Being a probable future journalist, I have reached a nadir, a point in my course where I have to choose a poison, a bureaucratic organisation to which to render my services, in the name of journalistic objectivity and fact-based reporting.
I have been enjoined to offer myself up for employment for the whole of the next semester, in the hope that a professional experience will lend credence to my ability to compose and edit prose under conditions that would otherwise unnerve.
The one big bugbear I have is, one organisation has chosen a method of selection which ensures they get the best and brightest, while denying them the liberty of choice in making an informed decision about the kind of media organisation best suited to their strengths. I feel that such a practice is anathema to the spirit of fair competition among news organisations locally, a case of a monopolistic bureaucracy flexing its influence with the media scene here.
I will not name the organisation I am directing this attack at, because it is pretty obvious, and I do not want to find myself named as a defendant in a sedition suit. I find it ridiculous though that to secure a possible internship at this company, I have to apply for it way ahead of the selection phase for all other companies. This scenario is made even more ridiculous when you realise that this company gets to conclude a written test and an interview and offer applicants a job even before the official selection phase for internships begin.
So, what is the catch? Well, you actually have to reject their offer before you can enter the official selection phase. This effectively means that while other candidates from other tracks get to be shortlisted for two interviews, giving them a chance to learn about and compare the work environments two companies simultaneously, candidates in my track get the choice of either said company, or everything else.
This means I cannot apply for a wire agency and put this company as an alternative choice, because to work with a wire agency, I have to give up any chance I have to work with this company.
This company controls just about all the print media in Singapore. If I were to reject their offer with them having a complete set of my records, would I not be effectively shooting myself in the foot? You could say that if one was truly outstanding they would headhunt you anyway, so even a rejection would drive them to table a better offer.
However, said organisation is well known for treating talented journalists like dirt, as their turnover rates would attest, simply because they are a monopoly. They get all the talent anyway, so it is hardly in short supply for them. This creates a situation in which only this company benefits by leveraging its control of the print media scene, at a huge disadvantage to people entering it, like me.
Tell me, why the hell would I want to work for this organisation, if it won't even treat potential interns right? But sometimes, I wonder if I even have a choice.