Column: Take This Job And……What?

The economy is improving and several surveys show many employees are thinking of changing jobs in the next 1-2 years. Whether you love your job or hate it, there are good reasons to try to grow with your current employer before you look outside.

This column will discuss ways to help you grow in your current organization. You can also use these ideas to build your resume for your next job search -- whether that is going to be soon or not!

Sure it is easy to stay in a great organization where everyone 'loves' you and your work is almost always interesting. But, if you are not in such a situation, have you taken steps to improve your success? Obviously there are toxic organizations where you cannot succeed -- and you need an active job search to get you out of there as quickly as possible. But most organizations are somewhere between fabulous and terrible. And, in these situations, you can help yourself succeed.

1. Focus your work efforts.

Sit down with your manager and talk about the goals of the organization, the work unit, and your position. Ask her what her definition is of success for you in your current job. Learn what he sees as the most important work you do now. Discuss your work and ask questions if you are not sure how it fits into what you have just learned.

Think about these aspects of your work:

• how have you helped to increase productivity or efficiency?
• what new procedure, practice, or idea have you contributed successfully?
• what have you done that is not 'in your job' but is important to your work unit's success?
• how have you represented your unit to larger parts of the organization?

And, how have you communicated these achievements to your manager?

2. Help your manager succeed.

Learn your manager's work style and adapt to it. You will get more of what you want from your manager so you will also succeed. For example: I am a 'big ideas' person and like to toss around a ton of possibilities with my manager before picking one and doing it. But when I worked for a manager who was much more detail-oriented, I didn't do this -- I figured out the one path to recommend and gave all the reasons why instead. That way my recommendation was understood and accepted.

Learn the objectives for your work unit and work toward them. Got a good idea on how to achieve one? Present it in ways your boss will understand it. Don't worry too much about credit, that will usually come.

Feeling overburdened? Remind your manager of what else is on your plate and ask for priorities. If you do regular status reports (almost always a good idea for many reasons), you can use these to show your workload and to support your ideas for changes.

No surprises -- keep your manager informed of issues or problems. Whenever possible, if you have a problem to present you should also recommend a solution. Don't badmouth your manager to others -- you don't like it when someone does that to you, do you?

3. Learn what developmental activities and training are available.

What new skills do you need to do your current job? What would you like to learn so as to move into other positions? Once you figure that out, find out what is available. Do you know that in most organizations that offer it, only 10-12% of eligible employees take advantage of tuition or training assistance? Do you know how to get support for you to attend seminars or technical training programs outside of college/university classes?

In addition to formal training, you can learn a lot on the job. Talk to your manager and to Human Resources about your interests in developing new skills. Seek out a mentor who can help you with a particular skill. Ask to be on a task force or committee that is working on new methods or realigning processes. Volunteer to teach other employees a specific skill or application. Done well, any of these offer you a chance to grow and increase your visibility within the organization and your value to it.

4. Network within your organization

Seek out people in other functions and learn how your work interacts with theirs. Find the folks whose work interests you as a possible career path or next step and learn all you can. Offer assistance when you can. These steps all build your perceived 'net worth to the organization'. One Compensation Manager I know started in MIS data entry. She was able to move to HR at the same company when her interests changed because she offered them help in dealing with their systems, she then took HR classes, and then made the case for how she could assist the organization in a new compensation role. A top contracts person began her career in academic marketing, moved into information services marketing, and then into negotiating international and domestic contracts for information. Each step was characterized by her willingness to learn and by service on groups within her organization as well as external networking.

5. Network outside your organization

DCWW provides a wonderful example of this -- you can meet people, you can go to programs, you can learn from the listserv. Other networking opportunities are as available as you can make the time and effort for them -- industry meetings, community groups, professional associations, volunteer work. Depending on your interests, you can focus on your current work or on places that offer skills you want to develop for other work. Bring your new knowledge back into your organization frequently so as to build your internal network and your internal net worth.

6. Evaluate yourself.

Would you want yourself as an employee? Are you projecting a positive, can-do attitude? Have you identified your strengths and put yourself into a position to capitalize on them? Is your personal style right for the type of work you do and your organization? Do you make a positive contribution?

I recently talked to a senior executive who lamented that one of his senior staff was the "town yeller" -- he could be counted on to complain and to warn of doom but he was not actively trying to improve the company in any way. (And my role was to help him decide whether to put any more effort into saving this person or to terminate his employment.) And there is at least one such negative employee in almost every company. In HR we see a lot of them -- the folks who complain about something that happened several years ago, the folks who never have a good boss but always are being treated unfairly, the 'nobody understands me' souls.

If that could be you: get over it or get out. Your health alone is reason enough to get positive or get someplace where you can be positive, since studies show negativity is highly correlated with serious health problems.

On the positive side: there are many key skills that every employer wants more of.

Want to increase your "net worth" in your organization? Evaluate your strengths in these areas and look for ways to capitalize on them.

• Communications (all forms)
• Problem solving abilities
• Initiative
• Teamwork and team building
• Flexibility
• Comfort with all types/levels of people
• Self awareness
• Self development

7. Evaluate your organization

You know the culture and the "way things are". Now use those levers to get what you need from your work. Contribute all you can: you will feel more successful and project confidence. Take advantage of the 'net worth' you have built within the organization to get the development and the career path you want.

Or decide if it really is not possible — and it is worth the effort to find the RIGHT new job elsewhere. If so, see Jobseeker's columns 1-6 for help with the process.

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