Well, we made it.
Congratulations — if you are reading this post, you survived, albeit barely, this hell of a year. Not only have we lived through a pandemic (so far), a stressful election, and an economic earthquake, our industry was one of the hardest hit. The latest news blasts I’ve seen show that the media industry as a whole lost $13 billion in revenue and we’ve suffered a record number of layoffs. F@^&ing 2020! And to think when I was pulling together last year‘s survey results, I thought this year was going to save us. Oh, how naive. So very naive.
But we can’t let 2020 rattle us! We will get through this — we will adapt, flex, and change the way editorial folk always have. And always will. That is what I love about my job. Every day I get to work with and be inspired by the endlessly creative and talented people who work in this industry. There are no people like editors. Editors are resilient. Editors are shapeshifters. Editors are chameleons.
And ICYMI, they make the best hires. 🙂
They also — we also, once an editor, always an editor — have a lot to get off our chests!
In my second annual survey, The 2020 Talent Fairy Hiring Report, 224 editors and content creators shared their thoughts on what it was like to work in 2020, if and how they survived Covid cuts and layoffs, what they want from their current employer, and what brands their crushing on in and outside of media. They also shared what they are hopeful for. Thankfully, most of editorial and content folks surveyed believe there’s plenty to look forward to in the year to come: more opportunities for flex work, more diversity in hiring, and more opportunities outside of traditional media for people with their (our) skillsets.
I hope these results give you better perspective on this industry and the people in it, what they are going through, and what they need to grow in their careers. This anonymous survey taker pretty much sums up what I wanted to accomplish with this report:
“Transparency and optimism in the industry is needed now more than ever.”
I hope these findings (see full report here) can bring to light the experiences of editors and content creators in a time when we are all so disparate and disconnected. And I hope it can help inform future hiring practices and professional development decisions in our companies and on our editorial teams — especially the parts about building more diverse staffs, offering competitive salaries, and providing more training, mentorship, and opportunities for growth.
Before you go … THANK YOU. I have been so grateful for all of you I have connected with this year — either as your career coach or as your recruiter. And I hope for those of you reading this who I haven’t worked with yet, I will in the year ahead. Because even though the business of creating content and finding roles for people who create that content was challenging this year, I wouldn’t choose to do anything else.
Stay well. Stay sane. Stay in touch.
Cheers, Chandra
Chandra Turner is founder and CEO of Ed2010 and Talent Fairy. She is a talent recruiter specializing in content and editorial roles. She also offers personalized career coaching for media professionals at all stages of their career.
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