Q. I have been a journalist for close to seven years -- two years at a small rural daily and almost five at the paper I work at now. I always thought that by the time I got to this point in my career, I'd be ready to make the jump to a major metro daily.

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I am ready for that move. I have the experience, institutional knowledge, performance standard, accuracy and quality to be successful at a major metro daily. I'm at the point where I am not being challenged or learning anything else at my current job, and I'm mentally ready to do something new at a new place.

However, it seems the industry is not ready for me. Every day, it seems that another newspaper I would like to work at is announcing massive layoffs or buyouts. I have no desire to switch into another career track, and I am unwilling to leave mainstream media to work at a niche publication. I am sending resumes and clips out, but getting no positive responses because of newspapers' current financial situations.

I would probably already be on my way to my next job if the industry was doing better. In the meantime, what is a mid-career journalist to do?

Ready for the Next Step

A. No doubt your rising appetite for making a move has run smack into the downturn in newspaper employment.

As Rick Edmonds points out in his Biz Blog on Poynter, the annual American Society of Newspaper Editors' newsroom census shows 2,400 positions were lost in 2007 and, Edmonds said, appears to still be slipping. Declining employment translates directly into fewer opportunities.

Joe Grimm

There are two things I can suggest. One is that, in the remarks that accompany your question, you reported that you work in a pretty remote area. Editors may be reluctant to interview and then move someone who will cost more than most other candidates. You might offer to cover some of the interview costs yourself to even out that disadvantage.

The other strategy has to do with buyouts. When you see them happening, apply. Although buyouts seem to be a red flag, they frequently are followed by small hiring binges. The problem is that people who choose to accept buyout offers seldom do it in the patterns that neatly fit the company's needs. Once the buyout is over and the people who have accepted them leave, companies often have to hire to correct staffing shortages.

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Coming Monday: Twenty years into his career, he is worried that a pattern of job changes -- always for better ones -- will haunt his future moves.

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