Please take this advice: always be ready to jump ship

[calimary]

23. I worked in radio for years and we all knew NEVER to get too comfy. Or, at least those of us who

were realistic knew that, or sensed it from time to time. NOBODY was safe. I watched one general manager's head roll down the hall, along with his executive assistant (who was thought to be bullet-proof especially since, in a position like hers, she knew where all the bodies were buried!). Figuratively-speaking of course. But heads rolled. I think I shared the story here about how one mention in the ARB Talkback (a service from ARB at the time, in which they provided stations with not just numbers and rankings, but in the Talkback, a listener review adjunct with verbatim comments, one of which was especially complimentary toward me personally) saved my job for about a year. EVEN THAT wasn't enough. Even knowing the PD personally at another station, from having worked with him VERY successfully at an earlier station, wasn't enough. Even having a hand in the increase in ratings in MY timeslot, that didn't help. Radio was a notoriously insecure business as far as job "security". And the more sensible and realistic (or seasoned and many-times-fired or screwed-over) of us in it recognized it. But now EVERY business, every industry, everywhere, is like that.

I found it a good habit to update the resume IMMEDIATELY, AS SOON AS I LANDED A NEW JOB. Update it IMMEDIATELY. ALWAYS make sure it's as excruciatingly current as possible! In whatever form, whether it's on LinkedIn, or Facebook, or printed out on paper. You never know how long it's going to last. I've known people who got fired within weeks, or yes indeed even days, after being hired. I've known people who got fired even after they moved halfway across country for the new job. Even after they moved halfway across country and the new job's management paid for their move!

Always gird your loins. Be ready to sell yourself to somebody across town - ALWAYS be looking. Even if you think things are good at the moment (a rare state of affairs, all told). ALWAYS have your antennae up, ALWAYS be on the lookout. ALWAYS be networking. It's just a good self-defense habit to do. It's easier to be a survivor that way.