Career Development in a Recession

Ryan Bortel of Corporate Psychologists sends me his e-newsletter.  The last one had a great article on this topic.  I couldn't find a link on his website for the article, so I've cut & pasted it below.  Enjoy!

Layoffs. Downsizing. Rightsizing. Whatever term you use, these are uncertain times for any employee. The headlines are heavy with doom and gloom statistics and warnings about an uncertain future. So what are ambitious and talented employees to do?    The answer coming from many employees has been "Keep your head down," "Don't attract attention," "Just do good work and the results will speak for themselves." While it seems natural to just hunker down and wait out the storm, our experience has shown that proactive career management and development is more important in times of economic uncertainty than ever.   Now is the time for employees to be purposeful about managing their personal "brand." Results matter (thank goodness), but perception matters as well, particularly when decisions need to be made about who belongs in the leadership pipeline and who will help pull an organization through tough times.   In Tom Peters' article "The Brand Called You," he states that an employee's most important job is to be "head marketer for the brand called you." Rather than hiding or waiting things out, Peters' article would suggest that now is the time to become more highly visible, even "famous" within an organization for being a source of unique value.   Whether you are providing coaching to your own employees or are considering how to manage your own career, there are some simple suggestions that we have found to be valuable in building a better personal brand:  Volunteer for organization-wide projects or steering committees Join a local professional organization; take on an officer role. Host an event at your company's location Take a class focused on cutting edge technologies or solutions that you can bring back to the organization Teach a class within the organization or at a local business school Build your professional network through technology such as Linked In Seek feedback informally or through 360 degree feedback and take action based on what you hear Take risks by stepping outside of your comfort zone (e.g., lead a change initiative, speak publically, suggest an innovative solution and ask to lead the charge) Regardless of what you choose to take on in your efforts to build your personal brand, always make sure that you are a source of positive and constructive energy.  Make yourself known as someone who focuses on the possibilities and who is committed to furthering the goals of the organization rather than your own personal goals.  It is this type of person that not only survives but thrives in tough times.

Comments

[Stacy Harshman]

I really like this approach of being proactive instead of reactive in these difficult economic times. I think it is very important to spend positive energy building your brand. It reminds us that we do have control when it comes to marketing ourselves.

Stacy Harshman, Career Coach
www.YourFulfillingLife.com

[Beverly -- Executive Job Search]

Often job loss can seem like the end of the world. But, it's also a time to reevaluate one's job skills and reassess career direction.

Taking smart risks, as you mentioned, is the key to professional development.

When I got laid off, I went to: http://www.execcrossing.com, a professional job search company online to find a job that would fully utilize my professional skills while giving me the income advantage.

I was very pleased with the job search results.

[William Uter]

How does a job seeker stand out from a crowd of millions in today’s competitive market? Charismatic economic survivor William Uter has self-published an appropriate solution: The Career Value Book.

The job market is very competitive because of the high demand and low supply of employment opportunities. Applicants must try something new to avoid being overlooked. This self-help book teaches job seekers to better showcase their talent, allowing it to surface to the forefront of the hiring manager's selection consideration.
Uter explains this effective approach in The Career Value Book that shares his insight and experiences to assist other job seekers to:

- Develop visual portfolios to market skill sets

- Showcase talent beyond facts and figures

- Provide insight of the hiring process

For additional information, please visit www.careervaluebook.com.

[Ashley]

While it would be silly to try and convince job seekers that the market is robust, there is some silver lining to the grey cloud hanging over our economy -- especially if you're a Gen Y’er (No, really).

Smart employers know that Gen Y talent - generally defined as the emerging workforce - is practically priceless and brings more to the table than a new perspective. Extinguish the stereotypes that come along with Generation Y and consider highlighting the following benefits in your employment pitch.
• You’re techno savvy. Technology is the great enabler for corporate America, and you know how to leverage it (come on now; we grew up gnawing on a keyboard). Use your tech savvy know-how to your advantage. Not only do you know how to harness new media, you will quickly master new technologies. You’re an early adopter and can easily transfer your knowledge to your colleagues.
• You’re flexible. Emerging professionals are more likely to relocate, can easily adapt to change, and are willing to work on a project basis (in fact, many prefer it). Let a potential employer know you’re willing to wear many hats and will do what it takes to get the job done.
• Your multi-tasking skills are second to none. You process information at lightning speed and have the organizational skills to manage multiple projects at once. Rising to the top under pressure while managing many different initiatives will set you apart from the crowd.
• You’re entrepreneurial and motivated by opportunity.
• You can reach fellow Generation Y’ers in the marketplace. No matter what your role in a company, understanding how to tap into the emerging generations will have a positive impact on revenues.

If you’re looking for job opportunities in Chicago, here’s one resource:
http://localdev.brillstreet.com/talent/jobs/?utm_source=Blogs&utm_medium=Blogs_Daily10Update&utm_campaign=Blogs_Daily10Update_060209

Good luck in your job search....

Ashley (fellow Gen Yer)

[Andrea Korogi]

There are lots of great tools out there for moving ahead. I enjoy the monthly newsletter from Allison Maslan, Life & Career Coach. Following is her tips for getting organized and keeping focused www.myblastoff.com:

Blast Off Success Tips

Did you set goals for yourself that you planned on achieving this week and for some reason or another, they just didn't happen?
Were you waiting for a huge block of time in the day so you could focus and be productive?

With your busy life, those big empty blocks of time just don't seem to exist anymore. That is why I developed the Mini Feat Method. I use it in my own life every day because it works!

Here's the deal.

1) Write out your bigger goals first, I call them your
Big Picture Vision.

These could be the bigger goals you are working to create in your life such as a new career, taking an African Safari or a creating a vegetable garden. Or they could be projects at home, such as: organizing your files or redecorating Johnny's room.

2) Once you have written out your Big Picture Vision, then break these big goals into Mile Steps.

These are the large steps that need to take place to reach your Big Picture Visions and goals. By breaking your large dreams and goals into Mile Steps, you can begin to see your pathway in a clearer, more attainable way. For instance, if it is a vegetable garden you want to create you may need to research the kind of vegetables you want, the type of soil you need and so forth. If it is a new career you desire, you may want to start networking or plan some online research, or find a coach. Mile Steps are bigger tasks that take longer than one day to complete. (maybe even a month or six months)

3) The final step in this Blast Off Process is to break your Mile Steps down into simple daily increments called Mini Feats.

Mini Feats are small daily action steps of accomplishment that will easily move you toward your goals. You only need to spend 10 minutes on each Mini Feat. Yes, you read correctly. No more than 10 minutes each. Did you know you could write an entire book in one year by writing only one page per day? (That's what I did!) Just think what you could do with just 3 ten minute Mini Feats per day in one year. Geez. You could build your own city! That is fifteen steps per work week toward your destination without the huffing, puffing and overwhelm.

So stop arriving at Friday and wondering where the heck the week went. Break your goals down into Mini Feats and you will begin to feel accomplished with the greatest of ease.

For those of you that want to organize your goals and stay motivated every single day, I have developed a one of a kind web-based software, called Blastation! For my clients and friends I am offering a 30 day free trial by using the following promotion code. Just go to www.InteractiveLifeCoach.com and take the tour.

When you sign up, enter this promo code: blastationfb and you will receive 30 days free goal setting!

Now you can arrive at Friday and feel great about the week that has passed.

Happy Weekend!

[l2 cd key]

For those of you that want to organize your goals and stay motivated every single day, I have developed a one of a kind web-based software, called Blastation! For my clients and friends I am offering a 30 day free trial by using the following promotion code. Just go to www.InteractiveLifeCoach.com and take the tour.

[caroline byrne]

What a great blog!
It's certainly tough times to find work. Getting out there to build your personal brand through meaningful networking is what it is all about. It stops you wallowing and you get to hear about opportunities once you are involved in a community. Free career advice at www.enrichingcareers.blogspot.com
from an award winning career coach.

[Patricia]

I agree with all the seven main points. The point that's work for me is: "take responsibilities and be motive in your own career", in my own experience I started as a cashier at Walmart and took on responsibilities like learning to work in the money center and customer services, make more valuable worker to walmart.
The employee must be motive in their own career development, and take new reponsibilities in his/her work. These create more valuable worker for the company.
This advice help you create more secure job on the recession time.

[jonathan]

So it is the right time to build personal brand. Invest for the future coming job.

[Alexia]

I like what the article talks about. A lot of people give up but now can be a good time to upgrade yourself. A lot of people can enhance their computer skills by taking advance Microsoft Office courses or learn accounting software.

If you're interested to brush up your computer skills check this out http://www.biztechinstitute.com

[Recruitment Consultants]

We have been advising freshers and candidates beaten by recession along the same lines. These facts are obvious but needs to me reminded even to the best of people.

Thanks for taking time to compile a neat writeup.

[Eric Wentworth]

Check out the Career ReBoot Camp 2-day event for job-seekers at www.CareerReBootCamp.com.

[Accounting Jobs New York]

I think the worst is behind us but I think this might be a jobless recovery. Fortunately there are some great resources out there for job seekers to check out. I think the accounting industry is starting to come back. We are seeing some good signs of growth.

[Brett]

This site has superb articles relevant to the current economic climate. It also offers very concise and structured career and management advise, http://www.sergaygroup.com/Smart-Talk.html

[Myka]

I agree that making yourself known as someone who focuses on the possibilities and who is committed to furthering the goals of the organization rather than your own personal goals will sove amojor of the organisational problems.

[Marcia Robinson]

These times are definitely not for the faint of heart and requires even closer attention to one's personal brand. The tips you give are great and help people arm themselves with knowledge. I write quite a bit about recession career issues. Maybe some of the posts here will help your readers. http://www.bullseyecareerblogs.com/search/label/Recession%20Career%20Issues

[july]

Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring the demand for writers and editors with Web or multimedia experience.Interesting article on How to Make Money Writing for Consumer Magazines! Something to think about!ExecCrossing is absolutely the best job site on the web. They have hundreds of jobs at your fingertips. The best part about it is you can create your resume and when you find a job you want to apply for you just click on "apply online" and consider it done.

[Career Devlopment]

what is the best path to get a recognized during this recession.

[Kingsley Tagbo]

Work-life balance for a career-minded person is really to achieve without a lot of focus and help from employers.

I recommend the book "Power of Full Engagement" for a good look at what it takes to get close to that balance.

[Career information]

Your Article is just awesome..it will definitely encourage to those who left or resign the job by any reason...again i want to say its very good article..thanks
Career information

[angun]

Absolutely very good article.. I enjoyed it. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road! Thanks.

angun@Job Descriptions

[Law Clerk Diploma]

Very Good Post. All 6 points are good. Take risks is very important factor to build a career.

[BlogVacancy]

I think it could facilitate job search, will reduce job vacancy. career boosting information and technique you stated is really tremendous.

[Alla]

Wow, this article really hit home for me. I was laid off and out of a job for 8 months. I tried everything, including professional organizations, networking, etc. One thing that really worked for me was using a site called www.CareerRating.com. On this site you can get your former employers to rate your job performance - an honest rating that you can forward on to potential employers.

[Cassidy Hannah]

These facts are commensence, but its great to be reminded of them time to time.