Q. I have a decent job (my first one out of college), but I've started looking for a new one. For my search three years ago, I stuck to applying for what I saw on job boards.
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I've been less excited about what I've seen this time, but there are several papers that I'm interested in that I haven't seen ads for. I'd like to send resumes and clips to these newspapers so they can at least have them on file, but I don't know if that's frowned on.
Should I call each paper I'm interested in and ask if they're accepting resumes and find out to whom I should send them? Or is it better to send the resume and then call to make sure they got it?
ToddA. It is wise to approach papers even before they publicize openings. Call and ask where you should send your application, but please do not call later and ask whether they received the application. That is an artifice.
When I pick up the phone and someone asks whether I have their application, I have to drop whatever it was I was doing when the phone rang and begin searching files, recent mail or my notes on where I have sent their material. When many applications are coming in, it can become a difficult question to answer. Some people have called so soon after they applied that their material has not even arrived yet, leaving me the responsibility of calling them back when it does arrive.
When I answer in the affirmative, people are almost never satisfied. They seem to want to know if, having now received the application, I will bring them in for an interview. When the applications are sent cold -- that is, with no job available -- these conversations become strained. The fact is, a high percentage of the mail sent in this country arrives, so the follow-up queries seem to mask deeper questions.
E-mail would be a better way to ask it, as that does not require an instantaneous response.
I would much prefer people to let me know that an application is coming and to keep an eye out for it. Then they get some extra attention when they arrive, and I will not find myself putting people on hold as I trot off to see whether the mail is in yet.
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Coming Tuesday: Working to pay for college has kept him out of some journalism jobs, and he is now worried about the best way to position himself for the job market.
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