This month, The Washington Post wrote about a seemingly incongruous situation: the job market in Fresno, Calif., where lots of people are looking work, but lots of employers also are looking for workers.
The article described an example of structural unemployment, in which people displaced in a contracting industry cannot quickly make the move to new ones that are expanding. The article described that this can happen in cities and towns across the country.
Looked at another way, can it happen within an industry, specifically, the news industry. It can and it has.
In some cases, the mismatch is mild and easily bridged. Editors’ interest overall seems to have waned for features, the arts, criticism, religion — to name a few areas — where overall employment of business writers seems to be holding up better.
Editorial cartoonists are down, but there is a greater demand for visual journalism in other areas.
In many cases, the mismatch is not so easily bridged. Copy editors, formerly one of the safest niches in journalism, especially for those who could design pages, have taken a hit. Audience managers, search engine specialists and social network developers came out of nowhere and are finding their level.
Copy editors have a better look at the inside workings of a newsroom than reporters, but there is noting inherent in their skills that says they will easily make or like such a transition.
Journalists who watch the trends and who think about them will find three ways to avoid being “Fresno-ed”:
- Those intent on staying in their own newsroom, even as it undergoes cutbacks and reapportionment, should watch arrivals, departures and transfers as closely as the airport does. Gravitate toward areas that are growing. Decline openings in departments that are being cut unless you have an exit strategy that will take you to the next job. A newsroom that is replacing people who leave business news but not features is likely to keep acting that way. Editors who transfer reporters from business to news — or vice-versa — are giving a clear indication of where they want to put their resources. A journalist whose department is shrinking should get qualified to work in areas that are growing. And a journalist whose department is being maintained in the face of sluggish revenues should dig in for safety.
- Whether you have the flexibility to move or not, watch what is happening on national job boards. They can show you where jobs are being filled. This is a clear sign of what is going on elsewhere, but it’s also likely to be predictive of what your newsroom will be doing. (One reason I decided to apply for a buyout was that I saw other newsrooms that had been going through buyouts switched to layoffs. I figured this could happen in my newsroom. It did, but not until after I left.)
- Anticipate. We see that it can take someone months to move from one kind of job to another. The intervening months can be tough. So, start preparing to make such a move even before it is necessary or is forced upon you. Figure out which growth areas interest you and begin acquiring the skills that postings say employers are looking for. Shortening your transition time by a month or two will save you that much in pay and contribute to your confidence.
Coming Tuesday: A careers chat with Victoria Lim, convergence journalist and anchor/reporter in Florida’s Tampa Bay area for Bright House Sports Network. We’ll be talking about how to remake your career on the fly.
Career questions? E-mail Joe for an answer.
