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I am a Purdue graduate, and I have worked in journalism for nearly four years. I am currently in the market for another job, and you'd think my years of experience would help me in my quest for new employment.

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Unfortunately, my experience seems to be holding me back. You see, I have been the sole reporter at a Catholic weekly -- my first job out of college -- and while I have a wealth of experience in event, special-interest and general-assignment coverage, it all hinges on Catholicism.

I would really like to make the move to a daily "secular" newspaper, but I'm afraid that my "faith-based" clips have me trapped in (excuse the pun) limbo.

Can you give me any suggestions to help with my job search?

Thank you,

Lisa

You have a couple of hurdles to clear and are trying to clear them all in one jump. That is not impossible, but it is difficult and will make it hard for you to see which one is holding you back.

Joe Grimm

Many daily editors have reservations about hiring people from weeklies. And many editors of general-interest dailies have reservations about hiring people from niche publications, whether they are religious, trade, ethnic or non-English.

In some cases, you may encounter unvoiced reservations that have to do with the fact that you're at a weekly. Or, there may be hesitation about the narrow nature of the content you have handled. They may wonder how different the standards are. Or, they might simply have more qualified candidates.

So focus on the jobs you can get, rather than the ones you don't. Aim at dailies that are similar in circulation to your present weekly. Pitch your experience as a beat reporter. Load up your package with as much variety as you can -- and work to include hard news.

Finally, do what you can to actually get in for interviews, so that editors may judge you on the way you present yourself and ask questions, rather than just a sheaf of clips.

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Coming Friday: He wonders if a brief departure from his job, which the editor rectified, has killed his career.

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