Career Development in a Recession

Ryan Bortel of Corporate Psychologists sends me his e-newsletter.  The last one had a great article on this topic.  I couldn't find a link on his website for the article, so I've cut & pasted it below.  Enjoy!

Layoffs. Downsizing. Rightsizing. Whatever term you use, these are uncertain times for any employee. The headlines are heavy with doom and gloom statistics and warnings about an uncertain future. So what are ambitious and talented employees to do?  The answer coming from many employees has been "Keep your head down," "Don't attract attention," "Just do good work and the results will speak for themselves." While it seems natural to just hunker down and wait out the storm, our experience has shown that proactive career management and development is more important in times of economic uncertainty than ever. Now is the time for employees to be purposeful about managing their personal "brand." Results matter (thank goodness), but perception matters as well, particularly when decisions need to be made about who belongs in the leadership pipeline and who will help pull an organization through tough times. In Tom Peters' article "The Brand Called You," he states that an employee's most important job is to be "head marketer for the brand called you." Rather than hiding or waiting things out, Peters' article would suggest that now is the time to become more highly visible, even "famous" within an organization for being a source of unique value. Whether you are providing coaching to your own employees or are considering how to manage your own career, there are some simple suggestions that we have found to be valuable in building a better personal brand:  Volunteer for organization-wide projects or steering committees Join a local professional organization; take on an officer role. Host an event at your company's location Take a class focused on cutting edge technologies or solutions that you can bring back to the organization Teach a class within the organization or at a local business school Build your professional network through technology such as Linked In Seek feedback informally or through 360 degree feedback and take action based on what you hear Take risks by stepping outside of your comfort zone (e.g., lead a change initiative, speak publically, suggest an innovative solution and ask to lead the charge) Regardless of what you choose to take on in your efforts to build your personal brand, always make sure that you are a source of positive and constructive energy.  Make yourself known as someone who focuses on the possibilities and who is committed to furthering the goals of the organization rather than your own personal goals.  It is this type of person that not only survives but thrives in tough times.