• Home
• »
• Career Couch

• Home
• Executive Jobs
• Features
  • Focus
  • Career Couch
  • Radar
  • Water Cooler
  • Insight
  • Podcasts
• Place an executive ad

Do you remember the old story about the hare and the tortoise? It's an apt way of understanding how the global financial crisis has changed the employment market and the way workers are behaving.

The hare is the employee of 12 months ago who swapped employers on a whim. In interviews, hares demanded higher salaries, better training and promises of a promotion.

The tortoise is today's worker, who understands that, in a tighter market, being valued by the boss is critical to holding a job. They nurture their networks, upgrade their qualifications and know their next job could come from word of mouth or a referral from a satisfied client.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review says: "Many forces are beyond your control in a recession but if you direct your energy toward developing a strategy, you'll have a better chance of riding out the storm."

This is not a time to demand a pay rise or promotion. Concentrate on strategies that will make you indispensable. Increase the quality of your work, meet deadlines early, take on extra responsibilities and find ways to cut costs. Be agreeable, versatile and flexible about restructuring, delays in projects or changes to meeting times. Be cheerful, confident and offer to help out when you can.

The first step to becoming more valuable is looking at the way you conduct yourself at work. As management consultants McKinsey&Co advises its junior consultants: "If you want to be a partner, start acting like one."

Bosses are looking for managers who shine, so even if you're worried about the sharemarket roller-coaster and rising unemployment figures, focus your attention on achieving your career goals.

Carmen Parnos of the Australian Coaching Academy says: "Be very clear about who you are and who you want to be and make sure your behaviours follow a very disciplined path towards achieving success."

Part of this is deciding whether you want to be a chief executive officer, a successful entrepreneur or a well-known expert. Consider who you'd like to emulate: perhaps Richard Branson or Nigella Lawson?

Compare their characteristics with your own skills and qualities.

This is also a terrific time to work your networks. Lisa Butler, author of Networking Exposed, says: "More people will value networking now, perhaps more than before when times were good. People who have been networking appropriately for a while now will find that it will pay off in this market. Networking is a long-term proposition, with the benefits more likely to be seen over a longer period of time."

Networking is about building and sustaining relationships without expecting an immediate return. However, you need to show some discernment.

Butler says: "Strategic thinking becomes more important in this market. Having clear business and career objectives helps you to be more focused in your networking."

You should think about what you are trying to achieve, how you should be networking and with whom, Butler says.

"This approach saves you time and allows you to focus on networking with the people who are more likely to be receptive and relevant to you," she says.

Doing something for a contact out of generosity is like a farmer tilling his fields: it feels good and it's an investment in your future.

The author of Understanding Influence for Leaders at all Levels, Robyn Henderson, writes: "One of the greatest opportunities for influence can arise when you build a strong connection with someone who trusts you.

"If you build a connection and trust with another person, it is natural for them to speak highly of you within their own networks, thereby potentially allowing you to influence total strangers based purely on the connection you built with the original person."

Imagine a house being built brick by brick, Henderson says, and trust being built the same way: conversation by conversation, contact by contact. "The more contact we make, the stronger our connection becomes," she says.

Search for executive jobs

---

Wise worker

One way to boost your attractiveness during a downturn is to gain better qualifications. Executive search firms say an extra qualification or year of experience will stand a candidate apart on a shortlist. So now is the time to bolster your credentials by enrolling in a new course. Itdoesn't have to be a part-time master's, which will involve tens of thousands of dollars and many hours of your time. Instead, a 12-month graduate diploma or certificate in a related discipline such as project management or corporate governance will add depth to your resume. It will also indicate to your employer that you are disciplined, hard-working and ambitious and these qualities will get you recommended for other positions.