Career management in an unpredictable employment market requires proactive behavior. Don’t wait for the layoff notification, adopt these simple behaviors to failsafe your career against a layoff.
Tip #1 of 50: Career Management & Job Search tips for a potential recession
???? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????????????????????. I’ve helped over 10 people in the last month who were laid off and each time I was surprised/not surprised that they were unaware it could happen to them. After individually helping them launch their search, I’ve decided to share some of the ideas they found most helpful.
Take the time now to adopt the boy scout motto – be prepared.
Tip #2 of 50: Career Management & Job Search tips for a potential recession
With a layoff, computer access is turned off quickly, most commonly within 1 business day if not 1 hour. What happens when you can’t access your Outlook, Teams or Slack? How easy would it be for you to reach your [former] colleagues?
Exchange personal emails or cells with colleagues and clients including those from other teams and departments.
Otherwise, it feels like that paper in college that you just finished polishing, hadn’t backed up, and the computer ate. You can rebuild your “address book” after the fact, but it takes A LOT of time.
How to decide if it makes sense to exchange contact information? Would you be willing to respond to an email or text if they were laid off?
Tip # 3 of 50: Keep an electronic “brag book” updated with content that is accessible from a non-work computer.
???????????????? 1: Regularly update with content including:
➟performance reviews
➟dashboard and reports measuring performance (specific and trending OKRs, KPIs, quotas)
➟presentations you gave
➟awards you’ve received
➟images of products you’ve built or designed
➟gratitude emails/testimonials from clients and coworkers
➟certifications you’ve completed
???????????????? 2: Review content before a performance review or promotion conversation
???????????????? 3 Be sure to have access from your personal computer or cloud (remember work computer access is cut off almost immediately with a layoff)
Tip #4 of 50: Keep a log regularly responding to this prompt: ???????????????????? [???????????????? ????????????????] ???? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????…???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????…???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????????…
tl;dr Having a regular performance journal is a great starting point to build a resume and LinkedIn profile. You also have examples to use during interviews. The primary benefit is that it improves your performance thus lowering your risk of layoff and accelerating your professional growth. Interested in more context, read on.
For three years, I ran the Cristo Rey St. Martin Corporate Work Study Program. This innovative program places high school students in paid internships at companies including Deloitte, Discover, and AbbVie. When you’re leading a program that focuses on supporting people in their first jobs and the supervisors that are guiding them, you spend A LOT of time thinking about and researching performance management and talent development strategies.
During my first year, we switched the reflection prompt from “today I accomplished…” to the prompt listed above. We also switched the activity from optional to required. Over two years, we reduced terminations by over 50%, significantly increased the number of interns exceeding expectations on their bi-annual performance rating, and improved our annual contract renewal rates. Most importantly, the rate that the interns were “trusted” with complex and challenging work rapidly accelerated. Try it. Review your reflections with your boss in your 1:1s. It works.
Tip #5 of 50: The electronic file name for your resume should be “First Last resume”
Electronic document management is a skill necessary for ALL modern professional roles. Electronic file names should consider all stakeholders as well as the potential uses.
For a resume, stakeholders include:
➤ You (the candidate)
➤ Hiring Manager
➤ Interviewers
➤ Recruiter
Recently, I monitored the resumes forwarded to me. Only 45% included both the candidate’s name and the word “resume” in the electronic file name.
If you include a date, a company name, a job title, or a version number IN ADDITION to the word “resume” and your name, fine. Underscores between the words, sure.
Please help yourself by making it easy for the hiring team to use ???????????? ???? to find the document on their computer! You want it to be unbelievably easy for someone to share your resume throughout an organization, and that starts by making it easy to find the file, 5 minutes before an interview starts or 3 days after an interview occurs.
Tip #6 of 50: Personalize connection requests. 2 main reasons to consider.
???????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????:
Hiring Managers. Recruiters. Content Creators. They get LOTS of requests. If you personalize, they can DM you from the same screen on mobile in 1 click. No InMail required. I ???????????????????????????????????? personalizing increases the chances of a click ???????????????????????? rather than ????????????????????????.
???????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????:
You get a permanent record of why you wanted to connect (with date). Trying to remember who they are 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years later. Click ???????????????????????????? and your communication can be reviewed. Not interested in a 1:1 conversation. ???????????????????????? is the better choice.
Tips originally published on LinkedIn. Can’t wait for the next blog installment, follow Michelle Mehlis on LinkedIn to be up to date with the latest tips and ideas.
