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[quote=Anonymous]19:53 again...sorry, had to put kids to bed.

Journalism, for the most part, does not seem to value experience, or at least in man cases does not seem willing to pay extra for it. I could have returned to my previous job after a four year absence but they were not willing to pay me my old salary much less increase it to account for inflation. They wanted to hire someone they could pay 10-15k less, someone right out of school, someone with a few internships but no salary history. I did work on contract for my old employer for six months while I job hunted but they would not offer me full time. I suspect they knew they were getting a deal paying me an hourly rate and no benefits.

I interviewed for many other news jobs, and was pleased to be getting interviews, but several people told me that 100-200 people had applied for these positions so my odds were already not great. I also felt like a couple other potential employers were discriminating against me as a mother with small children. I stopped mentioning staying at home with my daughter as what I had been doing during the gap in my résumé.

I guess I would encourage your wife to think more about the transferable skills and less about the kind of job. A lot of think tanks need people in their press offices who are news savvy, for example, and who are connected and good writers.

I would also suggest she figure out one or two news organizations she is most interested in and that her skills are most compatible with and pound away at those until something works out. Network with anyone and everyone that works there, do LinkedIn, apply for every single opening even if it is not a perfect fit, and get her foot in that door.

While it sounds like she has good experience, news organizations usually hire from within so the key is to get in somehow. Feel free to have her post here again later if she has any questions. I am glad to help others learn from my mistakes.[/quote]

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