Cristi Hegranes, founder and CEO of Global Press, has written a terrific reminder for job-seeking students that ought to be taped up on dorm refrigerators everywhere.
"I want to help you," she writes. "But you aren't making it easy."
An Open Letter to Journalism Students Who Want Jobs
February 15, 2016
By: Cristi Hegranes Founder and CEO
Dear J-School Students,
We’ve been hearing for a long time that the market is tough for you guys.
Opportunities are few and far between. Salaries are low. Traditional jobs don’t exist like you thought they would.
Times are tough. I get it. And I want to help you.
But you aren’t making it easy.
Over the last few years Global Press Institute and our newer brands Global Press Journal and Global Press News Service have hosted more than a dozen college interns. And we’ve hired about 16 percent of them. As an organization, we are committed to providing high-quality, inspiring employment. I think the team would agree when I say this work is challenging, fun and unique in today’s industry. Our work spans two dozen countries and confronts very real questions about journalism innovation everyday.
So when we posted an entry-level newsroom coordinator position last month, we were all excited to bring in a young, talented go-getter to help coordinate our ever-growing team of international journalists and to participate in reader engagement, fact-checking and other newsroom tasks. Senior members of the team agreed: This is a job we would have killed for when we were just starting out.
Over the last four weeks we’ve received 41 applications via a variety of job posting sites and through our own organic channels.
I’m sad to report that the quality of the applications has been abhorrent....
Read the entire letter here.
