Sports Writer, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Don't let Private Obvious rattle you. He's kind of prickly. But wipe "bring a lot to the table" out of your vocabulary just the same.

 

Jake,

If the job interests you, go ahead and apply. No guarantees, but it won't hurt. Everyone started somewhere. If you don't get this opportunity, perhaps you make a positive impression and that can help you down the road. Never hurts to apply.

 

anyone know the pay range on this gig? And yes I know I'm hired.

 

Some insight: I believe this is Nick Kosmider's old job. He was the No. 2 guy on the Tech football beat and was the No. 1 guy on Tech basketball.

 

To whoever gets this: Congrats...and good luck with Tubby. The guy was an absolute nightmare in Minnesota.

 

I did apply, the waiting is just the hardest part plus I don't want to be a pest even though this is my desired landing spot with relatives in the area.

I also applied for the sports reporter position at the Waco Tribune-Herald and even though the sports editor sounded interested in talking to me, he said management didn't want to fill the position to instead make room for another news position. This industry can be cruel at times.

 

Just a tip, you're going to drive yourself batty if you think about a job hunt in those terms (waiting is just the hardest part). The harsh reality is a lot of jobs simply won't make any contact with you after you send in an app. It can sometimes help to think of it as you put your best foot forward, they'll contact you if they're interested and in the meantime, there are probably more applications you'll want to be filling out (this is different if you have an in or know someone, but in that won't be the case all that often).

Now you can still check up on the status of the app (I'd advise waiting minimum three weeks though the board can shout me down if they have other ideas). But remember whoever you applied to is probably busy running a section a man down and going through a pile of apps. Some out there preps jobs get more than 150 applications, and this here is a bona fide D-1 beat. It took more than a month for the first place I worked to get back at me, and at that point I'd almost forgotten I'd applied. But if you wait with bated breath on each app you sent out, it could be a rough time with such a cold and often random process.

Also, this sounds like an awesome job. Good luck to the field.

 

The industry is cruel for many reasons. Not getting a call back on a job at least 100 others applied for is not one of them.

 

Jake,

Honestly, that happens a lot. Don't take it as a knock on you. Every single time there is a departure, the suits look long and hard and ask "can we get along without filling this position?" and "Would the resources be better used somewhere else?" I worked for one nut-job editor who wanted to add an extra reporter position, so he cut the one staff photographer (or didn't fill the opening, can't remember) and had the reporters take all the pictures. Drove me nuts as a desk editor, because too often I'd have to run very poor photos as centerpiece art.

I agree with what Dirty Bird wrote. The reality is that with ANY job, the odds are stacked against anyone. Just too many applicants. Unless you have an inside track somehow, every application is a long shot. Do the best you can to make a good impression, but also be realistic about the chances. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

 

Another amen for dirtybird's post. I remember when I just got out of school and I'd get my hopes sky-high after every interview, only to be sent to the depths when I was bypassed. It's nothing personal, it's business.

 

Thanks for this post.

I'm a "recent" grad (August 2012) and on the clock for needing my own health insurance (turning 26 in October), still looking for that first real job. The waiting game gets pretty stressful.

 

Folks, let me give an update on this ...

First off, I am absolutely overwhelmed and honored by the interest shown in this position. All totaled, we had more than 200 resumes sent in for this job. I'll be able to fill positions from that stack until I'm 200 years old. Thanks to everyone who applied.

At this moment, we have hired Krista Pirtle to fill the open position. Despite being a recent college graduate, Krista has extensive experience outside of school that helped make her the ideal candidate. She will be starting around July 1 and will be our No. 2 on Texas Tech football and our beat writer for Texas Tech women's basketball

However, since the original ad was posted back in April, I have had another writer planning to leave at the end of this week. So I am using the same pile of applications, the same semifinalists and the same ones I have already talked to concerning this second opening. This person would help me cover high school football and cover Tech men's basketball in the winter and high school baseball in the spring.

Hopefully, we will begin doing some interviews for that second position in the next couple of weeks.

Again, thanks to all who applied, and good luck in the future.

gw