With the prospect of layoffs looming at my newspaper, I'm not overly worried about my own job. I'm young, capable, Web savvy and cheap.
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But the state of this industry is enough to make me wonder whether I want to wait it out here or try my chances somewhere else. I'm the kind of person who would rather make a move on my own terms than wait for someone else to decide for me. For now, I'm keeping my resume and clips updated, scanning job postings, and checking in with friends and colleagues at other newspapers. Any advice?
Plan B
You're wise to keep a cool head -- and to work to keep it above water. As this transition ripples through the journalism industry, we will need to rely more than ever on our networks and new skills to keep us afloat.
Keep abreast of industry news, keep your perspective and keep growing. The worst thing you can do in the short term is to make a panic move that takes you away from a good job or a career path. The worst thing you can do in the long term is to fail to adapt to changing conditions. It doesn't sound as though you're about to do either.
Maintain some perspective. The daily reports of cutbacks at the
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, the Philadelphia papers, St. Paul, Minn.; Akron, Ohio; Dallas -- you name it -- is just the worst part of the picture. It is big and it is real, but it is incomplete. Every week I hear of people getting hired. Every day I see new jobs getting posted.
The new jobs that will emerge are likely to be combinations of something old, where we already have competencies, and something new -- especially in terms of technology -- that will let us use our traditional talents. Don't abandon your bedrock skills, but acquire new ways to apply them.
The recruiter asks back: What have you been doing to fireproof yourself? Tell the rest of us by clicking on Add Your Comments, below.
Coming Thursday: An assignment to write your own job description can be a prescription for marrying career goals to company strategies.
