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By MARIE KEENAN MANSHEIM
When managing their careers, the biggest mistake many professionals make is letting others make decisions for them. When this happens, you're handing your future over to someone else.
For instance, have you ever accepted a promotion just because it was offered? It's likely that you felt flattered and grateful to be offered a more important role and never thought about where this decision would lead your career down the road.
After five years with a Midwestern consulting firm, an environmental engineer slowly realized this was happening to him. Instead of assigning him to engineering projects he enjoyed, his firm was steering him into a marketing role, which didn't fit his career goals or technical background. He also found he had little time for his family and couldn't accomplish important personal goals.
He decided to take charge of his career even if it meant quitting the firm. First, he contacted peers and acquaintances at other firms to determine his marketability. He learned his environmental engineering skills were in great demand and decided to resign. But when he met with his manager, they worked out a win-win solution for him and the company. Because of the engineer's solid contributions and value, the firm agreed to give him a year off to finish his personal projects and to reassess his career.
At the end of the year, he returned to the company, but on different terms. He now works only on environmental engineering projects and has a flexible work schedule, which allows him more time for family priorities.
As the engineer discovered, career satisfaction comes from taking responsibility for your destiny. The days of working for one benevolent employer for a lifetime are over. Now, skills determine job security. If you have what employers need, you're assured of a continuous paycheck. You must view yourself as self-employed, even while working for others.
A Four-Step Process
When managing your career in this new environment, consider yourself as president of a one-person company, in charge of your future success, growth and survival. You're also the company's chief marketing executive, responsible for creatively packaging and creating a need for the company's flagship product - you. Applying the corporate marketing techniques that follow can help your career to flourish:
1. Define your product.
To create a desirable package for your product, you must determine why it's unique. What are your special skills and talents? What are you selling to potential employers? What makes you different from other products (candidates)? Is your product appropriately priced or do you need to make improvements (acquire more skills)?
"The marketing process has become so sophisticated that [you must] package yourself and your skills, abilities and talents to compete effectively in and out of your organization," says Louise Garver, a career counselor and owner of Career Directions in Enfield, Conn. Don't wait until you're unemployed to begin the process, she adds. "It's important to market yourself on a regular basis, not just when it becomes essential," says Ms. Garver.
It isn't easy to assess, then define, your skills. Don't take the easy way out and simply state your title or industry. You must identify specific skills that make you valuable in the workplace. For example, instead of describing yourself as a quality-control manager in the processed cheese industry, view yourself as a quality-control specialist with advanced analytical skills in microbiology. Similarly, saying that you're a tax accountant who can be effective in any industry is more impressive than being labeled an accountant for a small grocery-store chain.
After reviewing your skills, decide if they're adequate or if you need more training or education to remain competitive. Be honest. Is there a deficiency that's holding you back? Don't use lack of skills as a reason for not marketing yourself. Enroll now for internal courses at your current employer or at a local community college or continuing education program.
2. Determine your market.
Who are your target customers now and in the future and why would they buy your product? Without a clear understanding of your audience, you can't package yourself or create an effective marketing plan.
If you're employed, your target market can be internal, external or both. You don't have to leave a current employer to advance in your career. Moreover, marketing yourself internally is easier than external networking, which often means making "cold" calls to people you've never met, says Susan Britton Whitcomb, a professional resume writer in Fresno, Calif.
"With internal networking, you'll find that you already have a level of acceptance and camaraderie with follow employees since you're working toward shared goals," says Ms. Whitcomb, owner of Alpha Omega Resume Services.
3. Make a plan.
Good marketers create and follow a plan that includes a description of their target audience and how best to reach it. Create your own marketing plan, then follow through on the details. All your efforts and activities should support your goal, whether it's to become better known in your present industry or a different field.
Most professionals know the basics of job hunting. However, they don't understand how to continuously market themselves as a product. Marketing helps you to become known and visible to buyers. It requires making connections and staying in touch with a network of people.
It's a different process than job hunting and takes longer to pay off, but the rewards can exceed your expectations. The penalty for ignoring this career strategy is to be unnoticed when a career opportunity develops. When putting your plan into action, don't be shy about discussing your career goals. If contacts don't know what you need or want, they can't help.
4. Use effective marketing channels.
To gain visibility outside of your company, join professional, industry or community organizations. Don't be a passive member, though. Become active on committees, contribute to the newsletter and volunteer to organize programs. You'll make new contacts and stay abreast of trends that affect your career future.
Also become a relentless networker. Your best career "insurance" is knowing many people, from industry contacts and business acquaintances to friends at church or your gym.
Stay in touch with and be helpful to recruiters. Pass along names of professionals who might be suitable for available openings. Post your resume on Internet sites most appropriate for someone in your field and at your level. And, if you're interested in making a career change, consider moonlighting or volunteering temporarily in the new field or occupation.
A good way to market yourself internally is by volunteering for corporate committees, task forces or other intra-departmental projects made up of professionals from throughout the company. Choose assignments and make lateral moves that will expand your skill inventory. For instance, if your communication skills need work, volunteering to work alone on a small project isn't wise.
Think about every move before you make it to ensure that it meshes with your overall career goals. Constantly try to learn more about your business, gain visibility and improve your credentials. As president of your own company, you must decide what's best for your career and then find ways to achieve it. By taking these steps, you'll gain control of your career future by becoming more employable. You won't have to worry when rapid change and downsizing cause a temporary job loss.
Never allow others to make career choices for you. Take responsibility for the quality of your work and ownership of your career. You'll find that the work you put into your company pays valuable dividends.
When managing their careers, the biggest mistake many professionals make is letting others make decisions for them. When this happens, you're handing your future over to someone else.
For instance, have you ever accepted a promotion just because it was offered? It's likely that you felt flattered and grateful to be offered a more important role and never thought about where this decision would lead your career down the road.
After five years with a Midwestern consulting firm, an environmental engineer slowly realized this was happening to him. Instead of assigning him to engineering projects he enjoyed, his firm was steering him into a marketing role, which didn't fit his career goals or technical background. He also found he had little time for his family and couldn't accomplish important personal goals.
He decided to take charge of his career even if it meant quitting the firm. First, he contacted peers and acquaintances at other firms to determine his marketability. He learned his environmental engineering skills were in great demand and decided to resign. But when he met with his manager, they worked out a win-win solution for him and the company. Because of the engineer's solid contributions and value, the firm agreed to give him a year off to finish his personal projects and to reassess his career.
At the end of the year, he returned to the company, but on different terms. He now works only on environmental engineering projects and has a flexible work schedule, which allows him more time for family priorities.
As the engineer discovered, career satisfaction comes from taking responsibility for your destiny. The days of working for one benevolent employer for a lifetime are over. Now, skills determine job security. If you have what employers need, you're assured of a continuous paycheck. You must view yourself as self-employed, even while working for others.
A Four-Step Process
When managing your career in this new environment, consider yourself as president of a one-person company, in charge of your future success, growth and survival. You're also the company's chief marketing executive, responsible for creatively packaging and creating a need for the company's flagship product - you. Applying the corporate marketing techniques that follow can help your career to flourish:
1. Define your product.
To create a desirable package for your product, you must determine why it's unique. What are your special skills and talents? What are you selling to potential employers? What makes you different from other products (candidates)? Is your product appropriately priced or do you need to make improvements (acquire more skills)?
"The marketing process has become so sophisticated that [you must] package yourself and your skills, abilities and talents to compete effectively in and out of your organization," says Louise Garver, a career counselor and owner of Career Directions in Enfield, Conn. Don't wait until you're unemployed to begin the process, she adds. "It's important to market yourself on a regular basis, not just when it becomes essential," says Ms. Garver.
It isn't easy to assess, then define, your skills. Don't take the easy way out and simply state your title or industry. You must identify specific skills that make you valuable in the workplace. For example, instead of describing yourself as a quality-control manager in the processed cheese industry, view yourself as a quality-control specialist with advanced analytical skills in microbiology. Similarly, saying that you're a tax accountant who can be effective in any industry is more impressive than being labeled an accountant for a small grocery-store chain.
After reviewing your skills, decide if they're adequate or if you need more training or education to remain competitive. Be honest. Is there a deficiency that's holding you back? Don't use lack of skills as a reason for not marketing yourself. Enroll now for internal courses at your current employer or at a local community college or continuing education program.
2. Determine your market.
Who are your target customers now and in the future and why would they buy your product? Without a clear understanding of your audience, you can't package yourself or create an effective marketing plan.
If you're employed, your target market can be internal, external or both. You don't have to leave a current employer to advance in your career. Moreover, marketing yourself internally is easier than external networking, which often means making "cold" calls to people you've never met, says Susan Britton Whitcomb, a professional resume writer in Fresno, Calif.
"With internal networking, you'll find that you already have a level of acceptance and camaraderie with follow employees since you're working toward shared goals," says Ms. Whitcomb, owner of Alpha Omega Resume Services.
3. Make a plan.
Good marketers create and follow a plan that includes a description of their target audience and how best to reach it. Create your own marketing plan, then follow through on the details. All your efforts and activities should support your goal, whether it's to become better known in your present industry or a different field.
Most professionals know the basics of job hunting. However, they don't understand how to continuously market themselves as a product. Marketing helps you to become known and visible to buyers. It requires making connections and staying in touch with a network of people.
It's a different process than job hunting and takes longer to pay off, but the rewards can exceed your expectations. The penalty for ignoring this career strategy is to be unnoticed when a career opportunity develops. When putting your plan into action, don't be shy about discussing your career goals. If contacts don't know what you need or want, they can't help.
4. Use effective marketing channels.
To gain visibility outside of your company, join professional, industry or community organizations. Don't be a passive member, though. Become active on committees, contribute to the newsletter and volunteer to organize programs. You'll make new contacts and stay abreast of trends that affect your career future.
Also become a relentless networker. Your best career "insurance" is knowing many people, from industry contacts and business acquaintances to friends at church or your gym.
Stay in touch with and be helpful to recruiters. Pass along names of professionals who might be suitable for available openings. Post your resume on Internet sites most appropriate for someone in your field and at your level. And, if you're interested in making a career change, consider moonlighting or volunteering temporarily in the new field or occupation.
A good way to market yourself internally is by volunteering for corporate committees, task forces or other intra-departmental projects made up of professionals from throughout the company. Choose assignments and make lateral moves that will expand your skill inventory. For instance, if your communication skills need work, volunteering to work alone on a small project isn't wise.
Think about every move before you make it to ensure that it meshes with your overall career goals. Constantly try to learn more about your business, gain visibility and improve your credentials. As president of your own company, you must decide what's best for your career and then find ways to achieve it. By taking these steps, you'll gain control of your career future by becoming more employable. You won't have to worry when rapid change and downsizing cause a temporary job loss.
Never allow others to make career choices for you. Take responsibility for the quality of your work and ownership of your career. You'll find that the work you put into your company pays valuable dividends.