HR is not Big Brother!

If you are unsatisfied with your current position or your career and therefore are looking to make a switch but maybe not very far, working with your company's HR department may be an effective strategy to uncover available opportunities in your current company itself. Recently I myself was looking for a change out of my technical position into an administrative position for example. Contacting with the jobs database manager at my organization's HR department allowed me to bypass the usual steps needed to apply for a job at my organization, and simply put in a transfer application along with my resume instead, which in turn greatly sped up my own job hunt. In this manner the HR department of your employer is there is to help retain existing employees first and foremost. For job seekers, working with HR is often the first step in the job hunt of course. It is advisable for the seeker to maintain good relations with whoever they contact with in HR. For the initial point of contact is often responsible for determining whether to recommend or pass on the application. And even if you are unable to get far with your first application, you may be able to get referrals to other positions in the firm from HR.

The headhunter and the chase

When it comes to executive recruitment, many companies these days employ the use of executive search consultants, also known as headhunters or simply recruiters. These consultants are working with the company to identify and recruit (hire) capable executives who fit a very particular profile. For an executive looking to make a change, working with a recruiter can be advantageous. However it is important to bear in mind that it is best to let the recruiter call you rather than you calling them because of the specificity of the positions that the recruiters are looking to fill. In addition, the executive recruitment process is very time consuming for the recruiters themselves, with the recruiters not only interfacing with potential candidates and company heads, but also constantly working on keeping their own databases of openings and candidates afresh, and working with companies and newly hired candidates on compensation offers and job transitions. In the midst of all this juggling, the best advice for an executive is to first get listed in a recruiter's (or recruiters') databases typically by contacting an executive search firm's research department. And then, when contacted by a recruiter, articulating clearly your experience and your management visions and your values. In the end, working with a recruiter can help you become more aware of how you want to refine your executive career, while also opening up many more choices of positions available on both national and international scales.

Foreseeing career transitions

Your relationship with your job is ultimately no different than any of your personal relationships. Either it's smooth sailing from start to finish, or choppy seas are encountered which can end in deluge or recovery into placid waters. Chances are however, given the high rate of divorces, so too might you find yourself divorcing your job and not just switching to a new one, but switching to an entirely new career. And statistics show that men and women in the workforce in today's world do just that, switching careers 2-4 times through the entirety of their working lives. The causes of separation from one's job and career path are usually no different from what drives personal relationships apart: perhaps your job becomes too dull and boring - or too demanding and excessively stressful. But apart from the extremes, timely career management means keeping ahead of the curve when it comes to your career or industry as a whole, which in turn means being proactive when it comes to the job market. Be on the lookout for new positions either with your current employer or elsewhere within your career that may complement what you already do while offering duties and qualities that may be more attractive. Pay attention to changes in your career or industry, such as automation or outsourcing, that are reshaping the way things are already being done, and be ready to meet those changes with your own innovations or move on to a new career. Above all, be flexible. There is no bigger cause of demise within relationships than rigidity, which may spell not only missed opportunities, but lead to you being squeezed out ultimately.

Being at the right place at the right time: Timely career planning

Given how dynamic and global today's job market and work environments are, it is more important than ever to be one step ahead of the curve when it comes to one's career. Timely career planning means not only evaluating your strengths and skills on a regular basis, but also noticing trends in your career and the world in general that are molding the workplace of tomorrow. Education and training are of course key towards maintaining one's knowledge base in their chosen industry or line of work. If you see a need to learn something new that would benefit your career path, short of going back to school to complete another degree, consider taking short courses or self-learning, or even working with a tutor. And then see if you can take an exam to gain certification in the new area or specialty within your line of work. Networking is also highly recommended as a way to keep tabs on new opportunities either within your own career, or in entirely new careers you may not have thought of. Often times, who you know is just as important as what you know, if not more so even. And finally, when it comes to being timely, never forget to periodically update your resume. It is surprising how often professional accomplishments or milestones are actually forgotten. And in addition, working on one's resume is a sure-fire morale booster!

Only you can manage your career

The dynamic nature of today's workplace means that it is imperative for an individual to be in charge of their own career. Career management used to be an endeavor that only the top management used to need to do. But working in today's global workplace means that everyone needs to be assessing the trajectory and scope of their careers to ensure their competitiveness and employability.If you have languished in a technical position for several years too many, you can be in danger of being let go due to lack of advancement in your technical expertise alone. Decide to take stock of the situation by assessing the direction you want to change in terms of a career and started applying elsewhere. In short order you can get some skills in other industries, if that is what you are seeking. Similarly, for anyone in today's workforce, managing one's career is like managing all other aspects of one's life such as personal finances, personal relationships, personal health and more. The watchword is vigilance, which means taking stock of where you stand not just in relation to your company, but perhaps more so you career as a whole, so that you don't start stalling in key areas and paying heavy fines down the road as a result of personal neglect.