We have this breaking news: Association/station/company/organization needs a veteran professional who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Individual must have the very skills we need and fit into our workplace dynamic easily and quickly. Must be able to drop everything and save us now! Mind reading skills a plus.
Sadly, I'm only half joking. Two or three times a week I get FB messages/DM Tweets or e-mails from desperate employers who are looking to hire. (Yes, there are jobs out there.) One came in today that made me laugh out loud and prompts this posting.
The following was edited to protect the innocent:
Our programing begins next week and we need your help in reaching out through your connections to find someone who we could hire as a multi-media after school coach. This person would teach sound recording in the studio 3 days a week and video production in the media lab 2 days a week for a total of 20 hours.
First, uh "next week?" I guess the candidate hired to be in the chair before just walked out. Where's your back up engineer? If you are part of an outfit where one employee keeps all the knowledge and experience, you're asking for a lot trouble. Always have someone trained and ready to jump in.
Second, let's do some math. Twenty divided by 5 = 4. That's four hours a day after school and we'll call it 3:30 to 7:30 because it sounds to me like a high school. I've taught broadcast classes off and on for 13 years. It's not 20 hours a week, it's more...a lot more if you enjoy it like I do.
Finally, anyone who is both a professional sound engineer and a video production specialist, (I know someone like that- we enjoy fine beers together), is going to have other gigs lined up to pay the bills. There was no mention in the above employer's message of how much the job pays, and I always look at that with suspicion. There should be some salary range included, even a vague one. If the compensation isn't competitive, you're not going to get (or keep) the kind of professional who could really make an impact.
I could go on. I replied to the sender and it seems they want to interview candidates and have someone hired within a week.
Anyone out there with a cape, tights and red boots?
*Chantal de La Rionda edits this blog
