I love when CFO.com begins publishing articles espousing the things I’ve been evangelizing for years. If you haven’t read this article by John Touey, “Start Managing Your Career Before It Manages You,” you might want to. It’s important. I would even say today, it is critically important.
– Competition for available positions has never been more fierce, and that is not going to change in the foreseeable future.
– The hiring process has never taken so long, even when the need is desperate … and that time is exacerbated when unemployed.
– Fit-for-culture is a key piece of the decision-making process, so you must understand how and where you fit. The very best scenario is that you are driving that understanding, not defaulting to what a prospective company believes, perhaps incorrectly, about your fit within its organization.
Those who think job loss can’t / won’t happen to them believe they are immune from unexpectedly losing a job; think it will be no big deal if they lose a job because they can “easily” get another one; or know job loss is inevitable because their company was just acquired, but are too busy to do anything career-related right now … are extremely vulnerable in today’s job market.
You are never more desirable as a potential candidate than when you are happily and gainfully employed. And the challenge to find a new position is never steeper than when you find yourself unemployed.
Please, don’t think the unthinkable can’t happen to you. It can. Being in the driver’s seat of your career is an empowering, and very wise, strategy!
Don’t forget my webinar this Friday, January 24, at 2:00 Eastern on leveraging the power of Linkedin. You still have time to register!