True job security means much more than just surviving in your current job. It means having a reliable paycheck, an appreciative boss, and a raise at review time. In addition, it means having a strong resume that can get you a new job quickly (just in case you need one).
Fortunately, you can achieve all of the above while you”re still employed… by focusing on just one, vitally important approach to job success.
To fully appreciate this approach, consider the situation of people who are seeking a job, perhaps one just like yours. Job seekers quickly discover, as they write their resumes and speak with employers, that they are always faced with the same question: “What are your accomplishments?” To answer, they can only look backwards to their previous positions.
People who already have jobs, on the other hand, are in a strikingly similar, but potentially much more powerful position. In their day-to-day work as well as their annual reviews, employers evaluate them on the basis of the exact same question as the job seeker: “What have you accomplished?”
The important difference: those with jobs have an ongoing opportunity to create a strong answer. In other words, they can choose, plan, and carry out accomplishments NOW, while their resume is still a work-in-progress. Doing so is the single most important thing that can put them on the path to job security and success.
To be successful and secure in your own job, take the following five steps that will shift your focus toward creating accomplishments.
1. Put Yourself in Your Employer”s Shoes. Just as job seekers need a strategy to get the positions they want, job keepers need a strategy to be successful in the jobs they have.
The first step in developing a winning strategy is to evaluate yourself and your position from the employer”s perspective. What does your boss want and need you to achieve? What accomplishments will be noticed and appreciated by the people in your company?
Remember that you have a distinct advantage over job seekers: namely, direct access to the people in your company. It”s an excellent idea to meet regularly with your supervisors to ask questions, get feedback, and report on your work.
2. Build On Your Strengths and Skills. There are two parts to the strategy equation: first, knowing what your employer wants, and second, knowing how you are uniquely qualified to deliver.
To fill in the second part of the equation, consider your past and present performance on the job. What have you done that you look back on with satisfaction, and what strengths and skills did those things require? What aspects of your job are you most confident about, and why? What are you doing when you feel most engaged in your work? Write down specific answers to these questions (which also provide excellent material for your resume).
In addition to the strengths and skills you already have, are there others that would help you to excel in your job? If so, now is the time to sign up for an evening class or take other steps to acquire them.
3. Identify a Goal and Have a Plan of Action. Once you have assembled both sides of the strategy equation, you”re ready to “solve for x.”
Choose a goal that your employer will appreciate, that builds on your strengths and skills, and that can be defined in terms of specific and (when possible) quantifiable results. Then create a plan for accomplishing it that includes action steps and a time frame.
Make sure that your plan fits into your daily work schedule and won”t displace other things that your boss expects of you.
4. Track Your Results and Keep Records of What You Accomplish. A common mistake in the working world is to assume that you and others will remember exactly what you accomplish. In fact, the details can be difficult to reconstruct later on when you are preparing for a review or updating your resume.
Did you achieve a sales goal? Write down the specifics of what, when, and how much, and include any pertinent information about new customers, increases over time, and so forth. Did you finish a project? Write down the benefits achieved, the deadlines met, special problems resolved, and any savings in time or money.
In short, keep ongoing records as if your resume were being created and added to on a daily basis. These records will be invaluable when you sit down for a review with your boss, seek a raise or promotion, or become a job seeker.
5. Be Your Own Advocate. Accomplishments will do little to enhance job success and security if nobody else knows about them.
Even if you are initially uncomfortable with the idea, find ways to make your accomplishments known. In meetings with your supervisors and others, point to your accomplishments at appropriate moments, putting them in the context of the goals you share with your group.
In addition, when the time comes for your review, prepare ahead of time in much the same way that you would prepare for a job interview. You should know your supervisor”s primary concerns, and the aspects of your work that are directly related to them.
Most importantly, be prepared to talk about your accomplishments in detail and with enthusiasm… you”ve earned the opportunity to speak with pride on your behalf.
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