Last week I was interviewed by Richmond Times Dispatch’s John Reid Blackwell for Monday’s front-page Labor Day special, “Area Residents Talk about Job-Market Experiences.” The website includes audio clips – who knew newspapers did that?
Are you a business person who might be laid off or an entrepreneur who may need to shut down their operations at some point? (Note: this includes everyone in business. Yes, you!) If so, in addition to reading this article, you should focus on these things.
- Connectivity: Get connected now, and stay that way. Poor grammar or not, Networking is Where it’s At. You already know that. But what if you don’t have time to network? Try networking breakfasts. University of Richmond’s August SCS Alumni Breakfast Forum was where I unexpectedly met John Reid Blackwell. Our brief conversation resulted in my being part of this article. Most importantly, remember that networking is not about knowing what you need from others: it’s about building relationships.
- Goalitivity: Ensure your career goals are crisp. Your current role does not align with that goal? Even better. Use this time now to determine what components of your current role will help you learn something to prepare that career goal, and focus on that daily. If the answer is that your current role does not help at all, then do not pass go, do not collect $200: be proactive about making the shift, before someone else makes it for you.
- Dreamitivity: Know what you would like your next role to be. Go onto Monster.com or SnagaJob.com (for hourly jobs, headquartered here in Richmond) and collect 3 or 4 role descriptions that are close to matching your dream role. Slice ‘em and dice ‘em together and voila!—your dream position awaits. Want to start a business? Collect the names of a dozen websites of other businesses similar to what you would like to do. Slice ‘em and dice ‘em and…you get the picture. It all starts with a dream.
Don’t forget – you are not, nor will you be, a victim. You are in control of your career.
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