How can you tell if your leadership role may be in jeopardy or you may be at risk of losing that position? There are four signs that typically show up when someone’s role is danger of being eliminated or replaced. First, you may begin to notice that you are being excluded from things where you once were included. For example, there may be project teams or strategic planning meetings you once were normally a part of and now you are not invited to these meetings or perhaps finding out about them after the fact. Next, you may start to notice some of your responsibilities are decreasing; not your typical job responsibilities but the extra tasks or project teams you once led are no longer being assigned to you. An example of this may be that someone else is leading an annual strategic review team or a new business development team that you once led. Another sign that your leadership role may be at risk is you are not getting as much exposure as you once received. Perhaps you once were your boss’s back-up when he or she was out of the office and now that responsibility is given to someone else, or perhaps you are no longer attending higher level meetings in place of your boss as much as you once were or being called on to present to senior leadership teams as much as you once were. These are all subtle yet important signs which you should take note of. The most obvious sign that your role may be in jeopardy is a decrease in your performance rating. This is usually the very last sign and often happens after the other items already noted have been occurring, which is why you want to pay attention and notice when things begin to change. Ultimately you want to try to address the first three items before the last sign of the decreased performance rating appears. If you notice these signs and are concerned that your role is in jeopardy you want to take some actions that either help you improve your performance in your current role or perhaps look for a new role. First thing you want to do is remind yourself that you are in control of the situation. No, you cannot control whether or not your leaders or your company decides to eliminate you or your role but you can control what you do about the current situation. So number one: Remember, you are in control. Second, you need to decide if you want to try to improve your situation where you are; that is, you like your company and what you do and would prefer to stay there. If this is the case, you must take initiative to approach your boss or someone in HR (or whomever is the appropriate person in your company) and share what you’ve noticed. Share the signs you’ve seen, what you’re concerned about and what you want to happen. For example, if you’ve noticed you’re not included as much as you used to be and not getting as much exposure as you once were but want that type of inclusion and exposure back, articulate this. And then ask for input from your boss (or HR or whomever you are speaking) on what you need to do to get back to where you once were and even beyond where you once were. However, I always say “before you ask the question, be sure you want to know the answer” because you may not like what you hear and you must be prepared for whatever the answer is. Hopefully it will be positive and honest input to assist you in putting a plan together that supports your improvement in your role. However, if it is not and you realize that there may not be a path to improvement, you will need to deal with that and take steps to plan your way to a new role, or even a new company. Having this conversation may be a bit awkward or even difficult to do yet is necessary and something that must be done if you want to know exactly where you stand with your current role. The other decision you could make is that you are less interested in improving the situation where you are and more interested in seeking a different role in a different company. If this is your decision, dealing with your role being in jeopardy now means pulling your resume together and seeking other opportunities. It means beginning to seek the support of your network and trusted colleagues and let them know of your plans. It is often through others that opportunities are presented to us so if you are going to seek something new, share this with those in your trusted network and allow them to share potential opportunities with you. If you realize your role may be at risk, don’t panic. Just remember that you are in control. Make a decision about how you want to handle the fact that your role could be at risk and then continue taking steps to change that situation. Do not sit and wait for something to happen, or for someone to say something to you. You make the move and make things happen for you. Eventually, you’ll end up in a much more stable place. This month’s development tip: Follow the guidelines in this month’s article to take control and remain in control of the direction of your leadership role and your career. Leadership role image from Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.