costs during interviews. I've always waited to discuss that when/if a job proposal is made. What are your thoughts on that. I don't want to be aggressive during an interview and make it look like all I care about is money (because I don't). Still, I want to get the best relocation possible. Thanks for any suggestions.

Dan

A: The time to negotiate relocation costs is while you are considering an offer.

Talking about relocation before you have been offered a job is presumptuous and talking about it after you have accepted costs you your bargaining clout.

The whole package -- pay, costs and vacation time -- should go into your decision.

Policies may vary within companies. Some moves will naturally be much more expensive than others, some people are more highly sought than others and some are just better at bargaining.

Be aware that some of the money you receive for a move may be taxed by the Internal Revenue Service.

How much work experience do I have?

Q: I worked part time as a web designer for a weekly newspaper chain for a year back in 2000, worked for a year as a data entry clerk, spent 2 years going to grad school but simultaneously working at a 25,000 circulation student newspaper.  From there I got a 3 month contract job as a media consultant and editor for a website, and for the past eight months I've been working for a 1M/unique-visitors-a-month website as an associate editor.

I don't consider the web designer job as "journalism experience" as I was just the shovel they used before investing in shovelware.  I did however work in a newsroom, with journalists, page designers, and copy editors.  Does it count?

Also, does "journalism experience" begin when I start my career or only the times I'm actually working in a newsroom?  Do I have three years experience (Just the student newspaper job and my web-work,) four years experience (time in total) or six years experience?

Brian

A: There are no universally accepted rules on this, but work experience generally has to meet three requirements to "count." It should be fulltime work, it should be journalism and it should be professional, not student journalism.

Religion and the workplace?

Q: I am an Orthodox Jewish woman. I am currently working M-F night shift, which forces me to work on Shabbos. Changing schedules at my current paper is not an option, and all management options would require me to work weekends, so I am looking at entry-level management elsewhere.

I am interviewing for a potential position where I (think I) would be working days. I am reluctant to ask about the production schedule, etc. this early in the process, but it's kind of a deal-breaker. I don't want to move if I'll be in the same situation there.

So here's the deal: How do I ask my employer if they will allow me to have off for Shabbos and holidays without making it clear about my religion? I know that's an awkward place for an HR department and I don't want to put them in that position.

P.S.: What's the best way to handle not shaking hands with men on the interview, explaining how I dress, and eating only kosher (that is, not eating on the interview)?

Thanks so much.

Frummie in editing

A: It is so good that you asked this question. I know a reporter in a similar situation.

We have found that it is very helpful to us to schedule her according to her religious needs because she then meets some journalistic needs for us. For example, she works every Sunday and gladly works Christian holidays to have time off for Jewish ones.

It has worked out very well and I hope you find an employer who can work with your needs.

We have staff members with other religion-related scheduling needs and generally find that we have the flexibility to help them balance newspapering and faith.

People of several faiths -- Orthodox Jews, Muslims and Seventh Day Adventists -- have all brought up their personal religious convictions and needs early in the interview process. We have hired all three types of people and are large enough to be able to accommodate their scheduling needs.

If you are concerned that religion could be a barrier, save that news until it comes up in the interview -- they are posting a schedule you can't work -- or the negotiation window that occurs when an offer is made. The ideal would be to wow them with your skills, hook them and then negotiate the time you need to do the job and practice your faith.

As for the other interviewing issues:

• Not shaking hands with men. People in many places are used to having this happen with some Muslim women, but might be surprised that it also is an issue for women who are Orthodox Jews. I "get it" when another person holds his or her right palm against the top of the chest, just beneath the throat and gives a slight bow as they give their greeting. This tells me, "I respect you, I am happy to meet you, but I am not shaking hands with you."
• Dress: This seems to be least problematic. Long sleeves and a long skirt may attract some attention, but seldom will they draw a remark and this mode of dress is certainly not objectionable. It is less discernable than other kinds of religious or ethnic dress.
• At many newspapers, mealtime interviews are part of the drill. A candidate who is an Orthodox Jew arrived here with the names and addresses of a couple restaurants she could eat at and an energy bar in her purse. We took her to some Kosher restaurants closer to the paper and everything went well.

One candidate who is Muslim watched me eat a whole sandwich, with nothing more than an unopened can of soda in front of her. I eventually realized I had asked her to join me for lunch during Ramadan. When she came to the Free Press to interview, also during Ramadan, I prepared everyone to have lunch with a person who wouldn't be eating. But, when she arrived, she told me she would break her day-time fasting for the interview and add a day of fasting later.

Keep journalism at the front of the process; bring up religious issues as warranted or when you get an offer.

Switching to dailies

Q: Your site is a godsend. Great that someone is offering this wisdom for free.

I have, for the past two years, been working at an alumni magazine since getting my MJ at Temple. The job offers security, good pay, and six weeks vacation a year. But it is just too, well, easy. And I miss the life of a daily (interned at a suburban Philly tabloid in grad school).

The problem is, the daily paper racket would be at least a 10K pay cut (which could hurt right before my wedding in Sept) and with my small amount of daily experience, I’ll likely be covering town hall meetings again. And I have progressed, in my own estimation, well beyond that, with pieces published in the New York Times, The Washington D.C. City Paper, Philadelphia magazine, etc., plus many investigative and narrative features for the magazine here in State College.

I suppose my question is, without a substantial daily background, is there any chance that I could get a job at a suburban daily that paid better than entry-level? More importantly, what are my chances of getting in the door at a major metro daily in a city I don’t live in and can’t string for?

To complicate matters, I also have a fiancée in Massachusetts, and am looking only in the Boston/R.I./Western Mass. regions.

Pennsylvania

A: There is only one way to get the true answer to your question. You have to apply for the jobs you want.

Your guess is likely good, though. Most large papers can and do insist on hiring candidates with substantial experience at other dailies. Their considerations go beyond writing quality, which you seem able to demonstrate. They want to see daily experience and will likely go with candidates who have it.

Now, if your work does attract an offer, try to use your years of full-time experience in a negotiation that brings you in at the rate they pay experienced reporters.

What is starting pay at newspapers?

Q: I am considering taking my job out of college as a reporter for a daily around the size of the Free Press. I am trying to figure out what the appropriate entry level salaries are for people with my experience: people who have not have had a year of professional experience, but have had three internships -- one of them at a major U.S. daily -- and substantive work in reporting and editing on a college paper.

I have seen a list online of top minimums, but obviously I would like to know is the "bottom" minimum.

Perhaps you can answer it this way: What would someone like me earn at the Free Press my first year?

Figuring

A: I'll give you three numbers for the Free Press. Using those, you and others might be able to extrapolate numbers you get from other newspapers to get some ballpark figures. Newspapers generally advertise internship rates, the Newspaper Guild has posted a list of "top minimums" at papers where it has contracts, but the floor is typically not out there.

Intern rate: $541.33.

Minimum rate for beginning reporter, copy editor, photographer, artist, designer: $617.44

Minimum rate for those jobs after five years: $874.99

Keep in mind that minimums are just that and that the spread among people at the same experience level will grow as experience grows. As a beginner with internships, you may be able to argue that your internship experience should bring you in a little higher than the minimum rate. But it's not automatic. It is rare for large papers to hire anyone at all who has not worked an internship, so you will not be differentiating yourself from your peers.

Also remember that a large part of additional compensation comes in the form of health benefits, overtime, vacations and, perhaps, savings incentives.

Get the whole picture.

Getting more money?

Q: Thank you for your informative site on professional journalism.

I have a question for you regarding entry-level reporter salary. I recently applied for a GA reporter position at a weekly newspaper located in Northern California. The ad posting for the job opening listed the salary as $23,000.

While I am aware that as an entry-level reporter I should not expect to make a large salary starting out, it seems that 23k is quite low and almost impossible to live on in this area where cost-of-living is so high. I have done some research on entry-level salaries in journalism, but most of what I've found is about daily newspapers. Since this is a weekly publication I assume the salary would be slightly lower.

I haven't actually been offered the job yet. I have an interview coming up this week and I feel I have a good chance of being offered the position. My question here is, if I am offered the job when I go for my in-person interview or shortly thereafter, how should I go about negotiating my starting salary at the paper? I would like to believe that 23k is posted as their low offering because they know that their applicant will probably want to negotiate up to 25k. However, I am interested in the job first and foremost and would not want salary negotiations to hinder my chances of obtaining the position. What is a reasonable salary to request for this position, and how should I go about bringing up this during or after the interview?

Joy

A: From what I see, $23,000 at a weekly is not unusual.

Do some calculations -- cost of living, transportation, etc., and see what you need to live on to get your start. Make that your target. But don't ask for it out of your needs, ask for it out of what you bring to the job -- your education and experience.

Skinny latte: "I need $25,000 to be able to afford to live here and pay for my gas-guzzler car."

Espresso: "I'd be bringing a cumulative year of experience and graduated near the top of my class."

Do not be afraid to negotiate the pay offer -- once you get it. The worst the paper is likely to do is say no. It would be very unusual for them to take the offer of the table, so ask. Do not try to start negotiating salary until you have an offer.

While you're negotiating, don't forget to talk about who will pay for the move. If you don't have a lot to move, suggest that bump up your pay. Whenever possible, get the money into your salary base, rather than as a one-time entry bonus.

Good luck! I hope you get a good deal on a great job!

How to get paid for extra work?

Q: I have a situation at my paper that I need your advice on. I work at a tiny under-25,000 circulation paper owned by one of the major media conglomerates. Usually, we don't care that we seem to be regarded as -- for lack of a better term -- the bastard stepchild of our company. But lately its gotten bad.

We have an anniversary issue and each of us -- even sports -- were assigned to take three stories each, in addition to our daily workload. Our daily workload has increased from about two stories a day plus briefs to about three a day because we're woefully understaffed -- four reporters (three now, with someone on vacation) on a usually five-reporter staff. All of has taken personal time to research and write these anniversary stories, but will likely not be compensated -- only one reporter so far has been offered one comp day, and she's a senior reporter (more than two years, where as everyone else in the newsroom, including management, is one year or less).

Will it hurt our chances to stay in journalism to collectively go to HR and demand something be done? Even if we weren't compensated for our overtime, if we could get them to change the way they do billing (they have us sign time sheets, but we'd all rather clock in), we'd be happier.

Tired and stressed

A: No wonder you're tired and stressed!

I thin you should ask for some relief, consideration or changes, but I don't think that issuing a demand through HR is generally the way to go.

In many cases, HR's job, like the job of every other department, is to protect the newspaper first. Going through HR to force your editors to change will likely backfire. The HR director and the editor are likely peers and one does not answer to the other.

Take your issue directly to the top editor. Rather than issue a demand or an ultimatum -- which could jeopardize your positions -- state that you feel some consideration is warranted for doing extra work. Tell them that you are using personal time to meet this goal and that you feel you should be compensated for this time, either with time, reduced productivity demands or money. Lay some options on the table.

Prepare to have the editors say that the additional work should just fit into your normal schedules. Be prepared to explain why it won't. Use numbers and times. If the editors say that there is no alternative but for you to do work for which they will not compensate you, tell them you feel strongly that they should review that decision. Appeal to their sense of fairness and professionalism.

Don't let the meeting end on a note that says it is OK that this extra work is being done on your free time. Leave the question as unresolved. Let's hope the editors can work something out after the meeting. It seems unlikely you'll get a resolution on the spot.

Break internship agreement?

Q: I've been applying for summer internships for about a month, and honestly, I didn't think I would get anything with only two published clips at my campus paper. I didn't get any offers and was feeling somewhat desperate.

I'm positive that I want to work at a newspaper, but earlier this week I was offered an internship at a magazine. I took the job because I know how important it is to have experience. I'm working 40 hours/wk unpaid with clips but mostly no bylines.

I've been working for two days and I enjoy it but the writing is very esoteric business news that I don't have any particular passion for.

Today, I received an offer at a small daily for an internship. Would I leave on bad terms if I left the magazine, or is it more important in the long run to get the daily experience?

Rachel

A: Congratulations on getting the offers in the first place with just two clips. You have succinctly described the dilemma that people sometimes find themselves in.

And I am glad you are hesitating before you break your commitment.

Your integrity and character are paramount, and it is short-sighted to jeopardize them, even for what seem like good reasons.

I think I would do this: Tell the newspaper your plight and ask for some time. Then go talk to your editors at the magazine. Tell them face-to-face what you have just told me. (Though, you might leave out the part about passionless esoterica.)

Ask whether and when it is OK for you to go accept the other offer. You don't say whether the other job is paid, but I am guessing that it is (newspapers are better at doing this than magazines are). Few employers will keep a person in an unpaid, voluntary position after a paid one opens up. Throwing off one paid internship for another is regarded much more harshly.

When you ask your current editors for permission to leave -- rather than just informing them that you are -- you're turning the decision over to them. If they say, "Sorry, you agreed to work for free all summer, you've got to do it," then you'll be in the soup.

One of the ironic things is that, were you working a paid, permanent job, you could submit two weeks' notice and leave for a new job in two weeks. Typically, when we sign on for internships, it is for a fixed amount of time and we need to get some kind of dispensation to leave early.

Let's hope that the magazine editors are understanding. If they need to have you work to tie up some loose ends (though I don't know how many there can be after just two days of work), tie them up. Staying a little longer than you hope may cost you some money or clips at the newspaper job, but it is a small price to pay for the preservation of opportunity and integrity.

What if they ask salary requirements?

Q: I am in the running for a new job. Part of the paperwork I am producing is an application, which includes a listing of my current job and my salary. I wonder if the whole purpose of the paperwork is for that one line: my wages today.

I don't want to sell myself short on a possible salary at the new job. It's a job I would stay at for a long time and my salary coming in the door could make a big difference in my ability to purchase a home in the area.

My current salary is about $50,000.

I'm afraid they would just say, "heck, offer the candidate 10 percent more." Or they would decide I earn too much. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Should I fill in the line or send them salary requirements when they didn't ask for them?

Anonymous At this stage, I would leave the dollar amount blank. If they ask, I would say, "I think it is premature to discuss salary until we see whether we have a good match." After all, that is what they would tell you if you asked them what the salary was too early in the process.

These are our fears:

If my salary is low, will I get screwed?

If my salary is high, will I lose this opportunity?

These are the same concerns whether they ask your present salary or your salary needs. You have a little wiggle room if they just ask about your desires. If they ask what you salary is, you have to tell the truth. Some candidates try to inflate that number by adding in overtime, freelancing and other sources of income, but they really need to be up-front. If you are caught lying in the application process -- even if the lie is not detected until after you have started work -- you could lose the job.

Ideally, they'll like you and you can ask them this question: "What is the salary range on this position for someone with my experience?"