If you thought companies were downsizing, being bought out and closing left and right during the recession, well it’s sad to say, but nothing has really changed since then. Sure, more jobs have opened up, but company bankruptcies and the mergers and acquisitions are unprecedented these days! Westinghouse, RadioShack and hundreds of retailers have entered the blood bath within the past three years with mergers and acquisitions. Think Time Warner and AT&T, Microsoft and LinkedIn, Pfizer and Allergen… wait that one didn’t go through. Who knows what they’re up to though to get around those tax laws.
Since 2005, when our telecom company started selling off divisions (or it might have been before then), I’ve seen former coworkers (and clients too) go through revolving doors with layoffs, but I’ve also seen quite a few survive the chopping block and stay with their companies for 10 years or more! Those who didn’t merged right into a similar or advanced role with ease. Okay, this is how they do it and you can too.
Be a Leader . Those who always need direction are some of the first to go during a downsize or layoff. You don’t have be bossy, but speak up during meetings and offer something of value. Don’t wait to be asked to take on special projects. Volunteer if you think you’re the best one for the job. See a problem? Fix it! Senior management loves problem solvers. Show that you can adapt to change and that you can lead your team in change as well. You will be noticed.
Toot Your Own Horn . When I’m asking my clients for accomplishments during a consultation, some tell me they are just not good at this. I say well you better start or you’ll get left behind! Now, I don’t mean outright bragging and walking around boasting that you’ve saved the world, but you can subtly tell how you’ve leaped tall buildings in a single bound by keeping a record of everything you’ve done for your department or company as a whole. I’m talking things that delivered results like saved the company money, increased efficiency, reduced down time or anything that improved the culture. I learned this back when we were required to do self-assessments and appraisals for our own performance review. Many companies are doing this today, but back in the early 2000s this was very new to us. Being in IT, this was difficult at first, but the more I thought about it the easier it got. I developed a flow chart for our department, was instrumental in improving our ACH time, successfully performed troubleshooting remotely when on-call without having to go in to the department, and so on. Before I knew it, I had a whole list of accomplishments that helped our team. My manager agreed, and combined with his assessment I got a nice raise! Not only that, prior to the layoffs I had a choice to move with the department if I wanted to.
Develop Your Language Skills . Do you know Spanish, but haven’t used it in a while? Brush up! Learn Chinese in your spare time. With companies going more global these days being bi-lingual certainly doesn’t hurt. I remember we had about 3 Spanish speaking coworkers in my department of about 60. Those people got paid 15% to 25% more than everyone else. Plus, I know two of them who went on to other departments when company layoffs started happening. In fact, those same two have never been laid off that I know of. If they have, it must have been for a very short stint. In any case, it’s helped me too in doing business with our Miami clients. Although I’m not fluent, not only has learning Spanish helped in conversing, it’s helped me in understanding the Latin market. Specifically, banking, investments and manufacturing. You can do the same even if you just learn conversational Spanish. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, French may be the better choice. Whatever will help in securing potential clients, or in working with suppliers learn it!
Build Relationships with management, clients, vendors and so on. If the company completely shuts down, or they simply decided to bring all of their own employees after an acquisition, well there’s nothing you can do about that. However, if you’ve been building and maintaining relationships all along, they may remember you and either bring you along with them to the next company, their current one or give you a great recommendation. I have clients and friends who do just that. They don’t have to go through the arduous task of searching for another job, which most times is a job in and of itself. They move on to the next company with ease because during that relationship building, they built up a reputation for being the best at what they do.
Don’t Wait! Now this one is my last and most important tip of all. Polish up that resume! Update it at least every three to six months. Keep up with the latest trends in your field. Learn new technology and get those certifications. Join LinkedIn and network when you don’t need a job. Don’t wait until it’s publicly announced that a layoff or company buyout is about to take place. Most of the time you hear it through the grapevine at least a year or two prior. Start preparing then. Always be ready for better opportunities regardless of what’s going on in your company.
We all know there’s no surefire way to avoid being laid off, but you can at least prolong it or make your transition smoother. Remember, you are still in control of some things… like your career. Hope these tips help. Got questions? Just email us at info@blueprintresumes.com