By John Seraichyk - Browning Associates
Everybody on the face of the planet, who presently trades hours of his life for a paycheck, must adapt an entrepreneurial mind-set. That’s right! You must always be in “selling/reinventing yourself” mode! Just as a large corporation is always diversifying its product and market demographic, you too must always be projecting at least five years ahead of your contending peers. The “job stability” mind-set is lethal to your long-term career success.
The instant you land your next position, update your resume, and begin mindful transformation. If you want to remain successful and happy in your work, you must adapt my mantra; “If you are not in transition you are in denial”. You are a commodity and must continuously be cognizant of who may be in need of your product and how you will reinvent and constantly position and promote yourself for the future. This won’t happen overnight! Career Change/redirection is an instilled mindset that must be ever present if you expect to continue to successfully climb the “cliff face” of success.
W2-employees and 1099ers alike must realize that there is no corporate safe haven; job security is a legend of the past mostly publicized by the * 40/40 Club.
*40/40 Club…An employee who works for the same company for 40 hours a week for 40 years and retires with a $40 gold watch.
I am certainly not recommending "job-hopping"; absolutely a detriment to your paper credentials. I am also not recommending or suggesting that we as W-2 employees take on the ominous task of a self-employment venture. The entrepreneurial spirit is not something one acquires; rather, it is classically genetically inbred. However, what I am suggesting is that we the employee populace of America simply become more aware of our volatility...Most of us drudge onward even in the face of massive RIF’s somehow believing that it won’t happen to us. Even the young professionals I meet in my executive search business somehow believe that a large employer is a corporate safe haven for their jobs. I am suggesting that we as W2 employees have all of our proverbial eggs in one basket. It is the only business scenario in our country that has no diversification or exit strategy; today you have income and tomorrow you don’t! My blog submission strongly suggests that we become more aware of the fact that every company in this country is a house-of-cards and we could be dealt a junk hand on any given Friday afternoon! I strongly suggest we keep our resumes at the ready and at least once a quarter we evaluate our career situation, our industry, profession and the company we work for. Put this on your calendar and stay abreast, become paranoid about the precariousness of your job. Learn how to market yourself, maintain or develop your interviewing skills, know your marketability factor. Whether we like it or not the employment population (employees) of the good old US of A are our own entities. There is no safety in numbers, just like any successful business, we must always be aware of losing our best customer and what we will do to acquire another one quickly!
John Seraichyk
Browning Associates
www.professionaljobchange.com
