Regardless of where you open your
briefcase or palm pilot each day - at a
large corporation, a small business or
the end of your dining room table - the
key to staying employable the rest of
your life is your own creative energy
and action.
The person who is going to be
successful is not going to succeed just
because of good work. That is a given.
It is expected. Crafting your
competitive advantage is what is going
to get you ahead in these crazy,
changing times. Here are three savvy
strategies to not only stay in the game
but stay ahead of the crowd.
1. Forget the Job Tooth
Fairy
The business of career management is
that---an independent business that you
manage---even if you work for someone
else. In this world of downsizing,
restructuring, buyouts and mergers, you,
not the company, must be in the driver's
seat of your career. Exit job security.
Enter career security.
Become a career entrepreneur. The key
question is not where do I now stand on
the organization ladder? Who knows if
there will even be a ladder tomorrow?
But rather: What do I know how to do?
How well do I do it? Where else can I do
it? Who is willing and able to pay you
for it? Start looking at your workplace
with new eyes, as a marketplace of
buyers and sellers. And you are the
seller- providing skills, experience and
knowledge to people who need what you
have to offer.
Launch your business called "Me,
Inc". Then answer these important
business questions: What is my product
line? What is the target market for my
products? For example, if I am an
accountant then, what is it that I
really do that people will pay for? Can
I list three features and three benefits
of my talents? Do I know my current
worth in the marketplace?
2. Have Skills, Will Travel
What do you bring to the employment
table? You carry with you, wherever you
go, a large portfolio or suitcase that
holds all of your skills, experiences,
and accomplishments. What's in your
portfolio? Is it heavy with many skills
or light with only a few? Do you know if
it would be valued in lots of different
places or just a limited number?
To be competitive, you must
periodically audit your portfolio and
benchmark your skills. How do you
compare with your peers in terms of
education, experience, training, career
progression? Are you new and improved?
Or, are you just the same person you
were three, five, ten years ago? Do you
have the right mix of skills, knowledge
and experiences to position yourself for
the future? Or, do you need to repackage
yourself in some way? Getting ahead
tomorrow means getting better today and
throughout your work life. Avoid
becoming a professional dinosaur.
3. Become Street Smart
What will keep you in the race as the
rules of the workplace road continue to
change constantly? Initiative,
visibility, and flexibility are the
three cornerstones of success in the new
career game.
Exercise leadership. You can't afford
to crouch behind your desk, buried in
your everyday work, and hope for the
best. Go beyond your job description and
direct your energy to the top priorities
of your boss, your department, your
team. Make yourself indispensable.
Stand up and be seen. Promote
yourself, not be your title, but by the
outcomes or results of what you're
doing. Your reputation can either pave
your way or get in the way of your
success. You can start making a name for
yourself by being involved in successful
assignments that allow you to be visible
to a wide range of people who could have
an impact on your career. Exit job
security. Enter career security.
Key Idea
If you don't manage your competitive
edge, your competitors will edge you
out. By having a well thought-out career
strategy you, not your boss, nor the
company nor the unpredictable winds of
change become the driving force for your
career.
Take Charge and Take Action Now!
Do you know there are three kinds of
people in the career world? Those who
make it happen - those who let it happen
- those who are surprised by what’s
happening. Which one are you?
Invest in Your Future
Find the keys to
career security in an insecure world with the Career Success System. You
will learn to avoid career crash and increase your competitive edge.
Check out
strategic coaching services to help you revitalize, reposition or retool
your career. Do you know where you want to go and how to get there?
Read free articles on how to
jump start your career, make a quantum leap to the next level and play the
career game better.
Contact Marcia for a
complimentary consultation. Make sure you’re always in the driver’s seat of your
career.
"Your
experience coaching strong leaders, your
background in varied fields and your
commitment
and trust
were big factors in
choosing you
to propel
my career to that
next level."
--- Sr. Financial Consultant,
Global Human Resources Firm
