How can you stay employable?

I've done something that not many people entering the work force today will do. I worked 30 years for the same company before retiring. In fact, our company had a 30-and-out early retirement program, and I retired from there at 47 years of age. Very few will have the opportunity to work that long for any one company. In fact, we are told that people starting their careers today will average 11 different full-time jobs lasting two years or more, and that they will find themselves working in at least five different careers during their working life. There is no such thing today as job security. What we need to strive for in today's world is employment security.

As we come out of this pandemic, many businesses will not reopen. Their employees will need to find new jobs. This is not their fault; they did nothing wrong. But, it does demonstrate how tenuous our jobs are. No matter how good we were at our work, that job can be gone tomorrow. It might be that the business had financial problems. Your company might have been bought out by another company who already had people to do your job. Your job might have been replaced by robots. Any number of things can happen to cause your job to go away. How do you stay employable?

The first thing is to always understand that you are self-employed. You may have a boss who signs your check, but you are self-employed. You work for You, Inc. The most important person you will report to each day is yourself. You have only one employee, and he or she strives every day to do the very best work possible. You continually invest in that employee to make sure he or she is ready for any challenges that might come. I was talking with someone the other day about her job, and she told me she never worried about losing a job. She knew she would find another one quickly, and her attitude convinced me she was right. She worked for You, Inc., and she knew she was employable regardless of what might happen.

You have to continually increase your skills. Always remember: What got you here won't keep you here. If you are not continually growing personally and professionally you will get run over one day. It's critical that you are on the cutting edge of your profession learning as much as you can. Read. Attend conferences that will increase your skills. Cross train when possible so you can perform more tasks within your company.

Don't just increase your skills within your current job. Stretch yourself. Stay inquisitive about things. Learn about things outside your profession. This will help you watch for trends in the workplace and give you insights into other careers.

Maintain an outstanding work ethic. Arrive early and stay late. Be willing to take on new challenges. Don't settle for good enough, but strive for excellence in everything you do.

Network. This is more than passing out 100 business cards every week. Build relationships with people. Zig Ziglar used to say that if you helped enough other people get what they want, you will be able to get anything you want. Make it a goal to impress everyone you come in contact with because one day you may want to ask them to help you get a new job. I'm not talking about creating a false impression, but impress them with your personality, your work ethic and your genuine concern for other people.

Finally, stay flexible. Remember, you may be looking at five different careers in different fields. Just because you are an accountant today doesn't mean you will be one five years from now. This is why you need to stretch yourself.

Few people will enjoy job security in the 21st century, but each of us can have employment security if we follow these steps. There is always a job for the person who is prepared.