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, i.e. starting a business, becoming a stay-at-home mom or dad, reevaluating goals, etc.
No, a recession can be a good thing for you because it is the best time to shine, to make real progress. The following is 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 often asked to take on more responsibilities. And, while many workers spend their time complaining and complaining about this, you can really use this as an opportunity to shine, in a number of ways.
Attitude: When things go wrong is when a person’s true character shines through. The attitude you bring to work every day can increase or decrease your value in the eyes of your organization. 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 arrives 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 dispensing consultant can underline for you.
Voluntary: Another way you can make a good impression if your company has suffered layoffs 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 lot of additional pressures that most subordinates have no idea about. Stepping up and volunteering for additional work during this time can really make you stand out. Why? Because many of your co-workers will complain about all the extra work they are doing without additional pay.
Going to your boss and expressing your desire to “pitch any way you can” during this difficult transition will not only make you look good, but will certainly be an outlet for some of your stress. They won’t have to worry about assigning someone a task, wondering how they are going to do it, will they do the best job, will they have to constantly review it, etc.
While additional work awaits you, this is an excellent opportunity to learn new tasks, making it even more valuable to your organization.
This is the kind of career advice that keeps many employees, 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 might be thinking, “What if after all this I get fired?”
There are things that we control in life and things that we cannot control. If you are fired after being a good-natured soldier and doing extra work, you can take two comforts:
(i) You were grace under pressure: When you bring your best self into a task / situation, take comfort in the fact that you are doing your best. You didn’t join the ranks of the complainers. You rolled up your sleeves and did the job. There is grace in knowing that you leave that kind of impression.
(ii) Good reference: First, your boss will hate to let you go if you have done the above. And they will do their best to help you land your next position. Once they get the call from your next potential employer, you can bet that information on how you handled yourself during the tough times will be part of their recommendation.
And who knows, your current company might ask you to do consulting work or to rehire you in the future. The point is, if you have gone beyond your 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 be the best thing that can happen to your career.
The best professional advice
There is an old idiom that says, “The best time to look for a job is when you have one.” 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 Quickly While Working a Full Time Job
However, to never have to worry about losing your job again, start a business in parallel. There are numerous free and easy ways to earn money online quickly that you can get started with while working full time. This way, if you lose your job, you can focus your attention on your full-time side job, or at least get some money while looking for your next full-time job.
When evaluating all the career advice you research on the web or hear from your friends and family, keep starting something secondary in mind, as it will help you vaccinate against the ups and downs of full-time employment.