CAREER PLANNING FOR THE CONTENT EMPLOYEE

January 11, 2010 on 5:21 pm | In career coaching | 2 Comments

If you are happy in your current job and have no plans to leave, then you might think career planning does not apply to you.  This is a common and serious mistake.  Circumstances change.  Your job might grow less fulfilling over time.  Your current environment might be negatively restructured.  You might be laid off.  Even if you are completely satisfied with your job today, you need to be proactive about maintaining this.  You need a career plan to maximize your happy situation.

Increase your added value.  Know what you add to your employer’s bottom line, and add more.  This means developing and adding skills, tackling challenging assignments, and increasing productivity.  Companies invest in R&D to innovate and create new products.  Include personal R&D in your 2010 career plan.

Maintain visibility.  It doesn’t help to do a great job if nobody knows about it.  Know the decision-makers of project assignments, promotions, raises and bonuses.  Know what projects are important to these decision-makers.  Get on these projects, and let these key people know what you are contributing.  Companies actively market their products; they do not assume customers will just know how great they are.  Include personal marketing in your 2010 career plan.

Strengthen your foundation.  You may love your job, but you should not need it.  Confidence attracts.  Desperation repels.  You may not be financially free, but you don’t necessarily need this current job if you have:  a ready network of contacts to help launch a job search; a clear value proposition and an updated resume to market it; a nest egg to support you; and friends and family for emotional support.  Include personal finance, personal development and personal relationships in your 2010 career plan.

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  1. Very succint reminder about the necessity to always plan the next move, even when being content, to avoid getting screwed when transitioning to not being content with the situation, or with layoffs and what not coming. I have a few questions for you that would be beneficial to clear up:

    1. Personal R&D is mentioned (btw, it should be 2010, not 2006 career plan). Does it include finding out new things I like and learning new things that may be useful for myself in any way in the future?
    2. When strengthening the foundation, I have realized many people are dependent upon their jobs to the point where they are slaves to them. While growing a network (like what you see a lot of young people are doing on BC network) is a great way to build leverage to the point where the employer would be in a worse position than I am if I’m let go, do you think starting a personal side venture that has nothing to do what I do on my day job would be another good way to strengthen my financial foundation to a point where I do not absolutely need to work in a particular job?

    Thanks in advance.

    Comment by Stanley Lee — March 7, 2010 #

  2. Stan, to point 1: spending time to know yourself better is essential and a very good use of time. To point 2: networking both inside your current industry, company and focus, as well as expanding your network to include a side business or something outside your immediate area are both critical. Whole industries, companies and areas can disappear or seriously restructure in an instant so it’s smart to diversify. If you have any other questions, why don’t you join one of my weekly small group calls on Monday’s at 9p ET. The first call is always complimentary http://tinyurl.com/sfs-gym-pass.

    Comment by Caroline — March 7, 2010 #

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