If you have not already recognized in this global recession that assertiveness truly counts in terms of career survival, then I ask you: what have you learned in this period of your life?
One of the most common complaints I hear from prospective candidates is, ‘I don’t know where to begin my job search’ or ‘ I am unhappy. What do I do know?’
To those complainants, I would suggest that there are two ways to look at your career: in a rather passive way, in which your career path is a journey that simply ‘happens’ to you, or in a more dynamic, active way that allows you to be a defined contributor to your own destiny.
I don’t know about you, but my preference is always to be actively engaged in creating opportunities and proactively investing time contemplating the next chapter.
Career management is absolutely an active sport, not a passive one. Start by figuring out now what your strategy for success will be in 2010. Identify your passions, determine the industry sectors in which there is the greatest upside potential, and recalibrate your expectations for yourself, your career and your future.
Now is the time to make the decision to be an active, forward thinking, navigator of your career destiny. Do not let the economy or the negativity of our times undermine your future.
I have always believed that in the midst of chaos there is opportunity, and the current economic environment certainly offers the chance to test my theory. Of course, opportunity may not be as clearly defined as we had hoped and it may not take shape in the way we thought opportunity would.
Your flexibility and openness in terms of the possibility of what lies ahead, however, will be what allow you to identify your next successful career step.
As the year comes to a close, I am thankful for the opportunity to be an active participant in many interesting dimensions of my own career, as well as yours, and the advancement of the investor relations profession.
I hope you will take the holidays as an opportunity to reflect upon 2009, understand one or two things you have learned about yourself, focus on your career aspirations, and determine what you want for the future. In addition, I wish you prosperity in 2010.
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