Sports reporter -- Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

Nah. I've got a wall to talk to with better comprehension...

 

Unfortunately, many times it's who you know, not what you know.

 

I'll pose this question to the crowd. If it agrees with everything, then so be it and I'll admit I was wrong.

How strange does it look at hiring someone "internally" (i.e. from within Gannett) just four days after stopping taking more than 100 applications for the position? I'm sure Pensacola didn't attract Tyler Dunne-type talent, but I'm sure, out of the 100-plus, someone had the institutional knowledge of the area that would've made him/her an ideal candidate or one of those 100-plus was a more accomplished journalist than the hire. (We'll never know for sure, but it's probably a fair characterization. If not, then I'm mistaken.) Was this even enough time to read the clips of people who applied and check with references of, say, the top 10 candidates before narrowing to 5-7 phone interviews? I've never made a hire, so I don't know, but I imagine you'd be hard pressed to do so.

Now, maybe Bob had his hand forced by Gannett and had to hire the guy. But I feel it would be nice for him to say, "Look, we knew going in that he was our guy. Oh, well." Or maybe Bob went through all the applications, read the clips of the 15 or however many that interested, said they aren't any good and went with his guy.

Yeah, shit happens in our industry. But there's nothing wrong with wishing an industry that prides itself on being transparent and honest was always so.

 

I don't think many editors would divulge the details of the hiring process for an opening. Nor should they, unless you really want the truth as to why you didn't get hired.

You don't have much of a clue of how hiring works. References usually aren't checked until after the first interview. You also don't know why or how Brady's name came up.

 

dkphxf

You seem to forget these hirings don't happen in a vacuum. Evey day a place accepts apps, goes through them, waits for interviews is another day short staffed. Those suck.

I've seen spots where an editor admitted he didn't read half his sports apps. He found one that blew him away, went down that road and ultimately offered the job. Sometimes it goes the other way. Sometimes you end up hiring someone you didn't contact until a month after the "Two week" window closed. Hell, the two weeks can often be just a guideline, not one step in a rigid process.

All these things happen organically, so even if you knew how one don't it doesn't say much about any of the others. The guy they got seems like a hell of a candidate, no need to denigrate him by acting like he was just some special case because he worked in the company.

 

I'm not pretending to speak for Bob or the Journal but stop whining. You didn't get the job, OK. I've been there many times and it's not a nice feeling but it's not the end of the world. Hell with all the trouble going on at G-World, this may be a blessing.

 

dxphfk,

When you're looking to fill a position, it makes sense to get as broad a pool of applicants as possible. Maybe one stands out, for whatever reason.

Think of this: what if person #1 doesn't take the job, then you're back to square one, to the pile again. Or maybe there's another opening down the road. Most of us, self included, have been part of searches where one person emerged as a clear front-runner. Doesn't mean the other applicants weren't qualified, or whatever. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Brady is a MORE than worthy candidate for the job. Trust me. Congrats to him and good hire by Bob.

 

I can't speak for the hiring process, and it's certainly not my place anyway, but I will say this: This ain't Bob's first rodeo. He's made plenty of hires before and he's also fully aware of the way these situations are handled. Pretty sure he doesn't need any pointers in that regard.

If you already think this issue is off base and you don't know Bob, you can imagine how ridiculous it seems if you've watched this guy work like a dog night in, night out, lead his section to APSE awards everywhere he goes and handle his staff like a true pro.

 

But I didn't get the interview I deserved. If only Bob had looked at my junior varsity roundup, he would have hired me.

 

two words
TAKE IT!