Five ways to be in charge of your career

No job is 100% safe. Some industries are more recession-proof than others, but this recession has cut swathes through public and private sectors alike. From the boardroom to the factory floor, from offices to showrooms, none of us know when or where the axe is next going to fall. News reports telling us about green shoots of recovery or initiatives to ease youth and graduate unemployment don’t mean much when we’re facing forced pay cuts or lay-offs.

Most would agree that the old “jobs for life” attitude is no longer based in reality, and that the “psychological contract” between employer and employee is changing. Neil Conway from the School of Management and Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College, London says in the Guardian, “The explicit deal, the one that says I’ll work X number of hours for you each week and you’ll pay me Y number of pounds, is underpinned by a kind of implicit deal in which the employee also expects job security, respect, career opportunities, that kind of thing. Job insecurity makes people examine that a lot more closely.”

But some people have always taken charge of their own careers, rather than expecting an employer to take on that responsibility. Those who for one reason or another have never really fit into a conventional corporate environment, have needed certain attributes to succeed – even in times of recession.

Here are some of these attributes, which are as useful for job seekers as they are for the self-employed.

1. Differentiate yourself from others
It’s only when you work out what makes you special – a star performer – that you can hope to pitch yourself to a prospective employer. You need to know how your background or your blend of skills and experience make you valuable. What can you do to solve company problems or make positive changes?

When you start analysing your strengths, it helps to think about what you’re good at doing – really good at doing. Can you speak another language fluently? Can you develop for the i-phone? Finding your niche, or being a big fish in a small pond is one way to ensure you’ll always be in demand somewhere.

2. Use your contacts
Contacts are the lifeblood of freelancers. Happy clients pass on the freelancer’s name to their contacts, and these referrals bring extra business. The greater the number of clients, the more recession-proof a freelancer or independent contractor becomes.

Having a network of contacts is just as important for job seekers. The more you have, the greater your reach. Your contacts can help you get an “in” to a company, and help you find out about opportunities before they’re advertised – saving the company time and money if you’re a good fit for the role.

Whether formalised as employee referral programmes, or as informal as word of mouth recommendations, personal contacts work for both employer and candidate. Being in the right place at the right time becomes less a question of luck when you know people who are in a position to help you. Social networking tools – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and forums etc – now make it much easier to develop and stay in touch with your contacts, to tell people you’re looking for openings, and to pass on leads to others.

3. Resourcefulness
If you’re graduating this summer, the future might be looking bleak. With huge competition for jobs, not having any real experience is a serious obstacle. Work placements aren’t always paid, and not everyone can afford to work for free. Getting your foot on the first rung of the career ladder has never been easy, but apart from internships, paid or otherwise, there are other options.

If you’ve exhausted your network of contacts, and those of friends, family or colleagues, start listening to people around you. Is there a need you can fill in your community of neighbours and local businesses? Can you provide a service, or produce something of value to people around you? Can you work on a project which will use your skills and get you the experience you need for your chosen career?

If you can set something up from scratch and fill a gap in the market, your initiative pays off. It may lead you to another similar project, or it may be the experience you need – the missing element in a job application.

4. Be flexible
Not every job is going to be a stepping stone in your career. Some jobs are fillers to help pay the bills, while others you do because you’re waiting for a better one to come along. That’s not to say they aren’t valuable in their own right. If you learn something, it can generally be put to good use on your resume /CV. But because many projects and jobs lead on to others, it pays to take opportunities as they arise. Accept temporary or part-time work, maternity leave cover etc, just to get an “in”. Once you become known inside a company and start building your reputation, you’ll be considered for internal vacancies and promotions.

5. Take 100% responsibility for yourself
Training budgets are often the first expense to go when a company cuts costs. But there are lots of cheap / free options to keep your skills and knowledge up to date. Get qualified – letters after your name can make the difference – and make sure you’re familiar with computer / internet technologies.

Developing your skills will give you a wider choice of jobs, but don’t neglect transferable skills that you can pick up in your personal life. Organising events, counselling, sitting on committees all help to beef up your portfolio.

Taking responsibility also involves being vigilant and protective of your reputation. Assume that companies will research you just as much as you research them. Your reputation is important, so make sure your image is clean – online as well as offline.

Photo credit: TOKY Branding and Design