Sharpening skills, networking key to keeping jobs
No matter how secure you may believe your job to be these days, the economic news lately has been worrisome enough that even the most career-confident person is a little nervous.
Is there a way to recession-proof your job? Experts can't say there's a surefire way to keep your job safe, but they do suggest ways to ensure you're doing everything you can to hang onto the job you have - or be successful in getting a better one.
Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox, says he remains optimistic that most employers will hang on to key workers "because they would rather take a hit (budget-wise), than go through recruiting again."
Still, McGovern says it's important for all workers to promote their key skills at work and make sure that they stay on the cutting edge of their industry in order to avoid job loss.
"Today, the obsolescence of skills is accelerating," he says. "The pace is much faster, and that puts the burden on people to develop their skills faster."
For example, he says that marketers who understand how to market on the Web are in high demand. Those who can't, risk being seen as expendable, he says.
"As soon as a skill becomes generic, that's when you see jobs go overseas," McGovern says. "You've got to make sure you're exposed to new concepts and new things within the job itself."
Echoing that advice is Shawn Graham, a career adviser at the University of North Carolina and author of "Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job" (JistWorks, $12.95). He says that many of this year's graduates may find it tough to land their dream job on the first try.
"Maybe you want to be in marketing in a certain industry, but that's going to be the hardest one to land, so you go on to Plan B, which is to land a marketing job in another industry. But you should always have a Plan C, which is maybe getting an internship, or fall back on something else that you're good at," Graham says. "The key is to develop a multi-tiered search."
Graham also advises young professionals to avoid "shopping offers around" in this uncertain economy. "Don't try and leverage one offer against another," he warns. "You've got to be realistic with the hiccups in the economy going on right now."
McGovern's Jobfox (www.jobfox.com) is promoting the idea of "career branding," which follows the premise of online social networking sites such as Facebook. With Jobfox, however, the emphasis is helping people showcase their unique skills to interested employers. Instead of posting jobs, the site promotes a person's talents, whether they are looking for work or not.
That idea of personal branding is gaining popularity as more people seek to have an up-to-date professional network that they can call on for different reasons, whether it's partnering on a project, promoting a business or seeking a job. It's that attitude - of actively staying connected to promote an individual career - which many experts believe will impact how jobs are filled, no matter the health of the economy.
"Because it's more competitive than normal, it's more important than ever to develop your individual message," Graham says. "Every little thing is magnified in this market - both good and bad."
Graham further advises that employees take these steps to make sure they are seen as critical workers, and not easily targeted for a layoff:
- Do the heavy lifting. When things get tough, jump in and get the job done. Help solve problems, looking for new or innovative ways to contribute to the bottom line.
- Build relationships. Attend industry or professional events and network with others. Reach out to colleagues in different departments and develop relationships so that if your department or job is under threat, you still may be able to move somewhere within your company.
- Build skills. Take on additional duties that will provide some new insight or training, or even consider taking some classes to make sure you stay on the cutting edge of your profession.
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