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Ask the Recruiter

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Joe Grimm
Joe Grimm, visiting journalist at the Michigan State University School of Journalism, tackles the toughest recruiting questions.
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Which Reference Is Better?
I just finished an internship with a small, niche publication and on my last day there, I was brought into the executive editor's office and told that he was very impressed with my work. He also mentioned if I ever needed a letter of recommendation or reference, he would be happy to help.

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Although I don't doubt my supervising editor would give me a good reference, I really think my executive editor would give me a better one. Also, since the paper is so small, the executive editor wasn't so completely removed from the staff and definitely took an invested interest in me.

I dealt with a similar issue at a newspaper where I felt the managing editor took more of an invested interest in me and would give me a better reference than my supervising editor. At the time, I went ahead and put down my supervising editor.

So, could I put him down as my reference for the newspaper or must it be my supervising editor?

C.

Use the person who will give the best reference. That will be the person who knows your work best, who has the strongest belief in your potential and who can speak most eloquently. Rank matters less than any of these factors. And it is always OK to list more than one reference from a place.

Coming Tuesday: He didn't make the error, an editor did. So, he wonders if he can still use the clip with an explanation.


Posted by Joe Grimm 12:00 AM Jun 11, 2007
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