First Jobs: The Experience Paradox

BiB Contributor | Anonymous News Director

I’ve often heard people push their experience during evaluations, negotiations for raises, and interviews for jobs. Experience, in many respects, is a paradox. Experience is a hollow word unless you can back it up with what you have contributed or will contribute to an organization.

Example A:

• Reporter X has ten years experience. He is highly paid and has a multitude of contacts. However, he rarely comes to the plate with ideas and frequently gossips with other reporters. He says he wants feedback but bristles every time you give it to him.

• Reporter Y has no experience. However, she brings ideas and backup ideas to every editorial meeting. She doesn’t take any breaks and frequently asks for feedback. The improvement is noticeable every day.

Which would you keep/hire?

In this case, I’d rather have 10 “Reporter Y’s” than one “Reporter X.”

Example B:

• Reporter 1 has five years experience. He works hard every day and doesn’t complain. He frequently breaks stories. He asks for a raise. When asked why, he says “I broke five stories last month, and average at least that many every month. When you brought on Reporter G, I bent over backwards to help him. I hope you notice the improvement. I’m always out in the community.”

• Reporter 2 has one year of experience. She is constantly late and her idea of a new story is to provide one that is on the front page of the paper or on a competitor’s website. She constantly complains about how we miss stories; however, she has no proactive solutions. She wants management to solve the problems she perceives. But she clearly thinks she is not the problem. She asks for a raise and a promotion.

In this case, Reporter 1 has the clear advantage.

The answers to the examples above may seem obvious; however, those types of conversations happen in newsrooms every day. The situations are amalgamations of circumstances I’ve faced in a number of newsrooms. The reason I provided these examples is to give you practical examples from which to learn. Experience and education may get you in the door, but hard work, attitude, and passion will open up new opportunities for you.

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