The Requirements
To be a good fit for this opportunity, you will have:- A bachelor's degree or a relevant combination of education and experience.
- Three to five years of experience in an administrative support or customer service role.
- Professional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and professionally at all times with external and internal customers.
- Outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-up.
- The ability to work well in a team environment.
- The ability to accurately handle multiple simultaneous activities on tight deadlines.
- Proficiency with proper English punctuation, spelling and grammar.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Excel and Word.
- Technical savvy and the ability to quickly learn and use new technology.
- Strong typing skills.
- Patience and a pleasant disposition.
- Experience in newspaper or digital media will be a plus.
The Role
Reporting to the Managing Producer, as Newsroom Assistant you will be responsible for the clerical support of all Content department operations throughout the newsroom. You will assist Producers, Reporters and Managing Producers in various projects and we'll look to you to handle all things administrative, which will encompass a wide variety of activities--from managing time cards and invoices to answering routed calls and bringing visitors into the newsroom.A significant aspect of this role will be to assist in handling inquiries from the public and other Company departments. You will answer questions about the paper, direct callers to the appropriate source and work to determine the validity of any news tips or leads that come in from the public. Additionally, you will also be charged with scheduling and coordinating meetings, reserving meeting rooms, ordering supplies and more.
More specifically, you will:
- Accurately transcribe or produce news briefs and calendars for print and online publications while adhering to deadline schedules.
- Receive and process information including photos submitted online, print and in recorded formats.
- Answer the newsroom’s phone lines and assist with clerical duties as necessary.
- Work directly with customers to gather essential information, and to resolve routine questions and issues as they arise.
- Maintain professional working relationships with all customers and co-workers.
- Convey a positive presence in the newsroom, sharing ideas and suggestions with others and treating colleagues and sources with respect and professionalism.
- Constantly strive for journalistic excellence.
- Other duties as assigned.
Keys to Success
To excel in this role you will possess stellar multi-tasking abilities and organizational skills. This is a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, with a lot of things going on at one time, so you'll need the ability to prioritize your tasks in order to meet the various needs of our 20+ newsroom staffers. You can rest assured that you won't ever experience the same day twice around here. The team we have in place consists of talented, creative and digitally savvy professionals, many who are quite tenured, and this creates an exciting atmosphere of cooperation and camaraderie.Additionally, in order to be an outstanding Newsroom Assistant, you will also be technically savvy and have the ability to quickly learn and understand our website. Many of the calls you will take will involve something a reader saw or read online, so it is important to have a firm grasp of the digital space.
