Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Look Up, Not Down

Anyone know of a nice cave for rent? I have considered other possibilities but I think a cozy bunker might be the ticket for winter '09. Really, who wants to stick around for the 'shock and awe' clips of our economy under attack. Isn't it obvious how the race to the White House morphed so seamlessly into the Great Depression 2.0 so as not to impact the ratings?

During the heat of the campaign when things started looking grim, Sen. Obama urged his followers to tune out the cable stations and the blogs and just relax. May I suggest we all do the same? Heavens, if you could go in and tinker, please do but if you're just like me, there's very little you can do except:

Call your favorite recent graduate who is still trying to catch some wind in his sails. Don't deny the reality of the job market but let him know you're available for support when he's feeling overwhelmed.

Know someone who's been downsized? She could use your brain power. Cut adrift from the corporation is akin to getting tossed out of the family manse. Let her know she can find an intelligent listener when she needs it.

Make yourself indispensable. Treat everyday like it's the first day of school when making that first impression was critically important to the rest of the semester.

Attitude trumps Aptitude. Fine, you're a brilliant marketer but you're also moody and difficult to work with. That's not the reputation you can bank on.

Return phone calls, emails, text messages -- even smoke signals -- within 24 hours. In the old days, B.R. (before recession), those details were annoying but not job-threatening. Now, everyone's got to play championship ball.

Be anything but generic. From your cover letters to your voicemail messages to the way you sign off on your emails, craft an image of someone who values competence and purpose with a big dollop of energy and flair.

Look up, not down. If you were climbing a mountain you'd focus on the summit, not the abyss.

1 comment:

  1. As usual, great insight and good advice. And I didn't wear my mink to work today, as I did yesterday before I realized the new world order frowns on this. But it was so cold, and the coat is so warm ...

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