January 2010
Times are Changing
When I got my sales job with AT&T in 1982 my father told me I was set for life. His generation really admired Ma Bell as AT&T was called. Having lived through the Depression job security was very important to my father. I was pleased my father was happy for me but I wasn't quite sure I wanted a "life sentence".
Maybe a whole new generation of people today will be looking for that same job security based on the recessions we have been through in the last 10 years. Unfortunately it may be hard to find.
Business Week's January 7th Cover Story was entitled The Disposable Worker. Many unemployed people are now taking short term assignments through Temp agencies and Business Week says that may be the new way of working. You can read the article here: http://tiny.cc/E0BLw
My clients who are hiring these days are finding that they can get really good qualified people who are happy to work a few hours a day or a week. It is a great way for an attorney to put on staff when he/she is busy but not confident that the economy has really turned the corner so that flow of business will continue.
For the unemployed even a few hours work helps their financial situation. Sometimes a temporary job can work into more and more hours until it actually gets to full time. Others get a few part time jobs and together make a full time salary or close to it. At the very least temporary work gives a job candidate something to talk about at an interview.
Will this be the way of work from now on? Business Week says it will be for 5 to 10 years. I think it could be longer than that. From a businesses owners perspective he/she gets a "just in time" employee which is very cost effective. The employee gets a more flexible schedule which for many may be better than working 24 by 7.
So how do you prepare for working this way? First you need to understand that if you have multiple part time jobs you are in essence running your own business. To stay employed you'll need to build relationships, create your brand and promote yourself in exactly the same way as a business owner does because that is what you are. As one temporary assignment ends you will want to replace it with another. By building solid business relationships you will be able to tap those relationships to uncover new opportunities.
Another way to be prepared is to watch trends in the work world and in your industry. What are the new skills and ideas that are becoming important? One way to find work more easily is to be proficient at a skill that is in demand. Learning it before it becomes mainstream will make you attractive to employers. You need to keep your ears open for that next competitive edge.
It isn't enough to just know about the trends in the industry. You need to understand their impact on your customers/clients. To do this you must seek out the thought leaders in your industry and learn from them. They can help you to predict future needs and methods to satisfy those needs. The next step is to use the information in a way that attracts new business.
When my father mentioned "job security" to me I thought it sounded rather boring - staying at one job for years. In the end I had 3 different jobs within the same company. I stayed at AT&T for 15 years and did buy into job security.
Times are different. Very few people will stay at one company for 15 years. Today you'll need resilience to continually look for that next step. It could be in the company you work for, it could be in several companies or it could be in your own company. The security comes from you and the value you bring to the workplace and not from the company you work for.
Take Action:
- I wrote about this topic in 2001. If you are interested in reading what I wrote then, I have 2 articles, one entitled Plan B which concerns how to prepare for your next job and the other entitled Your Career is Your Business and forecasts the approach of a world of free agents.
- If you are currently employed, think about your plan B (next move within your industry) and/or plan C ( moving to your own business)
- If you are unemployed and discouraged, it may be time to think about a career change. Here is an article that may be helpful http://tinyurl.com/y88ov68
- If changing careers seems daunting because you are not sure what you want to do, I offer the Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction. My clients have come from many different occupations and have usually tried many ways to figure out what they wanted to do next before they did the Now What? Process. This is the one program that resulted in their finding a new career with many options that excited them and gave them the satisfaction of knowing they were on the right path. A class can be more cost effective than one on one coaching. Please email if you are interested in a class or one on one coaching. (asparker@asparker.com)