8 Steps to Take Charge of Your Career and Market You

Today's work world is full of uncertainty, and the jobs available now and in the future will be very different from the past. Whether in good times or bad, you must take charge of your own career, because no one else is going to do it for you.

Here are eight steps to help you survive in today's changing world of work:

1. You are in charge. Think of yourself as working for yourself. You are the person in control of your own career and have to manage it. No one else can do it for you. Ask yourself what values drive you and what impact you want to have, and develop a plan to make it happen.
2. You need to know you best. It is imperative in today's competitive job market to know yourself. Know what you have to offer and then market yourself as the person with that information. This will help to separate you from your competition. Your marketability will depend on your ability to demonstrate, on paper and verbally, your skills (even if within the same organization). What do you bring to the table in the way of strengths and abilities?
3. You must keep on learning. Look beyond your current skill set and develop additional benefits that will help you market yourself. Come up with specific ways you might want to work on improving your product (you) in the next six months.
4. You become the expert. Read industry papers, keep track of the fast-changing economic and social landscape, and understand your competition. Be the go-to person for the latest information—become the expert.
5. You are not your job title. Focus on developing core competencies that your association or another association is likely to require in the future. Define yourself by what you do and how to get it done, not by your job title.
6. You need feedback. Find someone who will provide honest and effective feedback to you.
7. You are as good as your network. Even if you are not looking for a new job or career, develop your network now.
8. You are job seeking all the time. Don't wait to update your resume until you get a call asking for it. That is the worst time to develop it. Add your new expertise, skills, and memberships as you have accomplished them and interview on a regular basis—even if you are not looking.

The old ways of thinking about how and why you work are no longer useful. In order to survive in today's world of work, each of you must know what you have to offer, realize your potential, and take charge of your own careers. As stated in the Talmud, "If not now, when?" Wishing you much happiness and success.