The uncertainty of the job market is affecting everyone from junior-level planners up to individuals in senior management positions, and unfortunately, layoffs are occurring at all levels.
Being viewed as indispensable at work is a key to surviving in today’s job market. It’s a matter of continually making your contributions known to the decision-makers in your company or organization. You can’t assume that your co-workers, your manager or anyone in senior management knows about your contributions and achievements. The only way they’ll know is if you make yourself visible; make certain that people know about the impact you make and the value you bring to the organization or company where you currently work!
Strengths and Capabilities
Create a list of the skills and abilities where you excel. Determine which things you do make you the most capable person in the company or organization where you work. Look at your specific areas of responsibility. For example, ask yourself if you’re the most capable person to manage the organization’s annual user conference. Look at the skills and accomplishments you believe make you the most capable in this area. This type of information is what you must share with key decision-makers in your company or organization.
It’s also a good idea to examine this from another perspective. Think about how people perceive you in relation to your strengths and capabilities. If someone were to ask who the most capable person was to handle dealing with the annual user conference, would your name be top on that list?
Your Creativity
Especially during difficult economic times, it’s important for people to see you as a person who creates solutions that enhance and improve the company’s operations and its bottom line. Share these tangible examples of your creative solutions with senior management.
Your Knowledge Base
Assess your capabilities and identify areas where you have a special knowledge that is unique to your department or the company as a whole. Highlight, for example, if you designed a customized program that enhances the site selection software your department uses. Make it known that you created this program and that you have the expertise about how it works.
Your Achievements
It’s important to document your accomplishments and achievements. You need to remain visible and broadcast your successes and advertise your contributions. Provide tangible examples of your accomplishments and offer quantifiable examples of your achievements. It’s not enough to say that you helped increase attendance. For example, note that attendance increased by 45 percent at the regional conference because of the marketing strategy you created and implemented.
Document Your Contributions
It’s critical that you share your accomplishments, achievements and creative solutions with key individuals in your organization. There are numerous ways you can document this information.
• Write a short recap of each meeting or event, noting your key achievements, and forward it to your manager via e-mail. Send this synopsis after each event you manage.
• Create a monthly report about your accomplishments and achievements. Think of it as your personal newsletter. Distribute this information to your immediate supervisor and others in senior management.
• Submit a short piece in the employee newsletter noting the success of a particular meeting or event. Be sure to highlight if you’re the manager of the department or if you’re the lead planner for the meeting.
Lend a Hand
Operating as a team player is another key to being an indispensable employee. You’re someone who offers support to others in the department and helps keep morale high. Reliability is also important because you want others to rely on you. Being efficient confirms that you’re someone who helps save money.
Expand Your Horizons
If your whole department is in jeopardy of disappearing, explore whether your skills might be of value to other departments within your organization. Put together a proposal that highlights how this new department will benefit from your strengths and capabilities, your accomplishments and achievements, and your ability to offer creative solutions to problems.
No one is a better champion of your achievements and contributions than you. Don’t be afraid to be your best advocate and PR person.
