Intrepid Miami journalist

Introduction: The famous advertising slogan, "We will sell no wine before its time," was uttered on television by spokesman Orson Welles beginning in 1978. The commercials made California's Paul Masson wine and champagne brands a household name.

As a free agent editor and veteran newsroom leader pursuing my next career chapter in journalism for a couple days shy of a year, hiring managers say no matter your profession in this turbulent and ultracompetitive labor market, you will not land a high-quality job offer advancing your career until it's time.

Personal connections: Thankfully and humbly after grinding for months networking, interviewing for several positions and sharpening my elevator pitch, I'm now finally in an advantageous spot to seize an opportunity for a key newsroom leadership role. I've been invited by a market-leading, Pulitzer Prize-winning statewide news organization to come in person to meet top editors and other potential colleagues in the next few weeks.

Although no job offer has been made, when anyone reaches this final stage of recruitment you know you now will have a real chance to close the deal and earn a shot to join a new team. It means you've exerted a ton of energy, shown resilience and used smart career management tactics to get this far with an employer. Enjoy the positive development, soak it in and appreciate your progress. Realize a job offer soon truly is within your reach.

Saluting supporters: A special thank you very much to trusted colleagues nationwide, close friends and family members who have been with me, pushing, exhorting, inspiring me on this challenging journey. And a friendly wave to the many of you -- including some people I don't know -- who have been reading my dispatches about free agency here on LinkedIn and following along through my career management newsletter on Substack .

Now start preparing yourself for the all-important face-to-face conversations with your possible future manager and fresh faces who soon might be reporting to you. You've spoken already, typically several times, with the manager and other company leaders on the phone or via video calls. They obviously developed a strong favorable impression of you from the conversations and by reading your resume and cover letter, and in my case along with samples of reporters' published articles I managed and edited.

The final pitch: The in-person rendezvous remains critically important for both sides. You have learned much about the position, the company's strategy and your would-be boss through the interview process. For the desirable editor role I'm striving for, that process thus far has included five interviews.

Gauging new city's vibe: As a final candidate, when your feet hit the ground in the city or town where you go for an in-person interview you should start listening, watching, taking in the community vibe to be sure it's a place you want to live. When you walk through the door to the company office, or newsroom, you want to observe, shake hands and talk to as many of your possible new colleagues as you can.

The goal for you and the employer is to be certain there's a strong connection, chemistry and fit. Make the most of the robust dialogue to ask specific questions and to listen closely to what the hiring manager or managers have to say. Don't forget to watch their body language for clues and signals.

Reeling in the offer: Since you're finally here, the company has deemed you highly qualified for the particular position. You need to make your compelling final pitch, succinctly explaining why you are the best candidate for the role in order to secure the offer.

What makes my scenario extra sweet is that I've reached this juncture with a highly respected news organization, after a few months of applying for two earlier editing positions that went to inside candidates. When competing for the second role, I ended up leaving a profound impression on the executive editor with an unsolicited three-page vision and strategy proposal for that position. That led to the top editor asking me if I'd be willing to talk about another role, which only opened because he's somewhat revamping the editor ranks. After several conversations with him and other editors, here I am vying for in my view the best of the three roles, and in the rare situation of having little to no competition.

No matter how many times you've been in this final, in-person interview position, each scenario is different and provides a learning experience no matter the outcome. For example, if I land and eventually accept the job offer I'd join my 10th newsroom team as either a reporter or editor for nearly four decades, from Philadelphia south to Miami, west to the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago and Houston in between.

In addition, I've had on-site interviews through the years with a handful of news organizations that led to job offers I declined or resulted in me losing out to other final candidates.

Seeking affirmation: When you return home from the crucial in-person interviews, it'll likely take a few days or up to two weeks to hear if you're getting the prize, the delightful offer of work. Before that, hiring managers will call the professional references you provided and engage them in conversation to determine and get solid affirmation you are the talented person they think you are and they want to hire.

In a recruiting example like mine that's unfolding, I've already been asked and submitted references and their contact information. I've ascertained they indeed were called. This all adds up to a situation, in which I expect to hopefully receive the exciting news of the job offer shortly after the final interviews on the ground.

Watch this space. It's quite possible I could soon deliver the ultimate news of where my free agent journey will end and my next career chapter will begin.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to connect on LinkedIn or Substack , or at [email protected] to offer your thoughts, suggestions and job leads.