Recommendation Report

Unit 2: Employee Recommendation Report

David Collins
 Page |2

Recommendation Report for Brianna Ehley

English 320

David Collins

October 10, 2010

 Page |3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...........4

Introduction.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

Company Information……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….7-9

City Information….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10

Conclusions/Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……11

Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….12
 Page |4

Summary

The following document is a recommendation report for Brianna Ehley, who is studying Political

Science and Journalism at North Dakota State University. After Brianna completes her education work

she plans on working in a news room emphasizing in politics. Politics may be her main study in college

but she is very open to going wherever the news takes her. Ideally she would like to report in the

Middle East as a war correspondent. Brianna’s willingness to relocate and taking on challenges such as

being a war correspondent will aid her greatly while searching for a career.

The three choices that opportunities that have presented themselves to Brianna are as follows:

 Reporter for Platts, Located in Washington DC

 Editorial Assistant for the American Independent News Network, Located in Washington DC

 Reporter for Dow Jones, Located in Washington DC

Based on our interview and further research into the career opportunities and the city that each are

located in, I have concluded that the best option for Brianna to take would be the editorial assistant for

the American Independent News Network. This choice was made based off of her desire to work with

politics while also being able to use her journalistic abilities. Naturally being in Washington DC would

also put her in the center of our nation politics, while also providing her with plenty of opportunities to

further her knowledge in politics.

 Page |5

Introduction

In Professional and Business writing, English 320, at North Dakota State University, one of the

assignments that we had to complete was to select three different job postings that were related to our

field of study at the university. These three postings would further serve as a base into other

assignments such as this recommendation report. Brianna Ehley, my partner for this assignment, has a

distinct interest in political science and has used her journalistic skills to enhance the university

newspaper, The Spectrum. Our in class interview as well as a questionnaire provided some great insight

as to what Brianna’s aspirations and expectations were when searching for a job , which eventually lead

me to choose one of the three opportunities that she has to consider.

In the questionnaire, which was the first form of gaining insight on Brianna’s expectations for a

job, a series of questions were asked pertaining to related experience and various personal qualities

such as willingness to move and ability to work well with a team. Her past experiences as an intern for

Senator Byron Dorgan, as well as being editor-in-chief at The Spectrum, were key points in the

questionnaire with her citing that she “drafted press releases for the North Dakota delegation” during

her tenure as an intern. Other topics that were covered in the questionnaire were topics such as travel

as well as work environment preferences. While none of the job postings were her dream job of being a

war correspondent in the Middle East, they very well may be a good stepping stone to get to that point

for her.

Our next form of communication was an in class interview. This interview provided some

further thoughts pertaining to the questionnaire as well as new questions as well. Brianna has learned

various skills as well as a deep understanding of politics during her time with Senator Dorgan. She
 Page |6

developed a deep understanding or the inner workings of congress as well as how the public policies

and public relations interact with each other. During this time she also learned how to write press

releases, which included anything from simple quotes to full speeches. Education has also been a large

factor with course work such as communication ethics being completed as well has classes specializing

in media communication. In the interview she also clearly stated that she would be willing to move to

wherever the news happens to be, which is very key for her success in this field and during the pursuit of

her dream job.

 Page |7

Company Information

1) Platts

a) Company Overview

i) Began in 1909 as a provider for information on the oil industry and now has expanded to

multiple forms of energy and metals, such as coal, nuclear power and renewable resources.

ii) Headquartered in New York City and consists of over 250 employees which have direct

involvement in the information processing.

iii) Specializes in delivering real time news as well as pricing for various materials throughout

the day and at the close of the day.

b) Position Details

i) According to the job posting provided the associate editor will report on “energy and

commodity-related news, producing both real-time news and enterprise stories” (Platts).

ii) Topics that will be discussed vary from regulatory issues of companies and governments to

the economics of the sources of energy.

c) Required Skills

i) Platts requires that applicants have a BA degree in journalism as well as two years of

reporting and writing experience. It is unclear rather they mean professional experience or

if time for a school newspaper could count towards this.

ii) Communication skills are a necessity as well as good listening techniques and a very clear

writing style. The company also asks that the ability to communicate across different groups

of people be present.
 Page |8

iii) The ability to research topics thoroughly is also a must as well as being able to interperate

that information.

2) American Independent News Network

a) Company Overview

i) Founded in 2006 as a network to fund websites which reported news from an independent

standpoint.

ii) Developed into a reporting website of its own for reporting independent news which is

based around informing the people of American democracy and how it pertains to public

affairs.

b) Position Details

i) As an online editorial assistant you will be reporting on news that “impacts public debate

and advances the common good”.

ii) This specific position pertains to the political races of 2010 and the research and collection

of data from those proceedings.

c) Skills Required

i) Must have political knowledge.

ii) Should have a strong journalism or research background.

iii) Demonstrate an interest in news and politics

iv) Have familiarity with online journalism and research

v) Be able to use: Word Press, social networking sites, as well as other online multimedia.

3) Dow Jones

a) Company Overview

i) Founded in 1882 as a publishing and financial information firm.

ii) Is currently as subsidiary of News Corporation since 2007

 Page |9

iii) Produces The Wall Street Journal, which is in both print media as well as online form, and

covers many topics from national finances to international news.

b) Position Details

i) The main details of this position are slim, but you will be tasked with covering national

security issues that are affecting our nation today.

ii) Will also be covering the proceedings of the National Security Council, as well as other

unspecified agencies.

c) Skills Required

i) The only requirement stated is that the applicant must have five years of experience in

covering related topics with any other major publication.

 P a g e | 10

City Information

1) Washington DC

a) Is populated by nearly 600,000 inhabitants but swells to much more during the workweek due

to many commuters, which includes political officials.

b) It is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is in between both the states of Virginia

and Maryland.

c) The city itself houses all three branches of the United States government and hosts 174 foreign

embassies as well and the headquarters of the World Bank.

d) Is the home of many iconic buildings and monuments from American History, such as the White

House, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Congressional Building.

e) The city attracts tourists from around the globe who are interested in American History as well

as the sights that can be seen throughout the city.

f) The economy, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, posted a gross state product of

97.2 billion, which ranks the city number 35 out of the 50 states.

i) The federal government also accounts for more than 25% of the jobs in Washington DC

g) The metropolitan area has a 6.9% unemployment rate which is the second lowest rate when

compared to other large metro areas.

 P a g e | 11

Conclusion and Recommendation

Upon researching the companies as well as the city in which each of these jobs would take you, I

have concluded that the best current option for you would be to accept the job as an editorial assistant

for the American Independent News Network. There are various reasons that I strongly encourage you

to take this position. While obviously the location is a nonfactor in this decision, I believe that this

position would give you the best starting experience to pursue directly after your education. It clearly

states in the job posting that you will learn various skills through their program and thoroughly describes

the benefits that alumni of the program have enjoyed. This was a tough decision for me to make solely

because of your aspirations, I felt that you would benefit Dow Jones greatly, but they required you to

have five years of experience with another major news outlet, which I feel would not work for you

directly out of school.

 P a g e | 12

WORKS CITED

I. Works Cited
[Link]. (2010, August). Retrieved October 11, 2010, from [Link]

Analysis, B. o. (2010, October 10). US Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from
Bureau of Economic Analysis: [Link]

Companies, M.-H. (2010). About Platts. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Platts: [Link]

Company, D. J. (2010). About Company. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Dow Jones: A News
Corporation Company: [Link]

DC, D. (2008). Washington DC. Retrieved 10 11, 2010, from [Link]

Ehley, B. (2010, October). Employment Interview. (D. Collins, Interviewer)

Network, A. I. (2010). About the Independent. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from The American
Independent: [Link]
P a g e | 13