Do you ever get job-itchy?

[UNCGrad]

What I mean is, even if you feel like your current job situation is good, do you check on the shade of green of the grass elsewhere? I have a great job, but I know I've also been marginalized some in the last couple of years, and wonder if it's time to look elsewhere. I'm also late 40s and may have a chance at a new opportunity, so I'm weighing whether I should take the step of at least talking.

Talking is OK, right?

What do you consider when you get itchy? For me, honestly, a key factor - but not the ONLY factor - a lot of it would be if the money makes a big difference. I think I'd like the job, I'd be able to work remote and it'd be different, but with a kid graduating college and needing to get off the ground, a salary bump would be awesome.

Any advice for how you handle the itchiness?

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Absolutely nothing wrong with talking. It's probably a good thing to do regardless. Stay sharp on intervewing skills and, if it didn't work out, your name in the pipeline if something else comes up.

I'm not even sure I'd call it "itchiness" but rather just playing things smart.

It's excellent when you have a great job and are able to pick and choose what you might like. Options are always, always a good thing. As great as any job is, it's still a job and when the axe-man cometh, it doesn't matter how well you did or how much you love it.

My advice would be to check it out. Is there any downside to that, other than perhaps having to make a choice later on?

 

[Songbird]

Talking is OK, right?

Never know where talking will lead you …

 

[MileHigh]

Love my boss and my job. Been through layoffs in the news biz. Now working on the other side for city government, looking at four furlough days this year and who knows what else. I *think* I'm fine. I certainly feel better about things than when I was on the other side mostly because of the size of our department. But I'd rather not go through that crap again having to find a job, especially being a white male in my mid-50s.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Oh, to answer the posted question, I'm happy to not be job-itchy right now.

Like many, in my 20s I was always looking for a bigger, better job and moved a lot. I was single and able to go anywhere, so I did. I enjoyed that.

Finally found my dream job that I wanted to stay at forever. Welp, it's this business, so "forever" was 12 years until I couldn't take the cuts, which became a bloodbath under terrible new ownership. The last few years of it, I was working the job and trying like hell to get out, applying and intervewing a ton. Which seemed like another full-time job. Lots of stress.

I'm content in my current gig and will stay as long as they keep me. Who knows how long that will be. It's definitely my last job in this business. If I get whacked, I'll play out the string doing whatever pays the bills, as long as I'm not miserable.

I keep my eyes open and would talk to anyone about a job, just to see what's what. But also happy to not be looking.

 

[I Should Coco]

Yes, all the time. Even though the last three jobs I've had (4.5 years, 13 years, nearly 4 years and counting) are relatively long for the newspaper biz, I'm always looking online or listening to chatter from other shops, even as my shelf life (31 years) in the newspaper business nears its end.

What I'd really love, if such a thing existed, is being a "traveler" who could give owners/publishers/editors of, say, small-town weeklies a rare break by putting out their paper for a few weeks and letting them take some rare time away from the job.

I believe I have the skills to do it -- I've covered news and sports, taken photos of just about everything, and edited copy, paginated and updated websites. The key is finding older publishers who trust me enough to do it, then build a roster of clients from there.

My wife is a physical therapy assistant and she has similar ideas about being a traveler -- except in her field, that type of work is well established (and pays very well, too). Not so much with journalism, unfortunately.

 

[TrooperBari]

Like they say in Dungeons and Dragons, talking is a free action. Just because your current gig is good doesn't prevent you from seeing if there's something better (whatever that means to you) out there. If it pans out, great. If not, like Deskgrunt said, you hone your interview chops and get your name out there. The main risk of talking is if word gets back to your current employer and they use that against you.

As for considerations, I look for upgrades -- salary, location, political climate, living situation, chance to acquire new, applicable skills, etc. If the opportunity doesn't have a clear upgrade pulling me toward it, then there'd better be a good reason pushing me out of where I am.

Where I am now is probably as good as it's going to get for me in newspapers, but I still take a monthly scroll through LinkedIn (with the "open to work" tag off) and JournalismJobs. Scratches that itch to know what's out there, and you never know what you might find. Doing so very nearly got me a dream job two years ago. Said job got a lot less dreamy when the offer came, but at least now I know.

 

[playthrough]

Totally understand. Got itchy frequently in earlier jobs and changed gigs about every 3 to 5 years over a couple decades. Twice it was because my wife got better offers and we moved, so that wasn't by choice. But I also found the calendars to get stale after a while, like if I covered three seasons of this team or that league, I was ready for something else. I never felt an urge to be the guy who covered 20 -- not that it would have been likely anyway. There were some jobs that I left before I was pushed, which was luck.

Now, like others, I'm a 50-ish white male in a good job that I hope to ride out as long as I can.

Talking is always OK. And don't apologize for money being a primary factor in a move.

 

[swingline]

NEVER apologize about the money. You're worth every cent you can make — and probably a lot more. We say it about newspapers, but it's true in every industry: You can love your job, but it will never love you back.

 

[UNCGrad]

Very much appreciate y'all. Thanks.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

And don't apologize for money being a primary factor in a move.

**** yes to this. If it was convenient and fiscally advantageous for your current employer to cut you loose, they won't apologize for that.

I used to get itchy in my newspaper days, and really only talked to other places a couple of times, only to have my then-employer sweeten the pot with promotions, raises (obviously a long time ago) and better schedules/quality of life. Then I got too comfortable and went through the "there's no way they will cut us down to X number of people in the department!" Found out I was wrong about that one.

I'm basically in the same boat as MileHigh, same age range and outside of the business. I remain friendly with folks from my former life who are still in the newspaper game, and when I hear about how ****ty things are going for them still, it makes me realize how fortunate I am to be where I'm at now. That typically scratches any itch that I may have.

But ... I'll never fully delete my LinkedIn, and will never be opposed to talking to someone if the most ideal position of all time pops up. Not completely sure what that position would be, but I'll never shut the door to listening.

 

[BTExpress]

Wife hates Florida but loves our house and loves her job. She would be deliriously happy to find the same job (replenishment manager at a craft store) in East Tennessee or Western NC but simply is not proactive enough to go after anything (I've always been the one to fill out all her applications and resume). Which still leaves me with the guilt from taking her away from that area four years ago.

I'll go back in a heartbeat. Planning to retire in March, will never get paid enough here to make it worth my while to work longer. So it's all up to her to find something up there. Because my Medicare won't pay for her health insurance.

 

[UNCGrad]

To clarify some, I'm out of journalism/newspapers and in a PR role now. This other opportunity would be another PR role to discuss, and yeah, if the money is a significant degree better, that would go a loooooooong way in my decision at this point. I want to help my family and our situation. I mean, we're OK and all, but better would be good, as usual. It does matter, and to hear y'all reinforce that, I appreciate it.

 

[wicked]

The best time to find a new job is when you're happy with your current job.

Potential employers smell blood in the water. The desperation stench sticks, no matter how nicely you dress for the interview and how many pumps of cologne you add. You'll also give few damns, which means you probably won't stress over the interview or any subsequent tryout activities they toss your way.

(My last job, I was desperate to get out. I interviewed much better once I left and then got a new gig pretty quickly.)

 

[MileHigh]

**** yes to this. If it was convenient and fiscally advantageous for your current employer to cut you loose, they won't apologize for that.

I used to get itchy in my newspaper days, and really only talked to other places a couple of times, only to have my then-employer sweeten the pot with promotions, raises (obviously a long time ago) and better schedules/quality of life. Then I got too comfortable and went through the "there's no way they will cut us down to X number of people in the department!" Found out I was wrong about that one.

I'm basically in the same boat as MileHigh, same age range and outside of the business. I remain friendly with folks from my former life who are still in the newspaper game, and when I hear about how ****ty things are going for them still, it makes me realize how fortunate I am to be where I'm at now. That typically scratches any itch that I may have.

But ... I'll never fully delete my LinkedIn, and will never be opposed to talking to someone if the most ideal position of all time pops up. Not completely sure what that position would be, but I'll never shut the door to listening.

Yup. Everyone is just a number, no matter how nice you are or how hard you work. They don't care.

 

[qtlaw]

I had the unique experience of being hired 4 separate times at my first law firm. I left for different reasons but was there for ultimately 21 of 25 years (of course last time, they said "you know this is goodbye forever", but nicely). I took from that, always appreciate what you have because the grass is not always greener. The first and 3rd times I left, was thinking it was better elsewhere. 2nd time, I hung my own shingle and i really matured. Last time, it was simply a larger platform with more room for expansion and it's worked out.

It's always okay to look, a friend of mine told me he worked on his resume every year as if he was looking but stayed with his firm 30 years and never left.

I've been interviewing for myself for 30 years and interviewing for candidates to assist me about 20 years (just hired a new associate last month). One fundamental point I would emphasize to anyone is, always remember it's a two way street. Instead of desperation, ask questions and act as if they need to convince you that they are attractive to you. Too many candidates IMHO only think of selling themselves without inquiring as to why someone should work for the new place. They should be able to come up with reasons for why you would want to work there.

Good luck!

 

[Here me roar]

For a hot second, I thought this thread was about jock itch

 

[I Should Coco]

For a hot second, I thought this thread was about jock itch

Also a problem resulting from when you sit around in a newsroom too long!

 

[wicked]

One fundamental point I would emphasize to anyone is, always remember it's a two way street. Instead of desperation, ask questions and act as if they need to convince you that they are attractive to you. Too many candidates IMHO only think of selling themselves without inquiring as to why someone should work for the new place. They should be able to come up with reasons for why you would want to work there.

This was a part of my last job search. Initially, I phone-interviewed for a temp spot here. I got a call back from the agency a half-hour later asking me when I could start. I said I had to meet with the people and see the vibe first. It worked out, but I wasn't going to jump in a bad situation so I could have a paycheck.

 

[dixiehack]

Whether you ever apply anywhere or not, it’s worth finding a good career coach and spending a few bucks so they can help you freshen up your resume. If nothing else it makes you realize what skills you have that are in demand and can help you frame the discussion at your current shop when looking for a raise or promotion.