Cold-send resumes to big papers?

[Thanks for comin' out]

Should I cold-send resumes to 'dream papers/Web sites/etc.' (you get the point) just to be in those stacks?
I'm at a mid-sized daily now, I'm pleased with the job and the job security is strong (I know, I should just be happy where I'm at... trust me, I am). But I feel like the current state of the industry can only decrease the chances of big papers actually advertising a job nationally. And even if they did, the competition for these jobs is only going to increase due to layoffs, etc.
I'm young and cheap (cue the ***** jokes) with some decent experience, so I don't want to just sit on my hands when this could be a decent opportunity to move up in our world of "do more with less."
Of course I don't want word to somehow work back to my shop that I would be doing this .. it would look like I was actively looking for another job when I really wasn't.
Any suggestions on the best way to do this?

 

[STLIrish]

Absolutely. If you don't have an in, that's the best way to get one. But don't just "cold send" and wait.
Send a resume. Follow up with an e-mail. Try to wangle a visit some time when you're in town, for an "informational interview" or whatever. And try not to let the "we're not hiring" talk interfere. If it's a place you really want to work, be persistent about getting on their radar screen, and then stay in touch. The best places have a stable of people they keep an eye on for when they are hiring. You want to be one of those people. And be patient. Sometimes it takes years, especially with hiring as tight as it is these days.
And don't worry too much about word getting back to your current shop. Most people, in my experience anyway, know enough to be discreet about this stuff.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

Thanks, that helps. Yea, I didn't want to get myself taken OFF any lists by badgering or anything, but if sending, following up and letting them know you're interested is commonplace, well, that's good to know.

 

[MGoBlue]

I'd offer this ... visit places you want to work on your own, if you can. Helped me greatly. Puts a face on the resume.

 

[Tom Petty]

yeah, have fun with that do more with less you seem to wrap your arms around.
people such as yourself are the enablers to corporate whores.

jesus christ. i wanna puke.

 

[STLIrish]

yeah, have fun with that do more with less you seem to wrap your arms around.
people such as yourself are the enablers to corporate whores.

jesus christ. i wanna puke.

Why is that, Tom? Because he wants to get a better job and recognizes he may be better off trying for one at 25 (or whatever age he is) than he will be at 35? Because he doesn't want to wind up old and bitter and stuck?
Yeah, this business sucks for the 35-year-olds who want to move up, but that's not Coming Out's fault. Guy's just trying to better his situation. And the corporate whores will always find someone young and cheap, if that's what they're after. They don't need him to be an "enabler."

 

[Jersey_Guy]

I think you're much, much better off trying to establish a relationship with sports editors at 2-3 places where you'd really like to work. Find out if anyone you know knows the editor, ask for an introduction, ask if he or she would have time to look at your clips and offer feedback, etc.

99 percent of cold-sent clips/resume go right in the circular file. A more targeted, thoughtful approach will save you some money and likely be more successful.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

It's not about being a coporate *****, it's reality. You can continue to live in the world where 'this whole thing will come around' or vilify me for choosing to accept the ****ty situation we're in. But I'm not going to sit around aimlessly, be a hardass about how we're being so wronged, work 10 more years and get replaced. So go vomit ... I'm guess I'm just glad my stance matters. I didn't know my feelings on 'more with less' on its own merit will change the face of the entire industry.
If it makes you feel any better, I also have strong positive stances on raises and and free danishes in the break room.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

Oh, and thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Just what I was looking for.

 

[Ace]

I'd send them to the web sites. What makes you think the dream papers are gonna hire anyone anytime soon?

 

[Stitch]

I'd offer this ... visit places you want to work on your own, if you can. Helped me greatly. Puts a face on the resume.

Who has the money or time to do that if you already have a job? Don't get into a habit of visiting an out-of-town paper on your own dime for the hope of landing something. If you're on the radar and the paper wants you, they'll bring you in.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Send them everywhere... After all, everyone is hiring...

 

[Tom Petty]

yeah, have fun with that do more with less you seem to wrap your arms around.
people such as yourself are the enablers to corporate whores.

jesus christ. i wanna puke.

Why is that, Tom? Because he wants to get a better job and recognizes he may be better off trying for one at 25 (or whatever age he is) than he will be at 35? Because he doesn't want to wind up old and bitter and stuck?
Yeah, this business sucks for the 35-year-olds who want to move up, but that's not Coming Out's fault. Guy's just trying to better his situation. And the corporate whores will always find someone young and cheap, if that's what they're after. They don't need him to be an "enabler."

embracing what's happening to this business seems very scab-like to me. if that comes off as being bitter, so be it.

 

[JLaff]

I don't really think it's "scab-like" behavior, in my opinion. He has an accurate grasp of the industry's situation, and using his strengths (being young and cheap) to his advantage. Can't fault a guy for wanting to move up.

 

[Tom Petty]

I don't really think it's "scab-like" behavior, in my opinion. He has an accurate grasp of the industry's situation, and using his strengths (being young and cheap) to his advantage. Can't fault a guy for wanting to move up.

and i'm not trying to argue, honest, but let me pose this question: so what happens to the guy when he's no longer young and wants to support a family?

he's not only hosing experienced folks, but he's hosing himself in the process and doesn't even know it.

 

[cranberry]

Petty is right. Marketing yourself as ambitious and talented is one thing. Marketing yourself as a cheaper alternative undercuts everyone, including yourself.

 

[JLaff]

(Also not trying to argue) Good point, Tom. And maybe it's because I see things more from his POV than yours, but I don't think that writers at Thanks' level are trying to make an entire career out of being young and cheap, just trying to get his foot into a bigger door.

 

[Joe Williams]

I don't really think it's "scab-like" behavior, in my opinion. He has an accurate grasp of the industry's situation, and using his strengths (being young and cheap) to his advantage. Can't fault a guy for wanting to move up.

and i'm not trying to argue, honest, but let me pose this question: so what happens to the guy when he's no longer young and wants to support a family?

he's not only hosing experienced folks, but he's hosing himself in the process and doesn't even know it.

I'm with you, Tom. If it's scab behavior to look out for yourselve in the work place while your union brethern fight the fights and earn the concessions, it seems awfully similar to undercut veteran colleagues wherever by offering yourself more cheaply and more pliable.

At that point, you deserve what you get, like the woman who starts out as the mistress and then becomes the wife. From the "I do's" on, she'll be wondering who takes her spot as mistress. Or, in this case, as the eager, pliable and cheap replacement next time around.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

OK, so I'm at fault for seeing the writing on the wall? Then let me ask this: If you, Tom or Joe, could see our current situation coming 10-15 years ago, would you have done anything different? I'm betting you probably would.
You may have taken one job over another somewhere along the line, even if it was 'scab-like.' (And I only even give that word merit in this situation for the sake of being concise, not because I agree with it one iota.)
So now all our cards are on the table, print is going down the toilet. I'm not lying, cheating or stealing, but to act as if I should lie down, shut the **** up, sit in the same job for god-knows-how-long out of some sort of 'respect,' for writers at bigger papers that I don't know, well, then, call me whatever you want, but that's ridiculous.

 

[Joe Williams]

Don't mean to hone in on you, Thanks. I'm just drawing the parallels between what some pro-union folks on this board feel about people who put their personal situations ahead of the group. Just wondering, rhetorically perhaps, how doing it at one shop is any different from doing it across the industry.

Management that believes it is holding labor by the short 'n' curlies reacts the same, whether the union's strength erodes from so-called scabs who cross picket lines or from knowing there is a ready supply of workers willing to sell themselves more cheaply than the current ones.

I'm just curious what the difference is. To me, your stance veers close to -- and maybe crosses -- the line that most reasonable people accept: You don't lobby for a job that currently belongs to someone else. Even cutthroat coaches of sports teams generally respect that one.

You might see this as simply advertising your availability for when, some day, that opening occurs. There is nothing wrong or frankly new about that; people have done it -- hell, I've done it -- for years. But in this buyout/layoff climate, it might feel to those getting shoved out that someone has climbed up their backs to get the position, mostly for their willingness to work cheap. (Whenever places get around to hiring again, that is.)

People used to be able to marry, buy houses, raise families, send kids to college and retire on their income from newspaper jobs. Enabling panicked managers to simply drive, drive, drive down the price of all of us won't do any of us much good. Including you, Thanks, when you're the one trying to buy the house, raise the family, etc.