JRS Consulting Offers Five Tips on Bullet-Proofing Your Career

Consulting Firm Offers Tips on How Employees Can Withstand Recession & Become One of “The Invincibles”

CHICAGO--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Can layoffs and reorganizations be good for you?

“It’s an interesting question. While I believe that many of my interview respondents have innate Invincible qualities, it’s my mission to enable others to learn and adopt these characteristics.”

“Some employees respond very positively to extreme change,” according to Jennifer Schade, who as president of JRS Consulting has counseled management and interviewed more than 1,000 employees while guiding companies through turbulent change. “While interviewing employees, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon: certain employees are not only surviving the chaos, but thriving. I call this group, ‘The Invincibles,’ because they are essentially bullet-proofing their careers against the extreme changes experienced today in organizations worldwide.”

Following are five key essentials Schade recommends for bullet-proofing your own career, based on her 1,000 interviews.

• Do some soul searching -- do you still want to be in your field? Many industries have changed dramatically in recent years, including journalism, communications, and the automotive and financial areas. Changing skill sets are a reality for all workers. The Invincibles that Schade interviewed were committed to their industries and willing to adapt their talents to the changing marketplace.
• Identify your true value. Whether you’re meeting with your boss or a prospective employer, you should be able to articulate how you contribute to organizational success. For example, don’t identify yourself as managing online communications. Instead, describe yourself as enabling everyone to feel like they can talk with the CEO.
• Stop thinking of yourself as an employee and start marketing yourself as an expert who adds value. This is a complete change of mindset from even five years ago. The days of job security as an employee are over. Much like independent consultants, employees need to promote themselves in order to advance within an organization or attract new opportunities.
• Understand your customers’ business situation. Even if you and your customers both work for the same company, it’s critical that you understand their business objectives and challenges. Invincibles know to analyze their customers’ business situation so they can identify the most effective way to add value. In other words, it’s not about you, it’s about your customers’ business needs.
• Step out of your comfort zone. Invincibles are experiential risk takers. They seek out prudent risks and, by doing so, increase their experience base. For example, a communications department manager offered to help her organization’s IT department with its informational materials. When her employer laid off 10% of its workforce, she was recruited to a new position as an IT communications manager.

“I’ve been asked whether Invincibles are born that way, or if one can learn to be one of ‘The Invincibles,’” notes Schade. “It’s an interesting question. While I believe that many of my interview respondents have innate Invincible qualities, it’s my mission to enable others to learn and adopt these characteristics.”

Jenny Schade is president of JRS Consulting, Inc., a firm that helps organizations build leading brands and efficiently attract and motivate employees and customers. Get free tips from the JRS newsletter at http://www.jrsconsulting.net/newsletter.html