We’re growing again and you might be just the guy (or gal) to join our little automotive internet enclave.
Interested? Hit the jump.
Instead of going on about the glamorous life bestowed upon automotive journalists, here’s our job ad. If you think you have what it takes, click on over to our LinkedIn job posting or send me your resume with your particulars to mstevenson@ttac.com.
Automotive Journalist/Car Reviewer for The Truth About Cars (12 month contract)
The Truth About Cars, a property of VerticalScope, is looking for a tenacious journalist with an authoritative voice that can balance his/her automotive enthusiasm with an equal dose of unflappable skepticism.
If you enjoy the thrill of breaking a story, relish in the opportunity to interact with a loyal readership, have a genuine interest in cars and the business that surrounds them, and want to become part of a growing team within a growing company, we’re looking for you.
Automotive Journalist/Car Reviewer for The Truth About Cars (TTAC) is responsible for:
– creating insightful, entertaining, accurate and informative news content,
– investigative feature stories and weekly vehicle reviews,
– first drive reports on new vehicles, and
– content promotion on TTAC’s various social media channels.
Qualifications:
– Journalism degree or equivalent experience
– Demonstrated interest in cars and/or the automotive industry
– Strong interviewing and editing abilities
– Strong command of the English language
– Working knowledge of various social media platforms
– Experience with WordPress
– Basic photography skills
– Valid driver’s license and passport
– The ideal candidate would be located in Toronto or Detroit
Work Conditions:
– This is a 12 month contract role
– Monthly compensation
– International travel is a requirement
– Work may be required during evenings and weekends
Disappointing to see that a full-time job that demands business travel and overtime is offered only on a temporary contract basis (I’m speaking as a non-candidate). But I guess it’s a sign of the times, and a sign of what we’ve already heard before from others about VerticalScope’s mentality.
It’s disappointing when I do a ton of work to get approved a position that pays a living wage only to have Internet commenters give their two cents on something about which they have not a single clue.
But we all need to deal, I suppose.
BURN!
@Mark – *slow clap* well done.
Go Mark, its ya birthday, go Mark!
See, biting my toung would be the hardest part of the job for yours truly. I have enough trouble with that already lol.
…well, i’ve dealt with verticalscope from the editorial side on another website i used to manage, and don’t have much good to say about the company: their reputation is well-earned…
Not sure what site you worked on, the conditions of your employment, or what they did to you, but there are many reasons why our contributors stick around.
I hate to say it, but it’s pretty typical in every position that I see. “Contract to hire” These days “12 month contract” is pretty much what used to be called “Probationary period of employment” or whatever.
That sounds like actual work, I just want free cars and free vacations.
What would be “equivalent experience” of a journalism degree?
I’m curious.
The ability to draw simple stick figures with crayon.
“The ability to draw simple stick figures with crayon.”
Coming from an aviation engineer, that is telling.
I don’t have a journalism degree, but I have a decent amount of experience in the field. That’s a simple way of stating someone should know the subject matter and how to communicate it.
Thanks Mark.
If one was banned from this site , would that have a impact on their application? Asking for a friend.
BTSR is currently reviewing Hyundais elsewhere on the interwebs.
Austin,
I would not want BTSR to even be considered for this site.
The site would lose readership.
I’ve read both pieces he’s written over there and they were both quite good. He’s even written some long form comments on other articles and they’re also well done.
He’s more than all caps comments trying to tweek people and getting a reaction out of them; I have a new found respect for him.
And by “review” you mean speaking of how amazing they are, for a small under table fee naturally.
Why do you need a journalism degree? If we’ve launched two companies and worked for car manufacturers and dealers can we apply?
Ihatejalops,
Welcome to the world of certification, rather than experience and proficiency.
Can you diagram a sentence correctly on the first try?
Who cares about diagramming sentences? That skill has little to do with writing compelling copy.
Anyone can apply. All information provided will be considered. But I’m not looking to rewrite someone’s submissions. The ideal candidate will have a strong command of written English. That’s non-negotiable.
You got it, I’ll apply. I already have a good idea for a review process.
I rite gud. I can haz job?
U can haz cheezburger
y
y u do dis
I’ll do it for a couple hundred grand per annum.
Steve,
Seems like a nice gig.
By the looks of it, your recruitment requires an experienced journo who is prepared to be quite dedicated to his craft.
Toronto or Detroit?? Hmmm, this limits you quite a bit.
I vote for bball, but, Adam is not allowed to cover any Ford articles.
What would be interesting is for all of the TTAC community to vote for the new journo.
What you do is place all of his details, resume, experience, etc in an article and we determine who we want. We don’t need to know his/her’s/it’s address, age, sexual preference, religion, etc.
Al, I’d rather judge them by reading something they wrote.
Better yet, we can leave the hiring decision to the one person who has access to both the resume info AND the writing samples. That would be, uh, Mark.
tonycd,
My comment was sort of a joke with a little bit of reality.
I do believe all of the job seekers submit an article here at TTAC like you suggested.
But, like you stated it’s Mark’s train set and he gets to play with it how he wants.
I love the B&B and all, but you’d probably stick me with the worst pick out of spite.
“My comment was sort of a joke with a little bit of reality.”
Insightful summation of your blog history.
“By the looks of it, your recruitment requires an experienced journo who is prepared to be quite dedicated to his craft.”
Or a J school grad that likes cars.
I spent my summer writing for another automotive blog for $0. Than again, there were no deadlines or expectations, except those I placed on myself.
I know hiring is a whole different world these days. Employers put out a list of job requirements, yet refuse to even estimate what that might be worth. If this gig pays $500/month, I’m not interested, if it pays $2000, I am. But since the potential employer wont tell me, I’m not going to waste my time applying only to learn that the job pays less than I think it’s worth.
Besides, Las Vegas is neither Detroit nor Toronto.
I’m pretty sure I’d be wasting my energy to put in an application.
“But since the potential employer wont tell me, I’m not going to waste my time applying only to learn that the job pays less than I think it’s worth.”
It’s a market competitive wage and commensurate with experience.
“Besides, Las Vegas is neither Detroit nor Toronto.”
Nowhere in the ad does it say a person needs to be in Detroit or Toronto. It says ideal candidates are located in Detroit or Toronto.
“I’m pretty sure I’d be wasting my energy to put in an application.”
With that attitude, absolutely.
Perfect response, Mark! I appreciate your candor. Thanks for saving me the trouble.
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
I’ll have to check if this violates any of my parole conditions.
Can you hire me? I have many interesting stories that include, BMW bitcoin bros, pink windstar minivans and references to Jodie Foster and pinball machines.
Hmm decided lack of Baruth articles this week. That does not bode well for the future of TTAC. Anyways best of luck in finding someone new, just make sure they have a little personality.
Dude, no worries. I got busy this week, what with racing Jason Torchinsky’s Beetle on foot through the streets of Raleigh and everything. I’ve got something coming your way tomorrow.
Jack spends time with his kid and Mark wants to do more research for his piece. You are reading /way/ too into things.
There’s nothing in that contract about mandatory use of “dude”, “brah” or “whip” is there?
Only to make fun of “dudes”, “brahs”, and “whips”.
Well, heck, I can do that on my own time!
@Kenmore
You can apply and get paid to do that.
Oh and you keep the beer cold.
Win/win for everyone ;)
Thanks, Lou. You’re a swell guy!
But after I bitched about low roofs and skinny sidewalls, I’d have nothin’.
Alls I know about is sumo and how long before food spoils.
Kenmore – stay frosty ;)
Check his defroster setting.
Mark,
Hiring sucks. God bless you.
PD
Doug DeMuro is totally going to apply for this and get it. It’s pointless! Kidding.
I haven’t done any professional writing in 20 years and have never done anything about cars. I don’t think I’m qualified, but would love to submit something freelance about a long drive I’m about to take. If i submitted it would you at least read it?
I’d apply but I’m hardly qualified, will you still accept any submissions if they’re any good?
I still have the following to work on:
Learning stick in a Honda Z600
Citroen 2CV misadventures
Pictures and stories about a lost race track, Mid America Raceway, pictures that have not made the internet yet.
As a non-candidate with lots of relevant experience, I can say without reservation that if you have the skills and personality that are suitable for the job, you won’t need a journalism degree. At the very large (40,000 print run) Big Ten daily where I worked as an editor in the late 1980s, the best reporters who weren’t journalism students were as good at their jobs as those who were.
That “content promotion on TTAC’s various social media channels” aspect of the job, however… My employer (since the pre-Internet days) produces a weekly print journal plus a website, and I feel as if I’d be unable to even hold a conversation with the new hires who handle the social-media tasks. Nonetheless, I’m grateful that they do their thing and consequently I only have to worry about actual content.
” … if you have the skills and personality that are suitable for the job, you won’t need a journalism degree.”
This is true. That’s why there’s the “equivalent experience” mention with it. You can’t teach curiosity. Some people are just born to question what they’re told.
If I were single I would be jumping on that. I would even move to Detroit to better qualify myself.
I’m based out of Los Angeles. Perhaps a West Coast perspective is what’s needed, as goes Southern California in regards to automobiles, so goes the nation. I mean, we latched onto Honda and Toyota far before the rest of the nation due to the Big Three’s litany of atrocious products and mendacious promises that they gave a damn about quality. Being in middle school and regaled about the tales of someone’s cousin with their souped-up Integra that beat the pants off a Camaro racing at night on Crossroads Parkway. Seeing a Merkur XR4Ti that kindled my love for cars, especially Fords of the continental variety, and becoming the fleet manager to a motley group of vans mainly consisting of poorly-executed Transit Diesels, which seem to be designed to the logic of “Hmm, what would happen if we tried making an Audi van, with reliability and service costs just like an Audi!” being the venereal disease that ended my dalliances with European Ford.
I’m a dark horse, but I’ll give it a shot.
Hey Mark,
This sounds like a fantastic opportunity, as I’d love to write for TTAC someday.
That being said, would I be able to incorporate this into my full-time job, or is TTAC looking for someone to be readily available during normal business hours?
If I enquire here and ignore the linked LinkedIn job posting, will my failure to follow simple instructions count against me?