Let's try this again: Candidates and their qualifications...

Actually I haven't applied for a new job in several years, but with the market in my area being the way it is, I am considering it, and where I am looking is a paper known for actively trying to promote and get diversity in its newsroom.

 

This worst hire I ever made as an SE was a white male. He was a bitter, whiney, self-entitled bully. A drunk and a drug user, too. He had good clips and a lot of experience, though. I wish, at that time, I had a quota placed on me.

 

From his original post, I got the impression that his newspaper made some sort of minority hire that CopyGK (I'm assuming this is short for Copy Geek) felt wasn't up to snuff, probably because CopyGK had just spent the last half-hour re-writing or otherwise resurrecting some total piece of crap that made no sense grammatically or thematically.

Go back and look at it again and see if I make sense.

Am I close?

Love,
A (by your definition) minority hire who can actually write in complete sentences and have the occasional coherent thought.

 

I was, IMHO, passed over for a job that was given to a minority female for less than professional reasons. I feel -- and so do others -- I was better for the job than she. I hesitantly took the assistant job, and it was a nightmare from the beginning; I should've politely declined, though I don't think that would've helped very much, either.

She got her chance, wrapped the rope firmly around her neck and jumped off the copy desk. Now, neither of us are there, and leaving was the second best decision I've ever made.

Although I still hang around the shop, I am extremely bitter at those who made the decision and am currently doing everything I possibly can to thumb my nose in their faces. The final blow in my personal battle will be landed next month, and I'll be sure to let you guys know how it works out.

Sorry for the rant, but that's been on my chest for over a year.

Out.

 

Idaho, I appreciate your comment, too. As I said, I wasn't talking about race specifically... maybe that candidate had a ton of experience being of a certain age, etc., and it turned out to be not worth it (for you, given what you said about the person.) I feel people shouldn't be passed over, in general, just because they're younger/older, of a certain race/gender, etc.

 

That is not necessarily true. I don't know his situation, but I have seen and been part of the hiring process where we were asked to A.K.A. told to find a minority candidate that would automatically be a finalist and most likely the hire. There were two other candidates better qualified and when the decision was being made I got up and left the room because it went against all I believe in.

Now don't get me wrong. I think a lot of the women in this business are here because they deserve to be and are hard-working journalists. Same with any other minority. But this is a topic that has to be looked at in a case-by-case basis, and the minority is not always hired because they deserve it or are better.

And while we are on this topic, how close are we as a country to considering that middle-aged white man the minority? Just wondering?

 

We're not close.

 

Thanks for clarifying that Pirate

 

I've been passed over, too. I worked for a paper for four years giving them my best. I was considered for a job, but when I went in to interview, a co-worker told me quietly to not get my hopes up unless I could somehow surprise the boss with news I was a woman in drag or that my last name was actually hispanic in origin. That hurt me deeply. I kicked butt on the 'test' they gave me but failed the all-important first line on the application.

My wife, however, has also been passed over. She interviewed for medical school shortly after having a baby. Her interviewer flatly told her "Do you really expect to be a doctor now that you've got kids?" She had MCAT scores were 98th percentile. She had a M.S. in Biochemistry. But her marriage and baby told her interviewer she wasn't cut out to be a doctor because her priorities would be compromised. We waited an extra year to get into school.

It happens both ways. All the time. So I really don't think it's as big a problem as some want to believe it is -- unless you are the person passed over.

 

If it weren't for the grainy mug shot on his column in the clipfile, I'd never have known he was white. And his age was never a question I had in the phone interview (small paper, most interviews done by phone) process so I had no idea if he was 23 or 53.

In a perfect world we'd all get an equal shake at everything we try. But that'd require stripping us of our names, faces and voices and giving us a number during interviews.

 

I think if editors weren't essentially told by their superiors to hire minorities, to fill a quota, etc. and were given more power in the hiring process, those superiors might be surprised by the diverse newsrooms you'd end up with. Instead, this type of forced hiring can lead to unnecessary dissent, anger, bitterness and it's often unfair to the person who is hired and proves themselves qualified because peers will often associate the person with a flawed hiring process and will never objectively look at the person's work.

 

Not. A. Chance.

Interesting topic for discussion, but if anyone actually believes that white, male adults are anywhere close to a minority, in this business or in society, well, they're just fooling themselves.