Q: I notice in your blog you use the term "live job ad." What precisely does that mean? Is it common for a company to put a job ad out during a hiring freeze (say, as a Tribune paper may be doing now) with no immediate intention of filling that position?
Perhaps they're looking to fill a position when things start looking up again and they just want to get it out there that they're looking?
Also, I am in a situation right now where I'm a master's student in the middle of a joint masters program (journalism and Latin American Studies). The way I've got my studies structured, I could walk out of grad school right now and still have a master's degree of some kind. If I stay on till May, I finish the journalism side and get my joint masters (I'd also have three quality magazine-length articles to boot, would have experience working with Flash, Dreamweaver and HTML, and gotten a year's experience working for an NPR affiliate). I did this intentionally -- if I can find an outstanding reporting job somewhere then I can leave to take it and still have something to show for it. I'm trying to avoid taking the first thing that comes up in the summertime.
But I haven't had to bridge this topic to an employer yet. My school has recruiters visit from some pretty great papers -- if I sat down and spoke with one of them about possibly working there, and things go well and they ask me to interview, and then when I could start, I figured I would just tell them the truth, that:
a) I do have a master's degree, but
b) am still in my graduate program, and
c) would be willing to start work ASAP if necessary.
The only downside I can see with that is that they may end up thinking that I'm wasting either my time or their time or both. It may also send the message to the potential employer that I have a problem with commitment.
How should I handle this?
Grad student
A: Thanks for the question. The second part of it helps me answer the first. I was probably being redundant when I wrote "live job ad." Ads are generally for real positions. Many, many editors post only when they want to attract candidates. We do, however, go to job fairs and campus interviews even when we have no immediate openings.
If you get into a conversation about starting times with an editor, be honest. That is almost always the best policy. Say, "My calendar is more flexible than you might expect. I would be happy to come work for you now and would still be meeting my academic goals. If nothing turns up till later, I am in a good place in school and can continue my studies till May. While my education is certainly important -- it brought me to where I am today -- the career is No. 1 for me now and I have built a program that puts my career first."
