Catharsis!
I got an email from the C* of P* on Friday. I had sent them an email on Thursday to see if they had filled the position I applied for. It turned out that they had. I started thinking about how deplorable this kind of treatment is. I had to send them two writing samples in addition to my resume and cover letter, and they couldn't even take the time to let me know that the position had been filled. Unacceptable, in my opinion. So, I wrote a letter to the editor to let him/her know how I feel. I'm gloating right now, but then again I did waste an hour that I could have used to apply to other jobs. Here's the letter, in full:
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Dear Editor-
I am writing to express my dismay with the recent mistreatment of my application to a position at The C* of P*.
On September 30, I responded, via email, to a job listing on JournalismJobs.com which advertised an opening for an editorial assistant at The C* of P*. I put a significant amount of effort into preparing my application, as it required two writing samples in addition to the requisite resume and cover letter. I was particularly concerned about submitting my application in a timely manner (the website listing was dated September 29), as I am aware that such postings tend to generate a high volume of responses in a short amount of time.
Over the course of the next several weeks, I waited for some word in response to my application, be it an acknowledgement of receipt, an offer for an interview, or even notice that the position had been filled. No such word ever arrived. On Thursday of this past week, I sent a follow-up email to the C* in an attempt to determine the status of the position. The next day, I received an email from H* J* informing me that the position had been filled (the original contact was M* M*; Ms. J* informed me that Ms. M* was on vacation late last week).
I take all of my job applications quite seriously, and I was particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of working for the C* of P*, a publication that I am familiar with and held in high regard. The very least that I expected in response to my job application was an acknowledgement that the position was no longer open once it had been filled. Anything less, in my opinion, constitutes not only a lack of professionalism, but simply bad manners. As I mentioned, I am aware that open positions in this field and at a well-respected publication like the C* tend to attract a large number of applicants. But I don't believe that this fact excuses the C* from abiding by the most basic rules of professional etiquette. Any company that posts a job in any forum should be prepared to extend to each applicant that courtesy that he deserves, especially if the job applicant is expected to go beyond the normal expectations of a job application, as is true in this case due to the request for two writing samples.
I have found my search for an entry-level position in the field of print journalism and publishing to be incredibly frustrating. I am a recent graduate of [such-and-such] University with a bachelor's degree in English; I poured my heart and soul into the campus weekly paper as a writer and editor over the course of four years; I held an internship at a major daily newspaper, and worked with one of the most renowned collections of books in the country as an assistant in [such-and-such's]'s rare book library. I am a hard worker, an experienced writer and editor, and an enthusiastic and likeable guy. And yet publications like the C* of P* won't even give my application a second glance. I wish I knew what it is that I'm missing.
Perhaps I am completely unqualified for positions like the one which, until recently, was open at your publication. The least I deserve, I think, is a simple email telling me so.
Sincerely,
[I'm still pretending that this is an anonymous blog]
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Woohoo! I wonder if I'll get a response.
---------------------------
Dear Editor-
I am writing to express my dismay with the recent mistreatment of my application to a position at The C* of P*.
On September 30, I responded, via email, to a job listing on JournalismJobs.com which advertised an opening for an editorial assistant at The C* of P*. I put a significant amount of effort into preparing my application, as it required two writing samples in addition to the requisite resume and cover letter. I was particularly concerned about submitting my application in a timely manner (the website listing was dated September 29), as I am aware that such postings tend to generate a high volume of responses in a short amount of time.
Over the course of the next several weeks, I waited for some word in response to my application, be it an acknowledgement of receipt, an offer for an interview, or even notice that the position had been filled. No such word ever arrived. On Thursday of this past week, I sent a follow-up email to the C* in an attempt to determine the status of the position. The next day, I received an email from H* J* informing me that the position had been filled (the original contact was M* M*; Ms. J* informed me that Ms. M* was on vacation late last week).
I take all of my job applications quite seriously, and I was particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of working for the C* of P*, a publication that I am familiar with and held in high regard. The very least that I expected in response to my job application was an acknowledgement that the position was no longer open once it had been filled. Anything less, in my opinion, constitutes not only a lack of professionalism, but simply bad manners. As I mentioned, I am aware that open positions in this field and at a well-respected publication like the C* tend to attract a large number of applicants. But I don't believe that this fact excuses the C* from abiding by the most basic rules of professional etiquette. Any company that posts a job in any forum should be prepared to extend to each applicant that courtesy that he deserves, especially if the job applicant is expected to go beyond the normal expectations of a job application, as is true in this case due to the request for two writing samples.
I have found my search for an entry-level position in the field of print journalism and publishing to be incredibly frustrating. I am a recent graduate of [such-and-such] University with a bachelor's degree in English; I poured my heart and soul into the campus weekly paper as a writer and editor over the course of four years; I held an internship at a major daily newspaper, and worked with one of the most renowned collections of books in the country as an assistant in [such-and-such's]'s rare book library. I am a hard worker, an experienced writer and editor, and an enthusiastic and likeable guy. And yet publications like the C* of P* won't even give my application a second glance. I wish I knew what it is that I'm missing.
Perhaps I am completely unqualified for positions like the one which, until recently, was open at your publication. The least I deserve, I think, is a simple email telling me so.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------
Woohoo! I wonder if I'll get a response.
posted by temporarily unemployed at 12:45
1 Comments:
I think what you are missing is a nice shot of modesty. Journalism jobs are highly competitive, as by now you are finding out. If editors sat down and typed out an email to every applicant for every open job, they wouldn't have time to do any real work at all. I am a former employee of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and they get hundreds of applications. I can assure you that the editors and reporters there are very professional in comparison to the other places I have worked. And providing writing samples to a prospective employer is by no means "above and beyond" the normal expectations of a job application if you are applying for a journalism job; it is pretty much the norm, and really isn't that much more of a hassle. This situation does not reflect poorly on The Chronicle of Philanthropy. This is the way the world (and job searches) work.
And if you want to be satisfied with a rewarding career in journalism, you can't expect people to cater to you. Because they won't. You write "Any company that posts a job in any forum should be prepared to extend to each applicant that courtesy that he deserves." That's not how it works, anywhere. I personally have applied to many journalism jobs in my short career, and have gotten no response from many of the companies to which I applied. In fact, I would say I got no response from most of the companies to which I replied. So, I guess my advice is, get used to it. This is a super competitive field, and there are many people, especially in Washington, just as qualified as yourself. Oh, and your haughty letter to the editor probably only succeeded in burning a bridge with a great company.
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