In these unsettling times it s not surprising to wonder, “Am I next?”
Certainly this is not the time to be thinking about what we might like to do—work-wise. But rather, this is the time to fly below the radar and hope that we will make it through this rough economic downturn with our jobs intact. Yes, that is one strategy, but it is not the only strategy, and in the long run, it really is not a good or healthy strategy.
Think about doing something different “this time.”
Whatever the external circumstances and our internal challenges, when it comes to the work we do, it is in our best interests to have a backup plan. Why would we want to leave our work lives to “chance” or give others the exclusive power to determine our futures?
Actually, I think that this is the worst time to let inertia be our strategy. There are warning signs screaming out to us and we pay a very high price if we choose to not pay attention. Having strategies for our work, like the earthquake emergency kit that we promise ourselves that we will one day pull together, if only we could find the time is critical to our safety. So, let the current turmoil of the markets, like the last temblor, be the impetus for finally crafting our “work survival kit.”
Unlike “earthquake survival kits,’ you must create your own “work survival kit.”
Here are three things to keep in mind as you begin:
1.    Don’t start by updating your resume.
Like most of us, you probably have not updated your resume since you started your current job. Yes, you will need to dust it off and make it current—but before you so, there is more important work to do.
2.    Don’t operate from a base of fear.
Reframe how you are thinking about work and start looking for the possibilities. “If I wasn’t doing this work, what work would I want to be doing—and where might I want to be doing it?
3.    Don’t assume that the way things are today is the way things will be tomorrow.
If you do, you will be disappointed. Things will not be the same, so try and imagine how they might look and develop strategies for applying your skills and experience.

Yes, the headlines are scary, but “this too shall pass”—and where will you be/

Fortunately today’s environment is more conducive to making career decisions throughout our lives. That’s the good news. With the good news comes the challenge of figuring out – not just once, but multiple times, what we really, really want to be when “we grow up.” (Keep reading this blog on gibsonworks.com for tips on choosing your work.)

Many of us are redesigning our career into multiple ways of working. We do not have to decide between teaching or writing… or practicing law or working in the medical field…or playing the violin or helping others plan their future. We really can have our cake and eat it too.

Take a look URL for this article which appears in today’s Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/C61218GUNN.html

The idea of matching ourselves to an occupation is an approach that has its roots in the 1909 work of Frank Parsons–trait and factor theory, a rational decision-making approach to the process of choosing a career. Parsons was a no-nonsense guy who said that choosing a “vocation” (which is what work was called in the early 1900’s) was simply a matter of understanding yourself, understanding the requirements of the workplace, and employing “true reasoning” in connecting the two. Advice that has withstood the passage of time but could use a bit of updating to make it useful to you today.

Figuring out what you want to do “for a living” is very different from looking for a job that matches your skills and interests. Fortunately today’s work world gives you much more flexibility in designing what, where and how you want to show up for work. So, before you step out into the “job market” spend sometime with yourself…or you may miss the opportunity to discover the work you must do.

You never felt quite at home when you worked for “Company X”. It wasn’t the work-per se but something about the environment that didn’t feel right.

Maybe you were working for a company that did not work for you!

The usual job-hunting process begins by taking inventory of your skills and determining how closely they match the skills that the company wants. Not a bad place to begin, but definitely not a place to end. You need to take a closer look at the company to discern how well it fits with your values and style. For example, if working as part of a collaborative team is important to you, you will feel out of place in a company that does not recognize and reward teamwork.

It just will not feel right there.
You do not want to be one of those people described on your way out, “He/she just was not a good fit,” do you?
So, when you are interviewing at a company take time to get a feel for the place. Talk to people other than the hiring manager and recruiter. Hear what others have to say about working for the company. Dig deeper to figure out the company’s culture and if it is a culture that works for you.

This assignment does not have to take a weekend, nor does it have to be an addition to an already full “to do list”. Have fun with it! For example, in the next meeting you attend where you can doodle or Blackberry or whatever you do when you are sitting in a meeting and bored out of your mind. You know what I am talking about. Hey, the meeting is a drag, so why not do something that is far more interesting and just might be the beginning…of more interesting work.

Your coworkers will think you are a diligent note taker as you make a list of those things that you like about the work you do and where you are doing it. They do not need to know that you are also making a list of those things that you do not like about the work you do and where you are doing it…and creating a third list of those things that you really, really wish were part of your work.

Get started today.

Makes sense, or does it?

What if you have discovered that you no longer enjoy the work you are doing, but you are not sure what you would rather be doing. If you are not sure what the next job looks like, you will have a difficult time crafting an appropriate resume.

Our resumes report what we have done –not what we hope to do, so they are little help in envisioning our future work. Resumes are historical documents that provide potential employers a snapshot of our career histories. They do not paint a picture of our futures.

Nor are our resumes blueprints for what we enjoy doing. Our resumes are not intended to showcase our needs, dreams and values. If we are trying to figure out what is next…updating our resumes is not the best place to start.

A better place to begin is by putting aside your resume and examining yourself. What do you want? What do you enjoy? What do you want to take with you when you leave the work you are doing– and what do you want to leave behind?

-manage change

-take control…and not have any surprises.

Why don’t we welcome surprises? Maybe because at first they throw us off balance - disrupting our well-thought out plans and robbing us of our perceived control of our lives.
Of course we have some control over our lives…and making plans for our futures is important. But…our plans will work better if they are flexible—allowing room for the unexpected.
So, as you continue to think about what you hope to have happen in 2008, remember to leave space for the unplanned happenings. You will be glad that you did.