I've done a terrible thing. I quit my first job at a magazine before the end of the first year. I was unhappy in the position and the location, so I took a four-month traveling break to "find myself." All I found when I got back was that I was unemployed.
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I've been freelancing for my former employer, who holds no grudges and has promised to be a great reference, and a few other places, but I can't seem to nail down a full-time job. Is there still a place for me in journalism? If so, how do I explain away my prior record or irresponsibility?
I've included my resume, if that helps to provide some context.
Thank you so much for your insightful columns.
Job Hunter
Your employer has given you a break; now, you should give yourself a break.
You don't seem to me to have been so irresponsible, and your resume is not as shattered as you seem to think it is. You are a new journalist, just starting out, and there are bound to be some fits and starts as you get established.
The fact that your employer took you back and is willing to talk you up handily covers the damage you think you've done.
Stop worrying and keep working. You should be fine.
Coming Monday: She went from the college paper to flacking to motherhood and now wonders how to get back to where she started -- journalism.
