At least for now, hold on to your job
At least for now, hold on to your job
Your e-mails and phone calls tell me that there are plenty of you itching to leave, wanting to go somewhere else, anywhere else, to get more of what you need from your work and your workplace. And ordinarily I’d encourage you to follow your dream. But not right now.
Hold on to your job. I know there are plenty of you concerned that if your company has layoffs, you may be among the first who are asked to go. You may want to end your worry and resign before they tell you to leave. Ordinarily I’d encourage you to make the break and find something that gives you more than it’s taking away. But not right now.
I’m not asking you to hold on to your mind-numbing, over-taxing, underpaying mismatched job for long — just long enough to regain your balance and confidence so that you can focus on where the possibilities are in this economy instead of where they aren’t. There are sectors that are profitable. When you find the right match in one that is, go for it. Until that time, don’t quit. Hold on. Focus on what you need to get done. Pay attention to what others expect you to do. Keep your word. Earn your pay.
Deliver. No matter how bad it is, now’s not the time to shift the blame or push the load onto someone else because you don’t care or don’t think they will. Now’s not the time to have co-workers think you’re taking advantage of them — their time, their energy and their good will. If you do, you make it harder for those down the line or up the chain to carry your weight, along with their own. They will run out of patience, and you’ll run out of rope. Then they’ll take your job away from you. Don’t invite that outcome. Hold on to your job.
Every time you get a paycheck, you and the company are square. They have compensated you for doing what they have determined to be reasonable and expected, given your level, education, training and experience. You’ll have to continue to meet their expectations to continue your employment. You’ll have to exceed their expectations if you want to compete for advancement or additional compensation. If they determine that you do not meet reasonable expectations, they’ll ask you to leave. That’s how it works.
Step up. Be counted. Be visible. Do your share. Be the “go-to person” so that it is obvious to anyone watching that you care about the quality of your effort. Be the “go-to person” because you’re willing to be a resource to others. You’ll be noticed for it, remembered for it and at some point in the future, in this job or another, in this company or another, you’ll be rewarded for it.
Be the one others go to because of your dependability, trustworthiness and work ethic. It’s easy to be positive, gracious, hale and hearty when business is up and you’re looking good. Be the one to go to when business is down and you’re down, and despite the pull of economic gravity, you still manage to see a way up and forward, finding new ways to solve problems or generate revenues because you’re as innovative and resilient as you are stable and steady.
We’re moving into an economic cycle of indeterminate size and shape, and in time each of us will find our way through it. No one said it was easy. No one said it was fun. So for now, and until you sort it all out, hold on to your job.
Joyce Richman is a career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of “Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Richman’s latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during “The Good Morning Show” on WFMY News 2 at http://www.digtriad.com/business/columnists/career_minute/ also You can find this column online at TriadCareers.com. Click on “News & Tips.”
