Whether it’s officially called a recession or not, the fact is that as of the beginning of September 2008 the U.S. economy has lost 605,000 jobs, which includes eight straight months of job losses. In August alone, unemployment had risen to a five-year high of 6.1 percent. The daily news continues to offer more bad news: The U.S. Government asked Congress for a $750 billion bailout for the financial crisis occurring on Wall Street; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. acquired Washington Mutual but left WaMu’s shareholders empty-handed; HSBC eliminated 1,100 jobs; and Schering-Plough Corporation eliminated 1,000 sales jobs (20 percent of its sales force) in October 2008.
In such uncertain times, it’s important to stay a step ahead of the dreaded “pink slip.” Here are a few things you can do to help insure that you’re in a ready state in case you get “The Slip”:
Resume Readiness
Unless you recently took a new job, it’s likely that your resume is a bit outdated. Even if it’s been five years since you updated your resume, the first thing to do is make a copy of it on a flash drive or CD-ROM. Whichever method you use, make sure that you keep it in your possession. If you suddenly receive word that your job is eliminated, it’s likely that you’ll be restricted to removing only personal items.
Step two is to sit down and make a list of your achievements and accomplishments at your current job. Make sure you include things you’ve done that are quantifiable, such as increases in revenue and steps taken to reduce expenses. Be sure to note your involvement in strategic planning and meeting management.
Employers like to know about the specific types of meetings and events you’ve managed or helped to coordinate. Be sure to list the following information about the meetings, conferences, trade shows, training seminars and incentive programs you been involved with: 1.) Number of attendees; 2.) Frequency of the programs, i.e., did they occur annually, monthly, or were they a road show that happened over a number of months; 3.) Location: Were these programs held in domestic and/or international destinations? (Make sure to record the different countries in which you’ve managed programs.); and 4.) The level of the participants. Were these meetings and events for senior management, midlevel managers or, say, physicians?
Visual Documentation
Whether you personally designed a marketing piece or not, it’s helpful to have a visual record of the meetings and events you managed. Collect copies of the marketing material from these programs and keep them in a folder in your briefcase or take them home.
Professional Contacts
About two years ago, my financial adviser, Norman, experienced having his job abruptly eliminated. He’d been working for TD Waterhouse, and shortly after it merged with Ameritrade, many of the TD Waterhouse employees received their “pink slips.” Unfortunately, a majority of the people Norman worked with maintained their client list on a Rolodex, which they could not take with them. Norman, on the other hand, had the foresight to maintain a list of his clients on a CD-ROM that he kept in his briefcase, so he was able to contact his former clients once he’d established himself in a new job.
Networking
One of the complaints meeting planners frequently have is that their workload makes it difficult for them to participate in professional association educational events or to attend other industry functions. While it’s true that the contacts mentioned previously are important to continue to cultivate, it’s equally important that you make face-to-face contact.
People have shared numerous stories with me about job opportunities they received because of a meeting with an old contact. For example, Susan ran into an old friend who happens to work for an organization that deals with CEOs. A few days after telling her friend that she was out of work, Susan received a phone call from a CEO who was seeking an administrative assistant/meeting planner. A year later, she’s planning training meetings and board retreats along with her other responsibilities.
You are your best advocate, so don’t be afraid to let people know about the type of position you’re seeking. It’s not what you know, but who you know that gets you in the door.
Whether you anticipate receiving a “pink slip” or not, be proactive when it comes to your career.
