In an Oct. 14 Poynter Online career chat, we had an interesting exchange about competing with colleagues for jobs in a tight economy. I thought we would revisit the subject here, where we have more room for discussion.
In the chat, a participant named Jim wrote, "networking, esp. in a field that's been decimated of late, requires gleaning clues that may seem cutthroat from people who may be vying for the same or similar jobs. How can you be sensitive to that while not alienating them as colleagues but also finding out about positions?"
In response, Emma wrote in: "I'll side with Jim on this one: as the field narrows -- especially for entering applicants, It feels like we're all up for the same job sometimes! Treading lightly feels awkward among colleagues (interns at the same paper, or at other publications), but it's 100 percent necessary in some situations, I've found."
Jim responded: "Indeed, Emma. Btw, this colleague was flummoxed, as I am sure you can imagine. It all went down when this colleague was asked by a subordinate to be a reference, btw."
Competition with friends has always been there, even before the journalism job market got so lousy. Competition is up, and there is a scant number of openings, so that means the odds you will be the one to beat out your friend have actually gone down.
Let's try a few ground rules:
1. Anyone gets to apply for any job he or she sees posted. There are no dibs or double-dibs.
2. We do not exploit our friends to get information about openings -- and we don't ignore what we hear in open conversations either.
3. We tell colleagues when we are applying for a job that we know they are also applying. This may be difficult, but it is a common courtesy.
4. When friends tell us they are applying for a job we want, we don't guilt them. That is unfair.
Part of my reasoning goes like this: Withdrawing from competition for a job does not mean your friend will get it; it only means that you cannot. You should both apply and let the job market take care of things for us.
Competition for the same job can test a friendship, but by being open and honest, we are doing the best we can to honor our friendships and our need to find work.
Ideally, once a friend lands a job, he or she will get busy trying to help the friend.
Coming Wednesday: We will have another free chat on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. EDT. This week's topic is: "How Do I Get On-the-Job Training for New Opportunities?"
Looking for questions. "Ask the Recruiter" is built off of the questions its readers ask. I would love to try to answer your career or job questions. Please e-mail them to me at[email protected]. You'll have an answer soon.
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