Resolve to Build Your Career R&R  This New Year

“R&R” has always been known as a military abbreviation for “rest and recuperation.” It is a period of leave, or vacation, for troops stationed in combat zones. R&R not only gives them an opportunity to reunite with their families, but increases their operational readiness when they return to their posts. After an economic roller coaster year like 2008, many of us feel like we need some time away from the battlefield, too. As the New Year begins, consider setting aside some time to consider how you might build your Career R&R: Resilience and Resourcefulness.

When you think “resilient”, think NERF^® ball – the plastic foam toy that you squeeze, and when released, it immediately regains its original shape. Resilience is an ability to bounce back quickly from stress and adversity. In fact, our challenge is often not to bounce back to what we were originally, but to shape-shift or change to meet the challenges of a new situation. Being able to recover from or adjust easily to change is characteristic of healthy individuals.

Resourcefulness, the other “R”, builds on resilience. In order to bounce back, resourceful people are quick to use whatever is available to them to cope with difficult circumstances. Today’s economic situation requires individuals to strengthen their critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. It is to our advantage to identify the resources we can draw upon to apply to our problem solving at work.

There are ways that you can build your career resilience and resourcefulness. Are these three strategies incorporated in your plans for the New Year?

1. Stay alert to opportunities. Where there are problems, there are opportunities, and America has always been a hotbed of entrepreneurial problem-solvers. Whether they work for an employer or for themselves, entrepreneurial people take the initiative to look for problems to solve, and then generate solutions that are innovative and cost-effective.What might this mean for you? Look for ways to save expenses or bring in revenue. When you make recommendations, ensure that management knows, in an appropriate way, about your ideas and contributions. Tap knowledgeable resources like your manager or co-workers in other departments to identify the problems the company views as most critical to solve, and then get to work on them.
2. Increase your Career Literacy™.  Everyone is vulnerable to a potential layoff, even in the traditionally-safe education and government job sectors. No matter what age, every person who works today can benefit from increasing their Career Literacy. Having the basic knowledge and skills needed to be resilient and remain employable in today’s workplace gives an individual a sense of calm and control. These include:
   • Knowing who you are and what you have to offer: talents (aptitudes), interests,  values and personality
   • Knowing how the world of work and the economic system works, including  learning about industry, occupation and global trends
   • Knowing how your strengths align with the type of work where you can  make your best contribution and experience job satisfaction
   • Mastering job search skills now so you will be ready when you need them:  your elevator speech, online research, networking, creating a target list of  employers, resume writing, interviewing, negotiating compensation packages

   To become more Career Literate, check out resources like the service offerings at community career centers and job search groups in the area. Find out what career services your college may offer to alumni. In fact, it is a smart move to investigate these resources even if you do not need them; in these times of higher unemployment, you may be able to help an out-of-work friend by referring them to a center.

3. Always have a Plan B. Expect the unexpected, and plan for it. No matter how secure your employment situation seems, always think about what you would do if it suddenly changed. Long-distance truck drivers use an expression, “driving in the ditches.” The adage reminds truckers to stay vigilant so that if something happens up ahead on the highway, they have already thought through their escape routes. This can be a lifesaving move.

Do the same for yourself. When you can think through several “What if?” work scenarios, your ultimate career action plan will be richer. In fact, draw on resources like a spouse, friend or colleague to enhance your brainstorming. Others will bring a different perspective to the discussion and may yield ideas and actions you might have missed.

Perhaps these three suggestions have spurred some additional ideas for New Year’s resolutions. Our hope is that you will see Career Vision as a third “R”: a Resource for you.