Sorry for the gap in blogs but I’ve just returned from a trip visiting my family and I wasn’t able to write. However I did come across something very interesting in my travels that led me to this very brief but important blog this evening.
It came one day when I happened to visit an old friend at his office. He told me, like everyone else, that business was slow and that he was concerned about keeping the organization going in these tough times. We got to talk about what the organization is doing to turn things around in an economy that doesn’t offer a lot of that “wiggle room” we all seem to need. Instead the turn around experts all say it’s happening with very little resources (since layoffs are rampant) and an obvious decrease in operating capital that usually keeps companies afloat. However he was still very optimistic and felt he was going to make it. Of course a guy in my position always wants to know how he’s going to do that, so I asked.
What I heard from him, and I truly believe it reflects most small to midsized organizations, is that it’s important to stay focused and reach out to customers and do everything possible to keep the business going. Networking, creativity, relentlessness and most importantly the strength to do it all is what it takes.
What I learned is that the company and the job seeker have a great deal in common. And though the view from the hiring side is certainly a much more advantageous position to be in (the infamous “buyers market”) both sides suffer from many of the same problems. And with that I understood what I needed to convey to you now. That is that everyone, both employer and employee, needs to create large networks, must think out of the box and has to persevere in the process.
So when you think about the tough job you have ahead of you in getting your career started or getting back to work, just remember you aren’t alone. Some potential employer you’ll meet up with is going through the same struggle on their end.
