Should I go for this job?

[Baixo Astral]

I'm currently job searching, and an agency wants to put me forward for the below position. It sound pretty cool, but picked out in bold are all of the things I'm not sure I could do.

What do y'all think?

<Also, I've blanked the name of the mag, as I'm paranoid that somehow noting the name of the mag will come back and bite me in the ass in some stupid way... strange, eh?>



An excellent opportunity for an accomplished production person, at BLANK magazine, the flagship title of BLANK. Responsible for client sponsored advertorials and sponsored supplements. You will manage your own workload, understand pre-press requirements for printing and have exceptional communication skills.

Main responsibilities:
• To look after clients’ needs and work alongside the sales team who book the supplements/advertorials.
• Client liaison skills - an ability to be firm with demanding clients, get approval and meet press deadlines while accommodating their needs.
• Ability to build good working relationships with suppliers and printers.
• Ability to work well in a team, but manage your own time and workload.
• Commission journalists and/or illustrators depending on the clients’ requirements and budget.
• Organizational skills – prioritise, create and make deadlines.
• Initiative – find solutions to problems. Commission freelance assistance when needed.

Production skills:
• An experienced InDesign mac operator, familiarity with CS2 photoshop and Illustrator. . Ability to generate press ready files/pdfs.
• Good attention to detail, some proofing skills.
• Print knowledge, ability to flatplan and paginate.
• Supervision of freelancers and commissioned journalists.
• Image touch-ups, creating graphs and diagrams.
• Picture research and purchasing photos.
• Generating creative solutions for new sales initiatives, providing sales reps with mock-ups for presentations (front cover, content and editorial).

[Toom E. Guci]

Air brushing for Playboy....you found your dream job Spike.

[Baixo Astral]

Believe me, it isn't Playboy... it's a finance magazine, published by an enormous finance company that no-one has ever heard of.

[Big BosskMan]

Maybe in your conversations with them you should say "I don't know x,y,z (what you bolded) but I am more than willing to learn (a fast learner, too) what I need to in order to meet your high standards - whether that is on the job or via a seminar/workshop/class."

If the pay is good, go for it.

[Shockmaster's Son]

I don't know how desperate you are for a job right now, not knowing your situation, but I would say it is probably not a good fit. I work in public relations (and used to be a journalism major), so I have seen job offers like this before. Those skills you bolded are fairly specific and if you don't have even remote knowledge of how to do them, that's a pretty big red flag. Plus, it sounds like an agency has sought this job out for you and having experience with headhunters myself, they have their own interests in mind, as well. While it may sound nice and was a good catch on their part, you don't seem to have all the skills necessary.

It might be different if it were one of those things where those skills "were desirable, but not required." Then, you might have some leeway. It can't hurt to interview if you have the time to do it, but I really don't think it's worth it. My two cents.

[Baixo Astral]

Exactly what I thought... I mean, I have reasonable CS2 Photoshop experience, and some Illustrator knowledge, so could do the image touching up, graphs, etc, but I'm not from a magazine background, I work in book publishing.

Also, I don't trust recruitment people, they just want to round up warm bodies to justify their fees most of the time... hence me going out of my way to shame them the other week when they got me to go to an interview with no notice at all, at a totally inappropriate company... so I went in combat trousers and a velour sweater.

[DrBackflipsHoffman]

Just make sure your hair looks ok and you're entertaining in the interview and they wont care about any inexperience you have in some fields, since they probably wont be able to recognise any deficiencies anyway.

If the day does come that you have to use any of the programmes you're unfamiliar with but said you could manage then just mumble something about the programmes at your old workplace not being "these new upgraded versions you have here" then look visibly annoyed, pick up some documents and walk off until someone else gets assigned the project.

[Shockmaster's Son]

thegoldenspike said:

Exactly what I thought... I mean, I have reasonable CS2 Photoshop experience, and some Illustrator knowledge, so could do the image touching up, graphs, etc, but I'm not from a magazine background, I work in book publishing.

Also, I don't trust recruitment people, they just want to round up warm bodies to justify their fees most of the time... hence me going out of my way to shame them the other week when they got me to go to an interview with no notice at all, at a totally inappropriate company... so I went in combat trousers and a velour sweater.

Score one for the good guys! I would've been a bit more daring and gone wearing a wifebeater and velcro sneakers.

[Baixo Astral]

I WAS wearing velcro sneakers!

[Shockmaster's Son]

thegoldenspike said:

I WAS wearing velcro sneakers!

Oh, well then I salute you. Who needs those pesky laces, anyway?

[Baixo Astral]

It's true, I don't actually have any lace-ups that I can remember... and if I do, they haven't been unlaced in years.

[tommyvercetti]

Sell out!

Viva Fidel!


Viva Hugo!

Viva Noam!

[Baixo Astral]

Hey, Biafra... Look where I'm temping... I'm actually there right now.

[tommyvercetti]

thegoldenspike said:

Hey, Biafra... Look where I'm temping... I'm actually there right now.

Oh...::revokes his Sell Out! cry::


Nice.


The axis of hope book looks worth a read.