A personnel coordinator who aspired to human resource management saw her career track fizzle following a downsizing. After 14 years with a suburban L.A. based food manufacturer, she was forced to accept a demotion. Her new role as an inventory control clerk taxed her patience more than her brainpower. Determined to make the most of a less than perfect situation, she set about trying to improve her qualifications and her standing with the company. To do so, she volunteered to produce a newsletter for the company's total quality management initiative. This activity kept her from getting bored and increased her visibility in the company.
She also improved her status with her boss by positioning herself to assume his supervisory responsibilities when he couldn't be in the office. Taken together, these two steps kept her involved and growing for almost a year. But, as often hap pens in the real world, her diligence wasn't rewarded with either a promotion or a raise. Still, she had the comfort of knowing that she'd developed a more marketable set of skills and could easily move elsewhere.
Learn to Expect the Unexpected
If you're security conscious, you probably like your work life orderly and predictable. Good luck.
Ironically, the people most likely to keep their jobs these days are those who can operate comfortably in chaos. These professionals show the range and flexibility to do whatever is required. You can't be all things to all people. You may, however, be able to stretch yourself more than you realize and learn to enjoy the satisfactions that stem from overcoming a challenge. You'll soon feel more secure knowing that you can manage organizational changes rather than cave into them. I was personally gratified to witness this transformation in one of my more resistant outplacement clients. A 42 year old tax administrator, she'd spent her entire adult work life in the same department of the same Chicago bank. She liked her job, her boss and the bank. But most of all, she liked her routine and would've been perfectly content to spend the rest of her career right where she was.
You can probably guess the next part of the story. One morning, she arrived at work to learn the bank had decided to outsource its trust department to an accounting firm. Suddenly, there were a dozen unanchored tax pros roaming the bank's corridors in search of new jobs.
My client was a totally reliable employee, but she was also painfully shy. Despite her long years of service, she knew only a handful of her co workers. When I told her that she needed to "network" with other bank employees to get resituated, she balked.
In fact, my advice so upset her that she complained to her manager about me. But I don't make the rules. It wasn't my idea to make networking the number one way people find jobs. I just pass the information along and try to help people become as effective at that process as possible.
Fortunately, she finally got the message and, with her manager's support, arranged an informational interview the very same day. She came back from that meeting a changed woman. Apparently, the person she met with had been so nice and supportive that she wondered why she'd ever objected to the process!
Less than one week later, she landed another position within the bank that was suitable to her temperament and skills. In fact, she became the first person in her department to get rehired.
She never thanked me for pushing her to network. But when she came to say goodbye, I could see she was truly delighted at her success and pleased with her new opportunity. As she left, I had to laugh when she remarked, "I know I should do more networking. But right now, I'd really like to take this new job."
Develop an Innovative Spirit
Since employers are always seeking a competitive edge, they love having innovators on staff. Such professionals are seldom content with the status quo, so they're constantly on the lookout for new ways to improve conditions. They also tend to turn an analytical and creative eye toward problems.
Consider Kathy Reed, who realized early in her career that being a stockbroker didn't suit her. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, she longed to work for Xerox, but the company's Dallas facility wouldn't even hire her as a secretary. Undeterred, she called a local temporary agency and said she'd only accept assignments at Xerox. Within weeks, she landed a temp assignment there, and was soon offered a full time secretarial position that allowed her to network her way up from the inside.
If you devise a way to save your company money, improve customer relations or develop a new revenue stream, you can be sure that you're more than earning your keep. This doesn't mean your job will necessarily be spared when the ax falls. However, it will guarantee you a more impressive resume and a great set of problem solving skills.
