Famed Recruiter Says His Buyout Opens New Doors
By FRANCES CORREA
The UNITY News
As he walks briskly through the halls of McCormick Place West, Joe Grimm stops to offer résumé advice. A few feet down he stops again to hug a former intern. A couple more steps, and Joe stops to catch up with yet another colleague.
“Hey, how are you,” Joe asks a familiar passerby, “Looks like you’re off to new adventures.”
“Pretty much,” she answers with a giggle, “and how are you doing?”
“I’m doing okay. And everything’s working for you,” Joe asks.
A seasoned recruiter for the Detroit Free Press, Joe knows just the way to ask someone if they’re hunting for jobs. That’s just typical Joe.
For 18 years, Joe’s friendly smile and witty jabs have become a journalism conference staple. But this year is different. Joe took a buyout from the Detroit Free Press last week.
There is no shortage of gratitude and admiration among the journalists who know him.
“Joe cares,” said People magazine writer Bob Meadows.
“You certainly are a hero around here,” said Meg Downey, managing editor of The Tennessean.
Joe is quick to offer a pat on the back and encouraging words to colleagues and students alike.
“You do this because you care about the people you are talking to,” Joe said. “And you care about them all the time. I don’t wait for them to be good. I assume that some of them will be good.”
As the news of Joe’s buyout races through the convention center, one can almost sense the sadness. Joe is only one of the hundreds of journalists leaving the industry due to layoffs and buyouts, people Joe calls his “brothers and sisters.”
But, for many, his departure serves as a beacon of change within the industry.
At a Sunday reception for students, one person after another hugged Joe, then pleaded: “Say it ain’t so, Joe.”
When asked about his plans, he joked: “I’m thinking about soft ice cream.”
However, in the midst of his melancholy farewell, Joe thinks this is an opportunity to “start something new in journalism” and “find a new way to do what is important.”
In the course of his career, Joe has published two books, maintained the “Ask the Recruiter” blog on the Poynter Web site and was assistant editor at The Oakland Press. He also works as an adjunct professor at Oakland University.
Although Joe’s buyout signals change, it is far from the end for Joe and journalism. He plans to stay involved and keep the “Ask the Recruiter” blog running.
“My responsibility to people doesn’t change just because my job does,” Joe said.
As Joe begins his last UNITY conference as a recruiter, he continues his work, as dedicated as ever. He will work to encourage and support his brothers and sisters in journalism.
Joe leaves us with the challenge to reinvent journalism.
“If we don’t,” he said, “who will?”
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July 29th, 2008 at 7:07 am
If you have something personal to say about someone affiliated with UNITY, please feel free to write me directly. My e-mail is included in this message.
Let’s try to keep comments civil.
Doug Mitchell
Team Leader
UNITY 2008 Student Media Training Project
July 29th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
So where’s the e-mail address you say is included?
Here you go: nextgenerationradio@gmail.com