Experienced PJ opening HERE

The Beaumont Enterprise, the leading daily paper and online news source in Southeast Texas, is seeking an experienced, creative, self-reliant and motivated photojournalist to shoot in a team-oriented, content-rich environment for a paper with a tradition of public service. The successful candidate will have a nose for news, a knack for story-telling and be able to find, develop and bring to life compelling stories for a paper that believes in the power of photojournalism and its potential for online applications. Competitive salary and great benefits. Send cover letter, resume and portfolio to:

Pete Churton, Assistant Managing Editor
The Beaumont Enterprise
P.O.Box 3071, Beaumont TX 77704.

Complete application packages need to be in Beaumont before Friday, Jan 5, 2007.

The info above is the official company line. What follows are my thoughts. Please don't confuse the two.

Jennifer is moving to Galveston as their new photo editor. It's been great to work with her. I wish her all the luck (except in direct competition). She is funny, smart, tough, hard working and will be missed.

To be fair, this job is for an experienced, competitive, detail-oriented photojournalist who knows how to transmit on deadline from the field and is ready to be slammed by a hurricane. With changes currently taking place, this job is NOT for technophobes. Video knowledge is a definite plus.

A four-year degree is required. A PJ degree is preferred. Five years or more experience at a daily paper is preferred.

Beaumont is a Hearst metro newspaper. As such, it directly competes in-house against some of the top newspapers in the country. Additionally, it has good benefits and is privately held. Because it's not publically traded, it's far more stable and the focus is on content rather than stock prices.

There is enough experience on staff to handle a minor learning curve if the perfect candidate comes along. We also have the coolest A.M.E. in the biz. The down side of this job is the successful candidate has to work with me and must tolerate my dumb jokes. ;-}

The paper provides high-quality content and expects a high-quality photojournalist. Among other awards, it was named as this year's top newspaper in its division at the Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Awards from only this contest include:

Sweepstakes Winner (1st)
1st General Excellence
1st News Writing
1st News Photo
1st Headline Writing
1st Feature Story
1st Community Service
2nd Page Design
4th Editorials
4th Sports Coverage

Since I got a job here, candidates might be wise to look through the information I've posted in All PJ-related posts about getting a staff job. Of particular interest should be How to make portfolios, Make a cover letter, Make a resume, Complete the application package.

When applying for any job, mention you saw this opening on this blog (PhotoJournalism). Good luck.

NOTE: If you applied for the last job opening, those resumes are on file, e-mail Pete and let him know you're still interested.

Enough for now,