Are You Prepared for the Next Time?
Curt Skene’s In2Win! Career Coaching Supplement.
In today’s world of high activity and rapid change no one, including you, should ever assume a current job will last forever. As you may now realize the best time to prepare for transition is while you are still gainfully employed. As of today commit to being proactive and setting yourself up for future success. Document all of the lessons you have learned during this time and make sure you continue to apply them in your life.
As the world evolves so must you. Invest in continuing education and make timely decisions as to where you need to reposition your skill set and experience. Spend time each week strengthening your professional network as well as finding new ways to enhance and communicate your professional brand. Your network, reputation and skills are the lifeline elements you must never ever ignore.
Never forget the path you’ve taken and remember to thank all who helped you along your journey. Prepare to welcome those who now need you because you know better than most what being in transition feels like and how much you could have used a friend. From this day forward document every success you achieve and be prepared to market it in the future. If you don’t have many, take a good hard look as to why not and commit to creating your brilliance.
Finally, never forget you are In2Win! Life sure gets better when you learn to live spectacularly.
Prepare for career disruption while things are going well, not after the need becomes urgent.
Why I Wrote This Page
Because the best time to prepare for the next transition is while you still have a job, and almost no one does it, which is exactly why the Keeper on this page lands so hard.
Most people treat their network, their brand, and their skills as emergency resources, things to activate only once a crisis hits. Treating them instead as an ongoing asset you maintain, the way you’d maintain your fitness, means the next transition, if it ever comes, starts from a position of strength instead of from zero. The gap between those two starting points is enormous, and it’s entirely a function of what you did while things were going well.
This page isn’t really about this search. It’s about making sure you never have to relearn everything from scratch again.
Action Steps
- Once you’re re-employed, keep at least one recurring networking touchpoint a month, don’t let the relationships go quiet just because you’re not searching.
- Document what worked in this search while it’s fresh, so future-you doesn’t have to rediscover it under pressure.
- Revisit your resume and online profile twice a year, even when you’re not looking, so they’re never stale if you suddenly need them.
In2Win! Afterthought
Curt’s current observations and updated guidance will be added here.
Suggested Reading Links
The Learning Library contains hundreds of books on a variety of business and career topics. We want to make sure you don’t miss these ones.
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