Do you have staying power in your job?
It’s official: we’re in for a long roller-coaster ride on the job market. After an unexpected drop in unemployment numbers, the government has released new figures that found the number of people filing for unemployment rising once again last week, to 473,000–a gain of 31,000.
The hope, of course, had been that we’d seen the worst of this recession, and that job numbers would steadily improve. The new info means layoffs aren’t slowing as fast as we might have hoped, but it doesn’t change the general consensus that the job picture is improving. The four-week average for new jobless claims dropped by 1,500 to 467,500, and that’s among the best numbers we’ve seen throughout his whole recession (keep in mind, the total of jobs lost is now believed to be around 8.4 million since the end of 2007).
But it’s going to be a long haul. With that in mind, Caroline M.L. Potter over at Yahoo has written a great article about “Super Staying Power” in the workplace.
Sometimes our culture is so focused on upward mobility that we forget about the importance of holding on to the job we have. Naturally, getting the best information possible out there to jobseekers is important, since generally they’re under much more pressure to make a job situation work. It’s also important for human resource professionals to keep up with the latest on how to keep employees happy and maintain an efficient, productive workplace. Even in this job market, there are way too many talented people looking for the Next Best Thing for anyone to rest on their laurels.
But what about employees keeping their bosses happy? In times like these, that’s more important than ever. Job security is at a premium right now. Potter quotes Jason Seiden, author of “Super Staying Power: What You Need to Become Valuable and Resilient at Work,” and the most interesting thing about the top points addressed in her article is that they’re not necessarily the common-sense arguments one might expect. In fact, they’re practically counter-intuitive.
For instance, it might seem obvious that if someone is not exactly clear on his or her work goals, the best thing to do would be to seek as much clarity as possible. But maybe not. According to point number two, “Don’t ask for clarity”:
“Nobody seems to get enough feedback or direction these days, and if your workplace is in flux, as many are, you’ll probably get even less. Get over it, says Seiden. ‘When a worker asks for ‘all the details’ about a project, her boss is going to see a lack of critical thinking, a lack of being able to handle ambiguity.’ And, a lack of independence.
He urges professionals to create their own environments at work and resolve problems themselves, ‘whether your boss is a micromanager or not.'”
The other points addressed are “have confidence,” “use positive language” and “find passion where you are.” It’s all good advice, and in this shifting job market, a good reminder that staying focused on one’s present job situation can sometimes be priceless. Change is constant, and not always a bad thing by any means. But a strong showing in one’s current job performance can set up great things down the road.
Article by, Sarah and courtesy of RiseSmart.com – RiseSmart: Search Smarter. Rise Faster.
