1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Job search communication

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by busch, Jun 29, 2015.

  1. busch

    busch Member

    A bit of background. I spent a bit over 25 years in the newspaper business that (the last 13 covering college athletics) before being laid off nearly three years ago. After the layoff, I chose to find something else to do instead of searching for another newspaper job. I've done a variety of things in that time. Recently, I felt the urge to pursue some writing jobs and perhaps move (with the support of my wife). I've thrown my name in for five or six openings but have not heard a word from any of them, even though I fit the qualifications for each job.

    I realize my age and dinosaur-like existence (even when they specifically ask for experience) is not helpful. But, I guess, the biggest frustration and question that I have is: Why no communication? I have no problem being passed over (that's life) but I think professional courtesy calls for some sort of acknowledgement from the people doing the hiring. Is that type of communication a thing of the past?
     
  2. TyWebb

    TyWebb Well-Known Member

    Ideally, you are right. Some form of communication, even to let you know you weren't being moved forward, would be a nice professional courtesy. Unfortunately, for the most part, I do think it is a thing of the past. In fact, perhaps because I'm a good bit younger than you, I hardly ever remember it being a thing at all. I've applied to a lot of jobs in and out of the business and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I received a response saying that my application was even received, let alone being moved forward or rejected. Usually, if I didn't hear anything back within a week, I considered it a loss and moved on.
     
    busch likes this.
  3. busch

    busch Member

    Thanks. It's been a long time since I applied for jobs in the newspaper/website world. Just wondering how it works these days. Most of the jobs I applied for outside the business have done a good job of communicating through the process.
     
  4. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    Sadly, I have noticed this as well. By and large governments and universities I've applied to have been good at sending out the form "we have many wonderful applicants and unfortunately..." form e-mail, but private businesses have been pretty bad. I applied for several jobs at one particular newspaper and never got anything. The one exception at that paper was when there was a hiring freeze for the position I had applied for. Nearly a year later I got a form e-mail they were finally moving forward with the search and I could opt out if I wanted to. But when the finalists were selected and the person ultimately hired, absolutely no communication. I agree totally with you there should be communication about a job being filled, especially when the business has its own HR department. If the HR person was also the receptionist, news clerk and 10 other jobs, I could understand. But I'm talking HR people who only have HR duties.
     
  5. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    I fully understand no response for the application, since they get dozens, if not hundreds, and it's time-consuming to respond. But I've always felt like they should respond if they have interviewed you, even if it's a form email.
     
  6. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    When Scripps was still in the newspaper business and had candidates apply online, it would send an automatic boilerplate rejection email to those who weren't being considered. That's the one recent situation I know of where there was at least some minimal communication. I'm not aware of any others.

    Many years ago when I'd apply (and I started in the early '80s), it probably was 50-50 that you'd hear something if you weren't among the top candidates -- much higher than now (oddly, when I changed jobs for this first time in '84, it took almost six weeks for the paper to respond to my inquiry and I'd almost forgotten about it -- and then the paper offered me the job on the spot at the end of the interview).

    To take it one step further, the current situation is such than when I was a finalist for three non-newspaper jobs and interviewed for each while I was out of fulltime work a few years back, I received a rejection letter from just one of them. Never heard a thing from the other two. Back in the day, if I interviewed and didn't get the job, I'd at least get a phone call from the sports editor or whoever almost without fail.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2015
  7. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    Our business is run by people who don't give a shit about people now. Quite the opposite of what it used to be.
     
    Tarheel316 and LesJ9488 like this.
  8. KJIM

    KJIM Well-Known Member

    Yep. This has happened to me, multiple times. Not in journalism or sports, though. Bizarre how you can interview someone and then apparently forget it happened, but it's happened to me for both governmental and private firm jobs.
     
  9. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

    I understand not receiving communication if you apply and don't get an interview. It kinda sucks, but I understand it, especially for jobs that attract 50-100 applicants. What I don't understand is bringing somebody in for an interview (an investment on the interviewee's part in time and possibly travel), establishing a personal relationship with the interviewee, and then going dark. That was unprofessional 30 years ago, and it's unprofessional today.
     
  10. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    My experience as an applicant was that I rarely heard back from businesses if I applied online. You probably get an email saying your resume was received. After that, crickets.

    I really think that if it doesn't make it out of the HR pre-screening, you aren't likely to hear back. If that's the case, I think you have to look hard at your resume and how you can tweak it to make it past the HR bots.

    When I worked in Sports and was hiring, if you sent me an email, I tried to respond. But I might get hundreds of applications for a writing spot. At some point I would give up. If you applied through the "preferred" HR application format, you probably got nothing.

    If I interviewed you, you definitely got a call or email.

    Instead of throwing up your hands about the lack of civility in the job search process, you need to make sure that you are noticed.

    Look at your resume. Find key words in the posting and use them (if applicable)
    Try your best to find out who the hiring manager is and reach out the them.
    Find a connection at the paper/business who can put your resume in front of the boss.

    It really doesn't help to play by the rules. I landed a new job by just senind in a resume for no particular opening and got an interview (but I had people vouching for me).
     
  11. jfs1000

    jfs1000 Member

    I would say no contact is the norm. I am applying for positions in and outside of the business. Mostly outside.

    Recent experience, as in last 2 weeks, I kidd you not:

    Wife went on a second interview with a place, director "friended" on linkedin....and NOTHING heard since.

    Myself? Interview at a 300 employee place. Went real well. Had to contact hiring manager twice about timetable. Second time was told it was coming. AND? NOTHING.

    I think it's an incredible discourtesy that hiring managers do. Let people know, but at least show some courtesy.
     
  12. DeskMonkey1

    DeskMonkey1 Active Member

    My last two interviews, I got no response telling me they weren't interested. I guess one of them I'm still technically in the running since he said they were taking their time but it's been about six weeks at this point... The other one, I thought the interview went OK, could have been better, but I thought it was good enough for at least an email saying they were going with the other candidate -especially since I drove 200 miles for (my second) interview.

    I actually got a rejection letter the other day for a job I applied for in February. It wasn't a journalism job, though, but a communications job. The only times I can remember receiving a rejection on the phone/in person was when I applied for a promotion but at those situations they really couldn't avoid me.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page