Reality Bites

Trying to leave a bum job when the market is tanking

I’ve read a few articles lately that talk about how companies are seeing an increase in the retention of employees because of the current job market since there is less available. I’ve worked with many on their career plans and want to stall because they cannot easily get the opportunity they sought. The key is you cannot let the job market stall your progress toward your career plan (even with it this bad). Here are three ways to better position yourself during a downturn in the job market.

Sometimes we get too focused on the title we have in a position. If you cannot get the new job in a full time role seek out a short term assignment or a special project. Regardless of the job I’ve held (and I’ve had many) there always seems to be some extra work that nobody in the group is willing to tackle. It’s not always pretty, but there is a lot to be gained from stepping up and helping the team with a needed task beyond your work scope. If you want something beyond your work group, consider asking your manager about a short term assignment. All the layoffs have created situations where fewer people are doing the same amount of work. Both of these will allow you to gain experience and exposure at time when others may be sitting idle in their current roles.

Ideally we get paid for the work we do, but as I stress in each of my workshops on career planning, the best opportunities come with volunteer work. These can be internal or external to the company. Even during the current job climate I still see plenty of opportunities for which one can volunteer. Often these types of position offer immediate responsibilities. You can gain leadership experience, financial planning or even engineering experience. I urge others that 80% of our development needs to applied. I gained most of my early leadership experience in roles such as student body vice president, leading the expansion of Boeing’s new hire group (Reach) or by creating my own adventure group (Papy’s Adventures). One year my manager increased my performance rating strictly due to my volunteer work within the company.

If you feel like the suggestions thus far is distracting you from what it is you desire, you’re missing a key concept. The benefit of all these opportunities is what you gain in transferable skills. When I interviewed for my first internal transfer within Boeing I was asked for examples of times when I was a team player and I spoke about being a Resident Advisor, an example not even within Engineering. You need to spend time thinking creatively on how what you’re doing now relates to the job you hope to have. My favorite transferable skill was my role as company representative during the summer games (a competition between LA aerospace companies) as experience for coordinating large scale events with many people and complex schedules. The experienced helped me in getting a job as a college recruiter after three years in operations.

Regardless of the current environment there is an opportunity. Some may require you to be more creative. The question you have to answer is how bad do you want to get the next job? It’s not always a matter of being qualified; sometimes it comes down to being the best candidate.