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It's not an exaggeration to say that today's world of work looks and feels nothing like yesteryear's.
These days, almost no one works for one company for 25 or 30 years and retires with a gold watch. The only constant in the modern world of work is change: changing economic conditions, changing company structures and ownerships, and, in the case of workers, changing attitudes toward work and careers.
If you're one of the millions of people trying to keep up with it all, there's a new truth you just can't deny or ignore: You've got to watch out for yourself and your own career, because the company you work for (right now, that is) isn't going to, especially when times are tough.
So to survive and thrive in today's world of work, you need to manage your own career development. Here are some strategies to help you do just that:
Become a Lifelong Learner
The skills you have today may be irrelevant tomorrow, and the skills you'll need tomorrow may not even be on people's radar screens today.
So for your own benefit, commit to continually learning new skills. Take courses at your local college or through a nearby community education program. Read periodicals that relate to your industry and similar industries. Attend conferences and other special events to keep up on trends and developments in your field and to talk to colleagues who can tell you about other professional growth opportunities. Volunteer outside your field to develop your interests and build your skills beyond your current industry.
Develop a Network Now
It's easy to fall into the trap of "doing your own thing" and not building relationships with people in and outside your field. But then, if you happen to lose your job, you don't have a network of colleagues and acquaintances who can help you find your next position.
So start developing your network now. Join the local chapter of a professional association in your industry, and start attending its meetings so you will get to know colleagues in other organizations. Take an hour each month and invite an associate from another company out for coffee so you'll learn about his work and he'll learn about yours. Participate in industry-specific Internet discussion groups. Become known to people now so you can turn to them for career-related help later.
Document Your Successes
Everybody's got a resume. But rarely do people have solid evidence to back up the claims they make on their resumes. Everyone goes through performance reviews as well. But rarely do people get to really show what they've accomplished over the course of, say, a year.
You can be one of the few people who avoids these potential problems by committing to documenting your successes -- as you have them, and not months or even years after the fact. If your supervisor tells you what a great job you did on a project, ask him to write you a brief note saying so. If the fund-raising effort you led surpassed everyone's expectations, be sure to take some photos of the larger-than-life check that was displayed at the celebration party -- preferably with you holding on to it.
The more evidence you gather, the more you'll be able to show colleagues and employers what you've accomplished.
Try Consulting
If you've ever thought about consulting work away from your regular job, now is a good time to do it. Here are some possible benefits:
- You'll get a taste of what it's like to work by and for yourself.
- You'll develop a Plan B job/career that you'll be able to turn to if you leave your current position.
- You'll gain new entrepreneurial skills that you can bring to your current job. These could include marketing skills, product-development skills, planning skills and financial/budgeting skills.
We've entered a new world of work, one that will allow (or force, depending on your viewpoint) you to become your own boss whether you're literally self-employed or not. As William Bridges noted in Creating You & Co., "[Y]ou'll be running your career as a business."
Will your business fail or thrive?
