A lot of people are concerned about our seemingly worsening economy. Millions of Americans jobs are at risk and having money to pay basic bills is the number one priority. One thing is for certain, in a down economy the rich, middle class and the poor can find ways to make money. It just comes down to one basic thing; you’ve got to hustle. It’s a fact (and part of what makes this country so great) that individuals who put themselves into something 100% are far more likely to succeed than someone who doesn’t.
When it comes down to putting food on the family (as our dear President would say) you’ve got to get creative about finding new career opportunities. Maybe you have to work harder than you ever have in your life. It might mean taking on two jobs, working crazy hours or working for far less than you’re worth. Unfortunately in this economy good jobs (with or without job security) are rare and the competition is fierce. We’re a free market society and those principals certainly extend to the job market.
It is simply supply VS demand. So how do you take advantage of this? Simple, make yourself (you, your talents) a scarce resource. Now if you’re an engineer that doesn’t mean you should go on a killing spree eliminating the competition. That will only lead to a temp job doing laundry on Death Row. What you really need to do is make yourself a valuable resource who can be a great utility player.
In sports teams are always looking for great talent. However in evaluating what their best choice might be for choosing a draft pick many things are taken into consideration. It’s not just what the biggest need (player position) is at the moment, meaning what job needs to be filled. If your team needs a starting pitcher, a catcher, a first baseman and a third baseman you better think things through before blowing your number #1 pick on the top rated pitcher.
Wouldn’t you be better off trading that #1 pick for the 6th and 12th pick hedging your bet? Now while it’s not exactly the same, the principals around this theory are. If I have the opportunity to hire an employee at one position who I think will excel wouldn’t I be even more inclined to hire an employee who I think can excel at one position and be an asset (or even excel) at another position. Maybe employee #2 can help some of my other employees in other departments with some issues (outside of their main job description) that might arise.
So what does this all mean? Simple just make yourself as useful to a company as possible. If there were skills and jobs you performed well previously in your career (even if you weren’t so crazy about them) make sure you present that to any prospective employer. To get back to the sports analogy, I’d much rather draft a player who can play first base, third base and catcher than a short-stop. That way if something happens to one of my other players I know I’ve got this “Utility Player” who can make the quick move to that position.
So how do you become a “Utility Player”? Only you know the answer to that. You know your skill set, only you know your interests and passions. What is going to make you stand out? What would make you want to hire you over someone else?
We can stick our heads in the sand and hope that the sky clears and the good times come back tomorrow. Unfortunately the truth is that we’re probably in for a bumpy ride for the next few years. So only those willing to make that true sacrifice are going to succeed in these dismal economic times.
You know what to do. Get ready to get your hands dirty, you’ve got to want it, you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to be a player.