Career Tips to Stay Competitive

You’re reading the headlines and you know the stats on the job losses throughout the US. In this economy, it seems, nobody is safe. With the 663,000 jobs lost in March 2009 alone, the US has seen over 5 million people laid off in the last 15 months.^1. It’s rough out there.

The economy hasn’t been this bad in decades, and more than any time in recent memory, American workers need to take steps to protect their jobs. In hard times, employers most value employees who take an active role in their own careers. A recent survey showed that two in three Americans are taking steps to work on career planning in order to strengthen their employment situation.^2. You need to be one of them. Don’t despair. Take control!

Our Top Career Tips to Stay Competitive

1. Talk to your boss.
Find out what is going on at work. Think big picture. Is the company riding out the recession fairly comfortably? Alternatively, are cutbacks looking likely? Knowledge is power, and knowing what is going on at your firm is an important first step in figuring out what you need to do to stay competitive.
2. Figure out which parts of the company are performing best.
Where is revenue being generated? What are the growing areas of the company? It sounds simple, but it could not be more important: find out where the growth is and where the money is being made and be there.
3. Examine your place within the company.
Are you indispensable? Are your evaluations positive? Are customers and coworkers happy with the work you’ve been doing? Most importantly, are you adding value? If you aren’t, you should be, and soon.
4. Maintain your networks.
Don’t be a stranger. If you haven’t already, get to know people all around your workplace. Remember, your goal is to be as valuable as possible to your employers; if more people know you, more people will notice you working hard. Furthermore, a strong social network should keep you tuned in to happenings at your company, and give you a leg up on emerging opportunities.
5. Re-train.
Education is your new best friend. The more highly skilled you are, the more essential you are at work. Seek out part-time or online programs that might make you a better, more competitive employee. Remember, think revenue. If there is a department at your firm that is doing better than others, find out what degrees or credentials you would need to transfer or move up, and then go get them.
6. Stay active.
Assuming you don’t have several hundred billion dollars lying around, there isn’t much you can do about the state of the economy. Things are probably going to get worse before the get better. But you can take steps to protect your job from the downturn. Ask yourself this all-important question every single day: “what am I doing to add value, right now?” Stay hungry, make yourself indispensable, and you just might come out of this recession with a better job than you had when it started.

Sources: cnbc.com/id/30027467; reuters.com