Writerland is a newsletter from The Delacorte Review whose mission is to help writers tell the stories they need to tell. * * *Thanks for reading Writerland! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Recently, for the first time in my life, I interviewed candidates for a job - a full-time, journalism job no less. I was on a panel with someone else, but still, for once I was asking the questions, not the other way around. You have to celebrate the small victories, and for me, this was one.
I understand that the interview process is a necessary tool to separate the wheat from the chaff, but it's a blunt instrument. Interviewing well doesn't mean you can do the job well. It just means you interview well. More often than not, it's a totally different skill set. Employers are limiting candidates with relevant skills by over-indexing on a measure that often has little bearing on their work potential.
This reminds me of brainstorming sessions at work. They can be helpful, but certain people thrive in that setting whereas others do not. If the goal is to harvest the best ideas, companies should cater to different personality types. The same can be said about candidate searches.
Wow I recognize this battle- you could insert "acting" into the journalism slot, and it would be a near perfect fit.
Arts in general, (and I see journalism as an art- a craft to master) are not honored in our culture. We reward the hustle, the shiny doo dad, but paying a living wage to someone who continually perfects their craft... spotty at best.
I understand that the interview process is a necessary tool to separate the wheat from the chaff, but it's a blunt instrument. Interviewing well doesn't mean you can do the job well. It just means you interview well. More often than not, it's a totally different skill set. Employers are limiting candidates with relevant skills by over-indexing on a measure that often has little bearing on their work potential.
This reminds me of brainstorming sessions at work. They can be helpful, but certain people thrive in that setting whereas others do not. If the goal is to harvest the best ideas, companies should cater to different personality types. The same can be said about candidate searches.
Thanks for sharing, Natasha.
Wow I recognize this battle- you could insert "acting" into the journalism slot, and it would be a near perfect fit.
Arts in general, (and I see journalism as an art- a craft to master) are not honored in our culture. We reward the hustle, the shiny doo dad, but paying a living wage to someone who continually perfects their craft... spotty at best.
Where can we start to unpick the knot?