By DeAnne Pearson, M. Ed, Career Coach
Recently I attended a family member’s retirement party after 39 years with the city of Waco. It was my first time attending a retirement party ever. I haven’t been invited to another one. No, I did not “double-dip” the chips and onion dip. People just aren’t spending their entire working careers at one company anymore. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average wage-earning male spends 4.3 years in a job, and the average wage-earning woman spends four years in a position, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Many people come right out of college and become entrepreneurs to boot.
Over the past 20 years, I have had an up-close view of the rapidly changing structure of careers and company expectations…The good, the bad, and the unpredictable. As a Career Coach, my best advice is to consider yourself an entrepreneur. What does that mean? Do I have to go out and start my own business? No, not necessarily, but changing your approach and handling of your career could be in order. I am saying that it is time to start thinking like an entrepreneur! Think about it; an entrepreneur is an individual who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. So from our new vantage point, we are the enterprise. We cannot afford to trust this enterprise to anyone else. In organizing and managing your career, there are six things you have to know:
Know yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Most people hate answering this interview question. However, this is a great time to re-examine your strengths and weaknesses. First, examine your knowledge, skills, and abilities. Next, knowledge, examine your educational background or certifications. How current is this part of your professional profile? By abilities, what do you bring to the job that no one else can that is innate? It could be your ability to inspire, approachability, or many inborn traits.
What skills do you currently use, including technical, managerial style, and tasks performed? Do not let your skills get stagnant. I see it over and over again. An employee becomes specialized and entrenched in the current position and never sees the job, or the entire industry, slipping away. Many companies invest millions of dollars in training employees each year. However, when a company trims the budget, training dollars may be the first to go. If you need to update skills independently, you can deduct education and training costs for your job if your employer doesn’t reimburse you for them (if the education is for your current job, not to get a better job later). If you are without work due to layoff, federal money may be available for training and education in a new, more viable career. And, if you are one of the unfortunate ones to be laid off, job-hunting expenses, including mileage, are also deductible, but that is a whole other article.
Know your work and life balance. Looking at yourself as objectively as possible, how would you describe your work-life and personal life balance? As departments are streamlined, you may be asked to take on more tasks, work longer hours, move to a different role, or accept a pay cut. Know what you can bear financially, in time away from home, and psychologically, in relationships. Make a plan, whether by eliminating debt or having a backup plan for child care, if you need to take on additional work or renew your skills through classes after work. These are challenging times and an excellent time to be flexible as an employee.
Know your boss. There are many aspects to consider when examining your superiors: personality (hopefully, they have one), communication style, priorities, and status. Many bosses can be summed up as a numbers person or a people person. Know your manager’s communication style, both how they give and receive information. Make sure that you are communicating in the correct language. To whom does your boss report? That makes it easier to make your accomplishments measurable and visible to those who count.
Report your progress and the progress of your team. Toot your own horn but be tasteful about it. Just leave a quick voicemail about a positive objective that has been met. Send a congratulatory email to your team regarding their performance and copy your boss. These actions will support and build your team and keep your skills at the forefront. This is an excellent time to work hard and play well with others.
Know your company. There remains more to any company than producing 1,000 widgets over some time or the physical address. No matter the product or service, cultural and viability aspects should be considered. By culture, I don’t mean how you dress, what music you listen to… Get to know the norms of the people you work with, the customers who purchase the product or service, people who assist in making the project possible, and those who get the product into the right hands. All are integral to the business’s success. Where do you fit in?
Know your industry. Be an expert in your field. What are the future trends that need to be heeded? How do you and your company fit into this trend? Get to know the standards at work and in the industry by researching, reading articles, and asking questions occasionally. Then, again, re-examine your knowledge, abilities, and skills from the industrial vantage point.
It is great to have a niche and become the go-to person in your area of work, but know how your role currently and in the future contributes to the bottom line. What are the profitable trends for your industry, and how do you see yourself fitting into that future profit? If your position is not clearly integral to the profit margin, consider moving to one with monetary impact. Be a contributor.
Know your network. Keep your network alive. Some people think of networking as performing some big sales job on friends, begging, or complaining. On the contrary, you network whenever you say hello to someone or have a conversation. Networking is just paying more attention to these conversations. Seek out ways to keep relationships alive through reconnecting with people you have worked with and attending functions of professional organizations or conferences. Effective networking goes a step further by carefully crafting the message you are sending out regarding what you are doing and what you want to accomplish in your profession. This is called “The Elevator Speech” in the Career Consulting Industry. Get one.
As a career expert, I can tell you that companies across the globe need good employees. It is up to you to convey that you are a valuable employee. Take ownership of your career and consider yourself an entrepreneur, not tied to any position, skill set, or company. Your job is at risk. So, take control. If not now, when?
Bibliography
Bureau of Labor and Statistics. National Department of Labor and Statistics. 22 September 2016. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm
Bureau of Labor and Statistics. National Department of Labor Bureau of Labor and Statistics. 8 January 2010. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>.