"Must Have A Rolodex of Journalists"

Whenever anyone parses through a list, they always start by setting up filter criteria that define what is interesting and what isn't. If you're looking through a list of job postings, maybe it's listings that include the word marketing, Web 2.0 or SaaS. And in the same way, you also use filters to determine items that you use to filter out results -- intern, associate, engineer.

Recently, one of those flags that really makes me laugh is the "Must Have a Rolodex of Journalists". Say what you want about PR and the evolution of communication that takes place, what really sets me off about this one is what it says about the opportunity -- and about the expectations that the hiring organization has for the person stepping into that role.

Quick flashback to my post from December, PR and 'New Media' - What's in Your PR Wallet? -- How do bad PR people get created? By setting the wrong expectations from the start. With the "Must Have a Large Rolodex" listing, what the organization is basically saying is "we want you to cram yet-another-mediocre down a bunch of journalists throats."

What happened to the "we've got such an awesome product that we're being bombarded with inquiries and we need guidance in managing this traffic and our message?"

I know the economy is bad and finding a job, much less THE JOB, is tough. Personally, I'm looking for an opportunity and an environment that's excited about the product, because I'm thinking I'm thinking that the position isn't defined by expectations that are doomed from the start. Good luck with that.