There was a time when employees were rewarded for being with their employer for so long. Many people felt secure in their jobs and they didn’t worry about outside factors controlling their employment status. Things have changed though and in today’s work world, that same sense of job security is only a luxury for a few people.
Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., the author of “2011 Career Plan”, says that though workers can’t expect the kind of job security past generations have enjoyed during most of the preceding century, there are steps workers can take to protect themselves. They have to be vital to the business so it can’t let you go.
In order to help you implement this job-saving strategy, Shatkin offers the following advice:
Focus on the core mission of the business. There is usually a central mission that makes money and will determine if the business is going to succeed or fail, even though most businesses normally diversify and serve multiple functions. Identify the main function and be sure to play a role in it. Figure out what skills the business would need for future development of this function and have them.
Be exceptionally productive. This doesn’t mean that you have to work longer hours than normal. It means finding a task or role that you can do take on that goes beyond your job description.
Be visible. Find ways to make your accomplishments known to the boss. You could start an in-house Web page, newsletter or bulletin board showcasing the project you are working on and getting suggestions from people outside the project. This will get them to buy into the project and make your efforts look not purely self-promotional. If you work from home, find reasons to come into the office more or make lunch dates.
Acquire a mentor. Find someone who knows the business, ask a lot of questions, and make sure to be specific, like about how you can improve your work. Also, be helpful. Be sure you give public credit to the mentor for the advice that they give you.
Be pleasant. If there is someone in your workgroup that you really can’t get along with, try and be transferred to a different group where you will fit in better or learn to overcome your differences and work with them anyways. Backstabbing might seem like a quick way to get ahead but it will end up hurting you in the long run. Abrasiveness will get you noticed for the wrong reasons.
Becoming a vital part of the company will help to offer you some level of job security. If it would hurt the company to lose you, they will most likely do all that they can instead to keep you on board.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
