Feeling insecure at work? Want some fear insurance? Make a plan. Everyone needs a strategy that’s ready to launch when necessary so that there’s no need to be afraid.
“What if I’m laid off? Who will take care of me? Who will help me?”
We get downright childlike when the “I don’t want to think about it” actually happens. It’s the grown up version of “I want my mommy!”
It’s understandable that employers and employees are spooked. Click on the news and there’s a story about cutbacks. Some unsuspecting folks learned of their imminent demise when reading the morning paper.
If the best defense is a great offense here’s a sound strategy that incorporates three initiatives
- Figure out what you do best.
- Write a resume based on a positive track record.
- Network
Of the three, most people find that networking is their greatest challenge. They think networking means glad handing strangers and asking for jobs. That’s not what it is.
Targeted networking is meeting with like-minded people you know personally, who do work that is similar to what you do or want to do, and brainstorming ways and places there are opportunities for you to do the same.
During the course of the conversation your contact will ask you to clarify your career goals and to describe the kind of assistance you’re seeking. (If you’re not sure, you’re not ready to network). State outright that you’re not asking for a job or for them to find you a job. Say that you value their opinion (you shouldn’t be talking to them if you don’t) and are looking for ideas and suggestions of people to talk to or companies to contact. Then pay attention, take notes, and probe for more information when you hear something you don’t understand. Take it to the next level by making the calls your networking contact recommends. Repeat the process.
At the close of each meeting, ask for a business card and suggest a follow up conversation. Send a thank you note that highlights the gist of the conversation. “I appreciated your advice regarding _________ and will act on that immediately.” The more contacts you develop the greater likelihood that you will find the right job. Next initiative: resumes.
A resume writer, program, or internet site is only as good as the information you enter. You’ll need names and dates of colleges and universities attended and degrees completed; start and end dates of places of employment; names, addresses, and telephone numbers of places you’ve worked; job titles and responsibilities for each position you’ve held; and three accomplishments for each of those positions. I figured I’d get your attention with that last one.
Accomplishments: that’s where the rubber meets the road. What did you do that advanced the company’s market share, introduced new products, streamlined processes, improved distribution, saved time or money? Bullet point, validate, quantify.
Shun the resume that ‘s overwritten, overblown, or overwrought. It doesn’t matter if a resume service or computer program cranked it out; your name is at the top. You, not spell-check, are accountable for how it looks and what it says. Edit. Then give to someone else to edit. Then edit it again. Next initiative: what do you do best?
“Tell me about yourself” is a popular question that causes otherwise articulate people to babble. They don’t know what they’re supposed to say or where they ought to begin. Rewind. The questioner is really asking, “What do you do best?”
What you do best is what you most enjoy doing and want to do more. It’s when you’re most effective, it’s knowing where you want to go next and what you want to achieve as a result of having gone there.
Practice weaving your comments into an answer that takes no more than a minute or two to complete. Your reaction to that probing question opens the door to a purposeful exchange between two intelligent and informed people.
Now that you have a strategy you can listen to the news, read the paper, and get back to work.
