While watching Disney’s remake of “The Lone Ranger”, the train wreck scene reminded me of career management.
Our careers are like a locomotive racing down the track. In good times the tracks are evenly connected and secured to the ground by iron stakes, which allow the locomotive to sail smoothly down the shiny tracks. The “clickity-click” of the wheels can be heard miles away. You find comfort in its gentle swaying motion. You blow the steam whistle as the wind brushes against your face and through your hair announcing your arrival to the working world. For this locomotive is an express train headed nonstop to “Successville”!
However, what happens when stress is introduced? When there are continuous setbacks? When there are layoffs or an extended period of unemployment? Your track becomes slightly separated and bent. Setbacks and failures contribute to the loosening of the rail spikes. Your gentle rocking soon erupts into a violent shake as you hold on for dear life. The tracks to success buckle and sometimes break. Before long your career train grinds to a halt or perhaps crashes.
Here are 5 things you can do to prevent a major derailment in your career:
1) Always Keep Your Resume Updated: We have been conditioned to think that because we have a job it will always be there. As long as there is a steady paycheque coming in, we don’t need to update our resume, right? This is so far from the truth. It is much easier to apply to jobs when your resume is up-to-date fully marketing your current skills and attributes you have acquired over the years. I remember when I was unemployed many years ago, I was sending out a resume that was about seven years out of date. It took me about two months of rejections to learn I was underselling myself, by not having my most recent skills and achievements recorded on my resume.
2) Always Continue To Network, Even In The Good Times: As I like to say “When looking for work, often it is not who you know that gets you the job but rather who knows you!” I have found that when you are searching for the next contract or job, the hidden job market is less of a mystery when people know who you are and are eager to assist you with opportunities they come across.
3) Never Burn Any Bridges: It’s a small world out there so never speak ill or bad mouth a fellow worker or manager; they could be your next boss. I have had the opportunity to obtain contract work through a former manager when I was in between jobs. I was thankful that I never burned that bridge. Burning bridges also extends to your conduct in the workplace. About a year ago I had a client who, unknown to me, was considered lazy by his former manager and his team. I created an employment opportunity for him and the HR manager was impressed with how well he presented himself. Unfortunately for my client, his ex-manager had moved to the same company weeks prior. The ex-manager immediately recognized him when he entered the HR office. Let’s just say things did not work out well for my client at that company because the ex-manager SHARED his past experience with the HR person. In the end, I had to get the client employed at a different company in a different city. Let’s hope he heeded my words, and is creating better lasting impressions with his new employer.
4) Know The Labour Market: The Labour Market can be a tool to gauge the employment prospects in a specific sector. It tells you the economic forecast for the next few years. You do not need to have an economics degree to understand where your line of work stands; look in the classifieds and on-line job boards for the answers. If there are numerous job postings in your field and the salaries are relatively high then you are in the right type of work. However, if you are seeing fewer and fewer opportunities in your field, chances are you should probably start looking for a new career. Look at the current opportunities for an elevator operator or typewriter repair person if you don’t believe me!
5) Try To Say Positive: Positive people tend to attract more opportunities in their lives in comparison to negative people. Ever hear the saying “You’ll attract more flies with sugar than with vinegar”?Need I say more?
Doing these 5 things — Keeping Your Resume Updated, Always Networking, Never Burning Any Bridges, Knowing The Labour Market, and Staying Positive — will go a long way in helping you to stay on the career track to Successville.
