Richmond BizSense seeks reporter

Richmond BizSense, a hard news-heavy online daily business publication in Richmond, Virginia, is searching for a scrappy reporter to cover entrepreneurship, real estate and general assignments. You will be breaking stories about the nitty-gritty of the thriving local business scene. And you’ll be joining an exciting new media company with a 9-year track record and a new sister site launched last year in Denver, Colorado.

Job Overview

The right candidate will be able to produce two tightly written, hyperlocal stories per day on a variety of beats. A knack for working sources and public records is a must.

Qualifications

We look for three qualities when hiring reporters: a natural curiosity about what makes businesses and business people tick, a proven work ethic and a fierce competiveness. You don’t need an MBA to be a business reporter, but you must relish breaking a scoop and hate the taste of getting beat by a competitor.

If you are the sort of reporter who picks up a news tip in the cab to the airport, while getting your bike tuned or in line for a bagel, we want to hear from you.

The other basic qualifications:

– At least 1-2 years of reporting experience, primarily on hard news (willing to consider recent college graduates who impress us)

– Proven ability to dig up stories with documents (new business licenses, legal filings …) and the confidence to take a source out for coffee or a beer or pop in unannounced to get the answers you’re looking for

– Clean and crisp writing style, with a knack for snappy ledes and drawing out colorful quotes

About us

We founded our first newsroom in Richmond in 2008 and it has been running profitably ever since. We aim to replicate our innovative model throughout the country, with BusinessDen.com in Denver as our next step.

About Richmond

With a population of 1.2 million, Richmond is a great place to be a business reporter, with the right amount of big and small businesses, an engaged community that cares about what’s going on and its status as the state capital. For livability, it’s an active riverfront city with a creative scene, nationally recognized restaurants and breweries, and affordable housing.

Compensation

Pay based upon experience.

We offer an IRA with company match and more time off than any other newspaper (two weeks paid vacation, a paid week’s off from Christmas to New Year’s and another 6 paid days off for major holidays)

To Apply

Please send a cover letter explaining why you are the best candidate for this position to Jobs@RichmondBizSense.com. Please explain both your reporting highlights (with an emphasis on business coverage) and your interest in the business beat and include 3-5 clips of your hard news writing.

Due to the large number of applicants, we cannot guarantee that each applicant will get a response.