Three Things Anyone Serious About a Career Should Do

07 Sep Three Things Anyone Serious About a Career Should Do

The chances of investing a career with one company effectively went away in the nineties. Oh, there are still a few out there but the reality is most will invest a big part of their lives with multiple companies – and the average amount of time in one job (and it’s industry dependent) is no more than four years.

Translation – you are an independent contractor and like the Free Agent in professional sports, you build sustainability ONLY if you work under the assumption your role and your job is going to change.

Now, here’s the tough part – that change is often not an employee driven decision. We call them restructures, downsizings, rightsizings, operational cutbacks, acquisitions, mergers – you get the picture.

The bottom line – too many very qualified employees find themselves without work – and totally shocked at what should have been intuitive.

So, if you accept the premise that you have no lifetime employment contract – what do you do about it?

Three things anyone serious about their career should do TODAY:

• Pull the resume that got you to where you are – and use it to get to where you want to be. Translation – you should update your resume, at minimum, once per quarter – every quarter, for the rest of your working life. I’ve worked with hundreds who, when faced with job loss, begin the search process with the ultimate “loser’s” lament, ”I guess I’ll have to start working on my resume.” That’s like a guy dying in the desert saying, “I guess I’ll have to start digging a well.”
• Keep your professional options open. When you get a call about a job opportunity – take the call. No one penalizes you for maintaining a dialogue. The only penance involved is when you don’t – and they call that an employment gap. And that resume referenced in point #1 – you don’t necessarily float it but you do have it ready to go and, when the right opportunity presents itself, you launch it.
• Find at least one professional recruiter that you build a relationship with – and cultivate that relationship. Yes, there are all kinds of recruiters but the very best can be incredibly important – and can represent you even when you are happy and fulfilled in your current role. Top recruiters recognize big time players – and if you are one, they will work for you. A great placement does more than pay their fee – it ensures their portfolio expands.

You either lead through your career or you allow your career to manage you.

For a far deeper look at leading through your career, pick up a copy of The Compass Solution: A Guide to Winning Your Career. (Available Sept. 25^th, 2017 – Amazon.com)

To learn more, visit www.thecompassalliance.com