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

[Banking Careers]

Great piece, and I agree about the idea of going out of your way to make a difference to the company as a way of ensuring you keep your job.

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Amazing post related to recession and it's affect on the market. This post is really give solution how to build carrier in recession.

[James]

These are absolutely tough times. And the competition for occupying jobs continues to increase. And thanks so much - this article makes some interesting points. Particularly, the point 'Take Risks' is a great piece of advice.

I really enjoyed the tips. Thanks once again!

[Denise]

Start an online business that doesn't require additional funds. Also do something you enjoy each and every day. We benefit from doing that regardless of what we're experiencing.

Thanks for your article.

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I wouldnt be suprised if a social media campaign didnt do well in the corporate atmoshphere.

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[Government Jobs]

Its a very critical period for employees. do good work and the results will speak out themselves. it is always better to be an all rounder, ie must be able to do work in more than one type of work.

[Emily]

Hi, everyone, I wanted to share a webinar that I thought others might find interesting. The webinar is about Advanced Interviewing Strategies and I found it very helpful as I prepared for interviews. It's hosted by Ivy Exec, www.ivyexec.com, a career resource network for top tier professionals. The presenter, Sarah Stamboulie, is an experienced HR professional, formerly with Columbia Business School, Morgan Stanley, and Nortel. You can find the webinar here: http://bit.ly/uzTCwp.

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[Stuart Kaplowitz, MFT]

Some really neat items here. I cannot stress how valuable volunteering can be and it looks wonderful on your resume.

www.encouragingyourlife.com

[Lea]

Hi, everyone, if you're looking for a job, you might want to check out this blog post from Ivy Exec, a premium career resource network for over 117,000 top tier professionals. It talks about 8 Ways to Be a Smart Job Seeker: http://blog.ivyexec.com/2011/12/08/8-ways-to-be-a-smart-job-seeker/?ref=PIEC2011&promo=DK1

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[Juliet]

Amazing post! It's so well written, readable in on breathe, very concrete and straight to the point. You raised some of the most important things one forget when comes to career topics. With tips&trick you've shared with us, but also in combination with some other resources who emphasize importance of constant career development such as http://www.blog.ivyexec.com with its great webinars, I'm sure everyone will develop good career strategies. Many thanks for great post!