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

[Armand - CareerCooler]

Great article. Nothing is more important than networking and volunteering, especially for entry-level jobs.

[Ben Archer]

It's nice to hear a proactive perspective rather than a keep your head down and survive. When the individuals at any level in the company all go into survival mode it will lead to stagnation. Maybe business is down or the economy is depressed. Now is the time to fix problems and grow, not hibernate! I would rather see a subordinate fail publicly while trying something innovative that might be positive than keep their head down and avoid notice.

[tzongyih]

Friend,
your articles have reminded me a lots of things during the recession.

Thanks for it,
will prepare eventhough I'm living great.

[excel development]

But lower prices hurt the businesses that furnish the goods and services, putting them at risk of going out of business or not making a profit. The result of either of these consequences is to put the jobs of their employees at risk and increasing the probability that they will be put out of work or have their wages reduced.

[Filipina Dating]

To all people want to achieved in their goals. I just want to say that does your priority in life make something that will develop your career in plan and also organized your dreams by means of always look where you will start and you will find the ways.

[Justin Lancomb]

Well written article. Job searching is a challenge even with availability of new tools like social media and job sites. It's still going to be a challenge for a lot of people. For those of you searching, you may want to check out www.JobSpot.ph for careers.

Goodluck to all!

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Wonderful blog post,I will save it to favorites and let all my friends know about it. It's been a pleasure to read something like this.
Mariah

[Austin Video Production]

I would like to add these tips:

- Start a blog and write a few tidbits on your industry, even if they are simple "tumblog style" postings.

-Put it on Yourname.com or something close to it. Include a link to your resume.

-Make your email address you@yourname.com and add it to your printed/online resume and email signature.

-Clean up your facebook and and old profiles you may have floating around out there. No typos or party pics.

[Career Article]

Recession is not definitely over yet, some good advice in the article. I did find very useful what was said about build your professional network through technology such as Linked In.

There is a good list of UK Job Sites that can be helpful: http://www.howtobecome.info/forum/f222/list-uk-best-job-sites-job-boards-671/

[John Papers]

Thanks for this post. I couldn’t make it and this post has been useful.

[Massachusetts Real Estate Careers]

Regardless of the economy or job market I think it is always important to be proactive and stand out from the crowd.

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Describe the components of a successful career development program in the field of criminal justice.

[cezz ro]

Good article! Apart from this, I suggest everyone to create their personal skill badge at http://www.skillbadge.com to tell the world what they are good at and to get seen !

[cezzro]

Very good article! Apart from this I suggest anyone to create a skillbadge to get seen! www.skillbadge.com

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Is it worth taking a career development course in college as a freshman?

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The post was really informative and well written.Thankz for your thought.

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[Job Posting]

Absolutely amazing article to read...:)I definitely agree to the above mentioned points in ur article..Thanks for posting

[kumar]

everyone should have carrer plan to reach the goal

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[Job Seekers]

Great Post..All points make sense..Thanks for the post..
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[Catarinamgarcia]

Great article,
People should know that before they chose their career...
Found this interesting site about career paths, maybe you would like to see what they say about the best careers for the future

[Best Careers for the Future]

Maybe my link at my name will help too!