Advice for Charlotte Observer job applications from Sherry Chisenhall
'Traditional — linear — career paths are gone forever.'
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A big thank you goes out to Sherry Chisenhall, President and Editor of The Charlotte Observer, for her thoughtful answers to a few questions about what it’s like to work at the major metro newspaper.
What advice would you share with those who aspire to work for The Charlotte Observer?
This is the same advice I give to anyone seeking a job anywhere: Reflect more on what you want to be, not so much what you want to do. How does this job in this newsroom align with your aspirations? Does it help you build the skills and experiences you need to be exceptional at the kind of journalism that inspires you?
Those questions should outweigh job titles or specific places, especially early in your career. Maybe you want to be a narrative writer, or learn how to get the right documents for stories, or to find stories in data. Look for opportunities that will help you stretch and grow and keep you pointed on the path you see for yourself.
And think about how that aligns with our newsroom’s mission. We’re deeply focused on public service journalism in our community and region. Our north star is accountability reporting, not just on our investigative team, but across our newsroom. We’re in a competitive media city, and we want to break news that you can’t find anywhere else. How does all of that fit for you?
How can candidates make their applications stand out?
This seems basic, but — write a cover letter. It’s disappointing and puzzling how many people apply with just a resume. Nothing else. First, it suggests that you’re mass-applying for jobs and may not have given much thought to why you’d want THIS job.
But more importantly, it wastes an opportunity for you to tell your story. A resume doesn’t do that. A letter helps me connect to you and to get a sense of what you want, and why you’d want to be here. If you have a connection to Charlotte or North Carolina, that’s important.
Include links or PDFs to some of your best work, and tell me briefly why it’s special to you. I often get just a link to a personal website. That’s fine if your site clearly highlights your best work and tells visitors about it. Letters and work samples are a powerful way to connect to hiring editors, and it’s a mistake to skip that opportunity.
What is it like to work at The Charlotte Observer?
Our news team is a mix of folks who’ve spent decades covering this region with us, and others who got to our city shortly before getting locked down in the pandemic. We’ve long been a newsroom where some people settle down and fall in love with Charlotte and others get experience they need to move to a national news organization. We have plenty of room for both.
The Observer has a deep tradition of watchdog journalism, and that remains our core commitment. We value collaboration, not just within our team in Charlotte, but across the Carolinas and southeast with our McClatchy colleagues. I grew up in this newsroom, and it has always been a place where people learn from each other, whether they have two years in the business, or 38.
And I’d add that Charlotte is just a fabulous place to live — its vibe is positive, the city and its suburban towns have had double-digit growth for several decades, and it has one of the highest growth rates of young professionals in the country.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Traditional — linear — career paths are gone forever. The idea that you do this, then this, then this is done. It’s more than OK to be guided by work that fulfills you and makes an impact wherever you are.
Send me your feedback and your job openings!
I'd love to hear from you with any questions, feedback or job openings you might have. Hit me up at mandy.hofmockel@gmail.com.