Even if you are completely satisfied with your job today, you still need career planning. Career planning does not mean looking for other jobs. Career planning means maximizing your current job and setting the foundation to springboard into better opportunities both externally and internally. Proactive career planners develop and grow their skills, network, and personal foundation.
I actually like my job but given the current market I want to stay marketable without interviewing for other jobs. What can I do?
Even if you are completely satisfied with your job today, you still need career planning. Career planning does not mean looking for other jobs. Career planning means maximizing your current job and setting the foundation to springboard into better opportunities both externally and internally. Proactive career planners develop and grow their skills, network, and personal foundation.
Increase your added value. Know what specifically 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 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 career plan.
Strengthen your foundation. You may love your job, but you should not need it. Confidence attracts. Desperation repels. You may need a job, but you shouldn’t need this job if you have:
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.
