Should You Stay Or Should You Go Now?

I got an email from someone with a contract coming up. The million dollar question-- stay or go? Tough question. It always makes sense to check out other options. It never hurts to cast your net. Check with friends/professional organizations. Check tvjobs.com. Cold call markets where you're interested in moving. See what's out there. You can always use a new offer to help your negotiating position. Sadly, TV stations don't give employees raises just because they're good workers. They give you a good raise when you have another offer.

However. There's something to be said for staying put, especially now. It might make some sense to do some digging both on what your company is doing and also what any company you're interested in is doing. For example, is your company laying off people in other markets? Does the new company have a history of laying people off when it gets tight or does it cut overtime instead? How fat is the old or new company? Reading the WSJ might not be your cup of tea, but it pays to be informed about the overall health of your and other media companies as well as the industry as whole.

Again, always have a resume and demo ready, just in case. Stay in touch with people and send info their way so they'll do the same. It's a scary world out there with a lot of good people in local and network being laid off-- so there's a lot of talent out there for the open jobs that are being filled.