Pro Tips: Why a Recession Might Be the Best Thing to Ever Happen to You
A recession could be the best thing that can happen to your career. Yes, you read that right. And, it’s not for the usual reasons, ie starting a business, becoming a stay-at-home mom/dad, reassessing goals, etc.
No, a recession can be a good thing for you because it’s the best time to shine, to make real progress. Here’s why.
Pro Tips on Handling Job Loss and Layoffs: It’s Your Time to Shine
During a recession, jobs are lost and layoffs occur. Those left behind are usually asked to take on more responsibilities. And, while many workers spend their time whining and complaining about this, you can really take this as an opportunity to shine—in a number of ways.
Attitude: When the chips are down is when a person’s true character shines through. The attitude you bring to work every day can either increase your value in the eyes of your organization or decrease it. While all the hard intangibles like the right skill set, education, and experience are always important, it’s the soft intangibles like attitude, mindset, and logic that can propel you to the next level.
Who would you rather work with, someone who complains about the seriousness of the situation or someone who comes in with an optimistic and positive attitude? Since employees spend most of their waking hours in the office, the tone set there can have a major effect on other areas of their lives.
These are nuances that any professional who provides professional advice can highlight for you.
Volunteer: Another way to make a good impression if your company has been laid off is to voluntarily take on more work. As mentioned above, this is a difficult time for everyone from senior management to the personal mailroom.
Your boss likely has a ton of additional pressures that most subordinates have no idea about. Stepping up and volunteering for extra work during this time can really make you stand out. Because? Because a lot of your co-workers will complain about all the extra work they’re doing for no extra pay.
Going to your boss and expressing your desire to “launch any way you can” during this difficult transition will not only make you look good, but it will certainly be an outlet for some of your stress. They won’t have to worry about assigning someone a task, wondering how they’re going to handle it, if they’ll do the best job, if they’ll have to constantly check it, etc.
Although you will have additional work, this is a great opportunity to learn new tasks, making you the most valuable to your organization.
This is the kind of career advice that keeps many employees going, while others live in constant fear of losing their jobs.
Pro Tips on What to Do If You Lose Your Job: Is a Recession Still Best for Your Career?
“But,” you may be thinking, “what if after all this I get fired?”
There are things we control in life and things we cannot control. If you are fired after being a soldier with a good attitude and taking on additional work, you can take solace in two things:
(i) You were grace under pressure: When you bring your best self to a task/situation, take comfort in the fact that you put your best foot forward. You did not join the ranks of complainers. You rolled up your sleeves and finished the job. There’s fun in knowing you leave that kind of impression.
(ii) Good reference: First, your boss will hate to let you go if you’ve done the above. And they will do everything they can to help you get the next position from him. Once they get the call from your next potential employer, you can bet that information about how you handled yourself through the tough times will be part of their recommendation.
And who knows, your current company might ask you to do consulting work or hire you again in the future. The point is, if you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, you will be remembered because it is very rare for people to react this way when faced with job loss.
While a recession is never expected, like everything in life, the economy is cyclical. Recessions are likely to occur a few times throughout your professional life. How you handle it makes all the difference.
If handled correctly, a recession could very well be the best thing to happen to your career.
The best professional advice
There’s an old idiom that says, “The best time to look for a job is when you have it.” This is true for the obvious reasons: you are not that desperate, so you can take your time and choose the opportunity that best suits your needs.
Proactive Career Advice – Start Earning Money Online Fast While Working Full Time
However, to never have to worry about losing your job again, start a side business. There are numerous free and easy ways to make money online fast that you can start participating in while working full time. This way, if you lose your job, you can turn your attention to your full-time side job, or at least receive some money while you look for your next full-time job.
When you’re weighing up all the career advice you’re looking for on the web or hearing from friends and family, keep in mind to start with something extra, as it helps inoculate you against the ups and downs of full-time employment.
