by Jason Alba
Career Transition Editor
That's It. It's Over.
2008 is over. We are getting a new president in the
Yesterday I read on cnn.com there were over 20,000 jobs lost... in one day. No big surprise, but it if you multiple that out by 4.5, assuming each job lost represents a spouse and 2.5 kids, that is 90,000 people intimately affected by the recession. Or, maybe it's just called "business as usual." Oh yeah, don't forget there are probably 20,000 moms and mother-in-laws who are also going to be affected by those job losses.
What did you do for your career in 2008? Can you share one significant thing you've done?
Did you further your education, in a big way? Not that that is a silver bullet, but for many it would help.
Did you grow your network, online and offline? When I first got laid off I sat down with someone who was helping me list names of my network contacts. It was hard to come up with 30 names (because I was prequalifying most).
Did you significantly nurture professional relationships? Amassing lists of names is not good enough, you need to really work on relationships.
Did you update your career credentials, including a proper resume, current reference letters, etc.? I wasted the first week... a full 40 hours, when I got laid off as I searched for and then rewrote my resume. I wish I had had something more current. And, there's no reason why you can't start collecting letters of recommendation now, and putting them into a "brag folder."
Did you do a personal inventory of your career abilities, and consider how your current credentials fit your career goals? Know someone who want to be a CEO but have no chance of making it? What do you want to achieve, and what do you need to do to get there?
Did you do anything to develop your professional brand? Starting a blog, developing a LinkedIn strategy... these are all things you should be doing to have a strong personal professional brand.
Did you start following more information sources (this newsletter, blogs, etc.) to keep your skills sharp? There are plenty out there... find a few and start to get some good paradigm shifts concerning your own career.
Did you resolve to be CEO of Me, Inc, and take your own career management seriously? I didn't care one bit about CEO of Me, Inc before I got let go. Then, I got booted out, voted off the island, and in a blog post I called it "kicked in the teeth." I recommend you be in charge of your own career, not HR.
I'm wondering how you did last year, but more important, go back to each of the questions above and ask yourself, what are you going to do in 2009? How will you answer these questions at the end of 2009? I know it can seem overwhelming, but approach it one step at a time, and over the year you'll make considerable progress!
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Jason Alba is the CEO and creator of JibberJobber.com, and author of “I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???” After a corporate downsizing impacted Jason in 2006, he experienced firsthand the difficulties of conducting a job search. Drawing on his extensive computer software and IT experience, Jason analyzed the job search process and developed JibberJobber.com, the gold standard in career management technology.
Widely acknowledged as a leading career management evangelist, Jason continues to spread the word to job seekers through his blog, JibberJobber.com/blog. He is co-author of “I’m on Facebook – Now What???”and offers tutorials on how to fulfill the role of being CEO of You, Inc.
Jason Alba is:CEO of JibberJobber.com Author of I’m on LinkedIn – Now What??? Co-author of I’m on Facebook – Now What??? Founder of CEO Training for Me Inc.
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