Job Responsibilities
- Write one column each week - 15 hours each week
- Arrange and assist with photo shoots as needed each week, 10 hours each week
- Answer reader inquiries, 5 hours each week
- Write one monthly feature, 5 hours each month each week
- Clean kitchen, cook recipes and shop for ingredients, 15 hours each week
Note: all times are approximate, and many more hours can be required durin any
given
week, if necessary, due to the nature of the journalism business.
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Job Requirements
- Editors look for previous experience as a writer, (I had about 3 years),
culinary
training, knowledge of the industry and ability to manage and coordinate varying
types
of people.
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Uppers
Free food, prestige.
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Downers
The industry is dying, and resources are consequently pretty limited.
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Lifestyle
Journalism is not a job with regular hours. So generally, I worked until late at
night, or rearranged my schedule for travel or other requirements. On top of
that, I needed to socialize with food industry people and maintain a steady
network of contacts. Also, I attended about 2 to 3 dinners or banquets a month.
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Compensation
I started at about $26,000 and worked my way up to $32,000 in four years. The
bonuses and promotions would have slowed considerably as my salary increased,
however. Also, anyone who makes over $50,000 in journalism is pretty vulnerable
to
layoffs. There were no stock options. Benefits were standard, although they
reduced
medical coverage considerably right before I left.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Entering this field is a matter of learning to read people, and being able to
produce
results under deadline. It requires action-oriented people who enjoy pressure
and
can handle all types of people. Training and background are less important than
personality in the hiring process.
The job outlook is not good. Even the most recognized and productive members of
the newspaper staff were pushed out or treated badly if their salary was too
high
(literally, their desks were moved repeatedly, like in the movie "Office
Space"). And
the company provides no benefits for any employee over 60. It was obvious that
the
industry prefers to sort of churn through young people, who will work hard for
low
pay. Most journalists go on to some other, more lucrative career by their 40s.
The
ones who don't can be pretty stressed out while they try to hang on until they
can
retire.
The newspaper industry as a whole faces decreasing readership and increasing
costs. Management was always peopled by very likable, competent people. But the
choices they made were not in employee's interests due to these pressures. It's
all
ruled by cost and that's just the way it goes.
Overall, it was a very fun, rewarding career. Coworkers are almost always
talented,
hilarious and enjoyable. But at the same time, you have to be able to take
charge of
yourself and protect yourself in a very junglelike atmosphere. There are not
enough
resources to go around, and people scramble pretty hard for their share.
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