Is anyone else sick of hearing people use the recession as an excuse for just about everything? “Oh well I can’t, you know, the recession…”
Well, Negative Nancy, guess what? You should of learned your lesson when the dot com bubble burst and then again after September 11- there is no such thing as job security anymore.
We pay big money to insure our cars, our homes and our lives. Why are so many people choosing not to insure their careers- the vehicle that pays for all of these things?
No, you can’t buy career insurance (if you could, I’d be rich). BUT, we do have the Internet, and because of the Internet we can create our own “career insurance policy.”
Career insurance policy
What small premiums can you pay in order to protect yourself from a catastrophic career disaster?
• Position yourself as an expert in your field or niche interest group and work at it a little bit every day.
• Add value to your niche by creating quality content online.
• Start creating ways to earn additional revenue streams through freelancing, affiliate marketing, selling something or consulting.
• Make quality connections with others both offline and online.
• Connect people in your networks who may be valuable to each other.
• Prioritize all of the above, every day.
Technology has changed the way we do business. The Negative Nancy’s of the world will be the first to tell you that technology has also eliminated many jobs in Corporate America. But for every job that technology has eliminated, it has created several more.
If you don’t exist online, you don’t exist
If you aren’t building your personal brand online, you might as well count on a career disaster heading your way. If you don’t exist online, you don’t really exist at all in the eyes of future employers. And what if your field ISN’T centered online? So what, why wouldn’t you want to meet people and create a back up plan that pays you if life in ”Cubicle City” goes awry?
You have the power and the choice to create your own career insurance policy every day. The good news is your “insurance policy” may end up paying you way more than your day job ever could (if you don’t believe me, then please read Gary Vaynerchuk’s book “CRUSH IT!”). Start believing in the idea of creating your own career insurance policy. Then enter 2010 by building your brand online and everywhere you go. You never know when a window will close, and-thanks to your preparation- you can open up a huge door instead.
Author:
Nicole Crimaldi is the founder of www.mscareergirl.com, a career and self-improvement blog for ambitious young professionals. Along with being a book and social media junkie, Nicole is energetic, entrepreneurial and loves networking. Nicole works in Finance, is a proud graduate of Miami University and lives in Chicago.
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Great points. We can’t let the recession be our excuse for our failures. All too often we stand in our own ways, no matter if we admit it or not.
Nancy, this is so well written, and so aptly put. Thank you for pointing out the way. I’m a little older than the average reader on this blog, I’m guessing. And it’s therefore that much important for me: I have to be up to date with the times, or the career ships will pass me by.
As there are no more entitlements in any title, it is good that we admit that teher are no more guarantees in any position, building strong personal brand will help secure the future uncertaintity