Don’t Just Find Talent. Grow It.

As layoffs send experienced journalists into the job market, how can community publishers find talent that understands the audiences they serve?

In a recent Pivot Fund blog, Don’t Just Mourn the McClatchy Layoffs. Recruit the Talent, Pivot CEO Tracie Powell encouraged independent publishers to see industry layoffs as a recruiting opportunity.

But strong hiring goes beyond experience. Publishers need people who understand their communities, share their mission and can help their organizations grow.

Across Pivot’s grantees, we’ve seen firsthand the value of investing in community knowledge and relationships. Mississippi Free Press expanded coverage by hiring Roger Amos to report on the Choctaw community in Mississippi. The newsroom has also seen monthly website traffic grow 73% and social followers increase 30%. 285 South now reaches 22,500 people, with reporting that helped lead Georgia to add a Dari language option to its driver’s permit test. And Radio Campesina has built on longstanding relationships with Latino and farmworker communities while expanding its digital journalism, contributing to a 432% increase on YouTube and 95.5% growth in website traffic.

Drawing on advice from Larry Graham, founder and executive director of The Diversity Pledge Institute, and insights from Pivot’s Publisher Series: How to Smartly Build Capacity and Organizational Design, here are five tips for hiring with purpose.

1. Prioritize Relationships Over Resumes

Graham encourages publishers to build genuine relationships with potential candidates rather than treating hiring as a transaction.

“That’s how you find out if someone aligns with your organization’s values and often discover an overqualified candidate looking to work someplace where they can make a difference,” Graham said.

He recalled a mentee who left a high-paying coding job at Amazon to pursue journalism because she wanted to make a difference, a story an employer wouldn’t know unless they looked past a basic resume, he said.

During Pivot’s Publisher Series webinar, Lisa Snowden, CEO and co-founder of the Baltimore Beat, similarly described how knowing a candidate’s work and connecting at industry events helped her identify someone aligned with her newsroom’s approach.

The takeaway: Build relationships before positions open. Conversations can reveal motivations and community connections that resumes don’t.

2. Hire From Different Backgrounds and Experience Levels

Graham recommends pairing experienced journalists with early-career professionals and people entering journalism from other fields.

Veteran reporters bring editorial expertise, while people with community roots offer perspectives, relationships and knowledge that traditional hiring processes may overlook. Those strengths can also exist in the same candidate.

Recently, an executive director asked Powell whether she should hire someone simply because they came from the community, or choose an experienced journalist who neither came from nor lived there.

Powell’s response: Community ties alone do not qualify someone for a job. But publishers can invest in people and help them develop the skills their newsrooms need. She pointed to Roger Amos’s reporting on the Choctaw community in Mississippi as an example of the value of community-rooted talent.

That investment requires a plan: clear expectations, editing support, training, mentorship and time to grow. Publishers should identify which skills a candidate needs on day one and which they have the capacity to teach. An experienced journalist coming from outside the community should likewise be expected to listen, build relationships and earn residents’ trust.

“Some of the best ideas in journalism come from people outside the industry looking to make a difference,” Graham said.

The takeaway: Recruit from both journalism networks and the communities you cover. Assess the skills and community knowledge each candidate brings, then budget for the support they will need to succeed.

3. Find People Who Can Grow With Your Newsroom

The most experienced candidate isn’t necessarily the best fit for a growing organization.

During Pivot’s Publisher Series webinar, Madeleine Bair, founding of El Tímpano, explained that her newsroom needs people who share its mission but are also comfortable building systems, filling gaps and adapting as the organization grows.

Talent and organizational strategy consultant Susan Gluck Pappajohn emphasized identifying organizational goals and capacity gaps before hiring.

Graham recommends testing candidates with real challenges the newsroom has faced rather than hypothetical exercises. Their responses can reveal how they think, solve problems and approach the organization’s work.

The takeaway: Define what your newsroom needs, then evaluate candidates using real scenarios that demonstrate their judgment, adaptability and alignment with your mission.

4. Write Job Postings That Speak to the Right People

Community publishers may not match larger newsroom salaries, but they can offer meaningful work, leadership opportunities and direct community impact.

Graham recommends personal, authentic job descriptions that help candidates envision their future with the organization. He also suggests sharing openings through smaller, trusted networks rather than relying solely on expensive job boards.

The takeaway: Highlight your mission, growth opportunities and compensation. Share openings through community organizations and professional networks where potential candidates already connect.

5. Plan for Retention From Day One

“Every departure costs a newsroom money, momentum and community trust,” Graham said.

He recommends 90-day onboarding plans, regular check-ins, tracking why employees stay or leave, and providing access to a trusted resource outside a new hire’s direct chain of command.

Retention also requires sustainable growth. During Pivot’s webinar, Bair explained how securing a multiyear grant enabled El Tímpano to make a full-time hire.

And as Powell emphasized in her earlier blog, mission is not compensation. Fair pay, manageable workloads and professional development matter.

The takeaway: Plan for onboarding, employee support and long-term funding before bringing someone onto your team.

Build a Team That Can Grow With Your Community

Industry layoffs offer community publishers a chance to recruit experienced talent while continuing to invest in people with deep community connections.

Whether hiring from a major newsroom or from within the community, the goal is to bring together people with complementary skills, shared values and an understanding of the audiences they serve. Hiring for potential works when publishers commit the resources to help that potential develop.

Hiring isn’t just about filling positions. It’s about building a team equipped to grow alongside the community it serves.