Flirting with the enemy

Over the past three months, I've probably applied for a dozen or more serious jobs. Of all those, only two were outside journalism. Those were the two (including the bookstore) that brought me in for an interview. Should I take a hint?

On Thursday, I got a call from a major advertising firm here in Birmingham. A friend works there and had mentioned they might have an opening for a copy writer. I decided that if I was going to apply to a completely new field, I would really need to make myself stand out. So I wrote my cover letter as if it were a memo I was writing to my boss in early 2007, a year after he hired me. I thought it was a bit risky, but it showed my clever side.

I sent it off in mid-January and waited. And waited. I called to follow up and still didn't hear back. I moved on with the old job hunt.

But like I said, the creative director called on Thursday to see if I would come in for an interview. He said, and I'm really quoting, that I was "an odd duck, but an attractive duck."

Turns out, my letter was a hit, but the firm was a little unsure what they could do with someone who has 10 years of journalism experience and no advertising background. They asked me to come in the next day (yesterday), and I had a great talk with the creative director. It sounds like they'll probably throw some freelance work at me to test my abilities, but he still seemed interested in hiring me.

What's funny is, my second best chance at a good job right now is in another field considered anathema to journalism. There's a public relations position open at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and I think it could be a great job. I'd be digging up stories for local and national media on a few of the schools at the university. A good friend of mine is one of the lead hiring people at UAB, and he said he will try to spread the word that I would be a good choice for the job. It's definitely in my target pay range, and the benefits are great. Plus, it only requires three years of newspaper reporting experience. Drops in the bucket.

So it seems I'm destined to leave journalism, unless a miracle occurs. Sure, I'm a little sad about that, and I think I do have a talent for the field, but I'm also pretty excited about trying something new and still getting to write. Plus, my real goal is just to save up enough money in the coming years to finally open my coffee shop.

As always, I'll keep you posted.