How To Keep Your Job
ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE — There was a time, not that long ago, when a job was for life. A new employee knew that if they did what was asked, they could enjoy a long and stable career.
Reader poll: How many of you reading this article have been working at your current place of employment for more than five years? More than three years? More than one year?
I think you get my point. Most of us are changing jobs much more frequently than our parents did. And employers are also eliminating positions in ways that were simply not done in previous generations because of pressures from Wall Street (or investors at private companies) and the prospects of a weaker sales pipeline.
I could wax poetic about the personal and socio-economic ramifications of right-sizing on ourselves, our country and our society, but I’d rather provide some tips from the trenches given the current economic climate.
Though I personally believe that this downturn will hurt online advertising less than the downturn of 2000-2002, it never hurts to be prepared (and I might be wrong).
1. Think Macro, not Micro – I know you’re the best (insert profession) in the world, but in a tough economic climate, that’s not good enough. More important, that’s the wrong way to look at yourself. It’s not good enough to be the best if it doesn’t help increase revenue (or in some jobs, reduce expenses) for your company. You need to come up with ideas that you can personally implement in order to impact your company’s bottom line.
Even junior employees can increase company revenue by tapping into alumni networks to try and generate new business, or by learning a new skill set during their spare time that will increase company revenue.
2. What have you done in the last 90 days to increase company revenue? – you could say that this point is the ‘extra-strength’ version of the previous point (and it is). It’s great that you generated a new business lead last January, but that was years ago in dog years and in economic crises.
This point is particularly important to people working in marketing, which is usually considered an expense. Even marketing people can tap into their industry connections to increase revenue (But I don’t have industry connections? Then read point #3.)
If your boss is asked to reduce head count, he or she will look for the people are increasing company revenue in the present tense. And let’s face it, people have short term memories and forgot what someone did in the past. So you need to make sure that you’re generating revenue for your company now, and that your boss and your bosses bosses now that.
3. What can I do to increase revenue for my next employer in the first 90 days? – Unfortunately, sometimes even revenue-generating employees are terminated. And truth be told, it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s good to get a fresh start.
But in the current economic climate, a prospective candidate should be able to show during the job interview how they can generate revenue (or at least reduce expenses) during the first 90 days on the new job. Of course, job candidates must balance their desire to drive revenue with a sense of modesty in order to appeal to the interviewer.
And even if you managed to stay on the right side of right sizing, don’t assume that your future is guaranteed. Because more layoffs might be in your company’s future, make sure to develop a plan for generating future revenue for your company for the next 90 days.
Having changed jobs a couple of times in the last economic downturn, I learned the importance of showing revenue-generating value to an employer. Treating your job like your own small business and acting accordingly can go a long way to improving your job prospects at current and future employers.
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