The Transition Companies Career Management Blog

By Rebecca Metschke

Be prepared. The Boy Scouts might just as easily be talking about the foundation for a successful career.

Preparation (i.e. career management) should be a fundamental part of your strategy. If it hasn’t been to date, current events might prompt you to reconsider.

Uncertain economic times aren’t easy for anyone - but they’re a lot less stressful for those who have approached their careers deliberately and purposefully.

These are the people who are constantly laying the groundwork for their next step. They’re always looking ahead. The first day at a new job, they begin planning for their next move.

They don’t allow themselves to get comfortable with the status quo. They expect things to be impermanent; they’re in a position to contend with volatility. They’re prepared for the vagaries of the job market.

They are proactive - not reactive.

There’s no way around the fact that good career management requires ongoing attention. Executed correctly, though, you’ll find the amount of time you must devote to strategic planning on a daily basis is minimal, and it will soon become part of your normal routine.

If this idea is new to you, or you’ve neglected it, you may not know where to begin. To point you in the right direction, these are a few of the things you should be working on: development and ongoing revision of your personal business plan, ongoing review of your marketability, and building/nurturing your network.

While you don’t have control over inevitable market fluctuations or consumer confidence or any number of factors, you do have control over something very important: yourself. Take career management seriously; it’s an investment in your future. Particularly when the economy heads south - which by its cyclical nature it is bound to do - you’ll be glad you did.

By Rebecca Metschke

One aspect of career management has much in common with the concepts of basic branding and advertising. You need to find a way to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack, and then figure out how to manage the way you’re perceived. Just like any company, you need to create, build, and oversee your product’s brand - only in this case, you’re wearing all the hats. You’re the CEO, you’re the brand, you’re the head of marketing, and you’re the ad agency, too.

The first order of business is to identify your competitive advantage. What is it about you that sets you apart from the legions of other people with jobs similar to yours?

Once you’ve determined that unique selling proposition, the next step is to distill it into a concise sentence or two - your branding statement.

Now what?

Put your statement in a larger context - consider how you’re positioning and building your personal “brand.”

Consistency

Is your messaging consistent? This includes your print materials (cover letter, resume, thank you notes, general business correspondence), electronic communications (corporate bio, your employment history on professional networking sites, items you post online), what you say when you network, and so on. While you’re at it, Google your name and read through the results. Is what you see consistent with the personal brand you’re trying to establish?

Visibility

What are you doing to build your profile and promote your brand? This includes your efforts to increase your circle of contacts, increasing visibility by volunteering for high-profile projects, representing your company as a panelist at industry events, and leading initiatives for various trade associations. The more visible you are, the more inclined other people will be to talk about you - which lends to your credibility and further promotes your brand.

Style

Do you “look the part” - and “act the part?” However you’ve decided to position yourself, you need to make sure you’re perceived in a way that’s consistent with your message. Substance is king - but don’t forget about style along the way.

Think of yourself as an asset

You’re not someone else’s employee; you’re the “business owner” - of your career. What can you do to continue to add value to that asset?