How to Deal with Your Company's Uncertain Future

Market conditions and business realities can change in a hurry and, with it, plans for a sustained career with a specific employer.

When your company goes through rounds of layoffs or strings a few down quarters in a row, it can be difficult to stay focused on your job, especially if the rumors are flying and others around you have been laid off or are feeling pressure.

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Here are a few steps to deal with the uncertainty.

Stay informed. Be aware of the situation of your company and the state of your industry by attending company meetings, listening to calls with shareholders, or reading industry websites and magazines. The more you know about the situation the better prepared you will be to manage whatever comes. Be sure to have regular conversations with your manager or boss to discuss the specific situation your company is facing and how it might impact you and your team.

Manage stress. This is a particularly good time to practice self-care and focus on ways to feel healthier, both physically and emotionally. Eat well, reduce alcohol, eliminate unhealthy habits like smoking, sleep well, and practice meditation or yoga. The better you are at managing the stress levels in your life, the better prepared you will be for any eventuality at work.

Be prepared. It’s possible your company could file for bankruptcy, be sold, or go out of business. Any of these possibilities could lead to you losing your job. Prepare for this possibility by deepening your network of contacts, updating your resume, and becoming familiar with job search sites that will be most relevant to your work interests.

Diversify skills. The more valuable you are to the company the better your chances of remaining employed, and like the NFL, one way to increase value is to be able to play multiple positions. What that looks like in your company is specific to your work and industry, but it also means developing your soft skills, like conflict resolution or empathy, while also being a good accountant or engineer. Think about the skills and abilities your company needs to succeed and find ways to develop the skills needed to make a positive contribution.

You might not avoid a lay off or the impacts of the market on your company, but you can find ways to better position yourself for a more positive future.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Things to Do Sunday Night to Prepare for the Week Ahead

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from The Art of Improvement identifies fives practices to implement into your Sunday night routing in order to be better prepared for the coming week, starting with reflecting on what you've already finished. Check out the video to learn more.

5 Great Ways to Prepare for Work Tomorrow

The path to a great day at work tomorrow begins today but many of us go through each day simply focused on the task in front of us. Then something seemingly urgent pops up and we switch our attention to putting out the fires and increasing the stress in our lives.

If we take a more thoughtful approach to planning our work experience, we can use our time more wisely, be more productive, have less stress, be better prepared for the crises that pop up, and enjoy work more.

Consider these five ways to be better prepared for work tomorrow.

Plan tomorrow today. Before you leave work today be sure to identify and write down the three most important tasks you must take on tomorrow. Place them in a clearly visible place so you will notice them when you arrive to work. That could mean simply noting them on a post-it, setting a notification in your phone or on your pc, or using a to-do list app. Place the most urgent, difficult, or stressful task at the beginning. If you tackle that item first thing in the morning you will feel inspired and confident to take on the rest of your day.

Leave work at work. Make an effort to avoid bringing work home. Take the time in the evening to relax, read, spend with family, exercise, or do something else that you enjoy. It can be difficult to resist the pull of work, especially with your mobile phone providing ready access to the office so turn off email notifications and turn down your ringer, unless, of course, you must remain available in case of a true emergency. Everyone needs a break from the demands of work and your evening should be one of those respites.

Get enough sleep. Speaking of respite, be sure to go to bed at a reasonable hour and get adequate sleep. It’s impossible to be focused and at your best if you are getting little sleep.

Eat well. You’ll be better prepared and focused at work if you eat healthy meals that are energizing, rather than heavily processed foods with a lot of sugar and salt. In addition, make an effort to get some movement and exercise into your routine. Not only will it take your mind off of the job, reducing stress, but it will also enable you to bring greater energy and attention to the job.

Get to work early. After you get a healthy amount of sleep and have engaged in some exercise and a good meal, get to work early. This will enable you to have some quieter time in the office, before others arrive, to refocus and begin to tackle the number one task and priority you identified the day before.

Implementing these five steps will help you be better prepared and organized to take on the day.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 4 Things to Do on Sunday to Reduce Stress for the Week

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 4 Sunday Prep Activities That Will Curb Your Stress All Week: "If we don’t have an attack plan for the week, it can feel like we’re fighting a schedule hydra: Once we finish one task, two more take its place. And that’s not a fun place to be."

• How to Show You're Passionate in a Job Interview: "To succeed in your next job interview, you need to figure out how to convey what matters most to you. Here’s how."

• Why Being Generous is Critical to Your Business Success: "Whatever you sell, whatever you stand for, if you want to stand out and reap more rewards, you have to give more. The receivers of your gift will give you more in return."

• Building Employees into Leaders: "We already talked about ways individuals can develop their own leadership abilities, but as a leader, there are some steps you can take to give your team a little push in that direction."
• Ten Habits of Incredibly Happy People:"Happiness spreads through people. Surrounding yourself with happy people builds confidence, stimulates creativity, and it’s flat-out fun."

4 Ways to Prepare to Ask for a Raise

Asking for a raise can be an intimidating prospect but can be made easier if you are prepared for the conversation

It is likely your manager recognizes your value to the team and the company, but you’ll want to be fully equipped to make your case by thinking through the following questions and issues about your position, your company, and the field you work in.

Understand the market. How are you paid relative to other top performers? You’ll want to do your research about salaries in your field and in your company. Check out a resource such as glassdoor.com or salary.com for this information, along with looking over information on your company’s Human Resources site. When comparing salaries in your field be sure to also look for salary ranges within your region. Salaries can range widely depending on location, with salaries likely higher on the coasts than in the Midwest.

Understand the status of your company. Is your company losing money? Did it meet its financial goals for the year? If it’s a down year for your company your chances for that raise might be diminished. On the other hand, this might also be a time the company is concerned about losing its best performers. You’ll want to come to any discussion about your salary with knowledge about the performance of your company and where you fit it and how you make a difference.

Collect the data regarding how you’ve exceeded goals. Be clear about your performance over the last year or months and be able to demonstrate with facts the success you’ve had and how you’ve contributed to bringing profit to your company. Did you exceed sales goals by 150%? Did you bring to market five new products when your goal was three? Understand this data and then turn it in to a clear demonstration of the financial benefit you brought to the company by exceeding your goals.

Understand your unique value proposition. Get clear about what you bring to the company that is uniquely you. What strengths and skills do you bring to the company that would be difficult to replace? How do your abilities make you irreplaceable to your company? Understand this and learn how to communicate it clearly and effectively.

 Develop an articulate defense and you’ll not only be primed for that raise, but you might also be ready for a guest turn as a television attorney on a prime-time legal drama!

5 Ways to be More Successful & Confident at Work

If you care about your career and work performance (and you likely do since you’re reading this) you want to be more confident and successful in your work.

There are some basic principles we can implement into our lives to make our work experiences more successful so let’s consider a few of these.

Preparation. To be successful we need to prepare for success. Sure, we’ve all crammed for an exam in school, staying up late one night to try to be ready, but long-term, lasting success requires a practice of preparation: studying the sales figures in the spreadsheet, learning the new program, practicing the speech, or taking the class. We must put the work in. There are no shortcuts.

Support. Successful people recognize the truth behind the old adage that “no man is an island” and ensure that they are surrounded by a support system that encourages them to be at their best. Your support team should include your family, friends, colleagues, and a mentor. You might consider your faith community to be part of your support system, along with the men and women on your co-ed softball team.

Habits. Your daily habits should support your career, including what you drink and eat, the amount of sleep and exercise you get, along with your mental habits such as self-talk and meditation. Develop a regular routine of self-care to increase your confidence and energy levels.

Attire. Dress for success by wearing attire appropriate for your job and consistent with the position you want to attain. It’s difficult to be taken seriously at work if you do not pay attention to your appearance so ensure that you look sharp and maintain good hygiene. You’ll feel more confident in your job by looking the part.

Communication. Success at work often comes down to effective communication skills, whether you’re coaching a team, lecturing in front of a class, or speaking on the phone with an irate customer, the ability to effectively hear and communicate will determine your success. Make a serious effort to improve your communication skills, both verbal and written, and you will have increased confidence in your work and experience greater success.

What are you doing to build confidence and set yourself up for success at work?

5 Tips to Reduce Anxiety Before Your Next Job Interview

The interviewing process often produces a great deal of anxiety, particularly if you’re unemployed and feeling desperate to find work. There are ways to reduce your pre-interview anxiety and to be best prepared to make a good impression on a prospective employer.

Implement the following practices to manage your apprehension and nervousness and to boost your confidence before your next interview.

Get adequate sleep the night before and eat a healthy meal. You can’t be at your best if you’ve had a lousy night’s sleep and you’ll be more likely to experience anxiety if you are tired. In addition, you’ll want to avoid food that makes you feel unwell and give yourself a night off from alcohol. It will inhibit you from getting deep, restful sleep. Choose a light, healthy meal that provides you with energy instead of weighing you down.

Work off some anxiety with a brief exercise regimen. Do yoga, get in a quick run, a bike ride, or a simple workout at the gym, but be sure not to overdo it.  You don’t want to feel fatigued when you attend the interview, nor do you want to show up with an injury sustained from a morning workout. Some brief exercise will get the blood flowing, boost your energy, and decrease your concern over the interview.

Participate in a meditative practice. This will lower your heart rate, and help get you in the right state of mind, calm your nerves, and enable you to focus on the strengths you bring to the position you’ll be interviewing for.

Interview preparation is key. You can significantly reduce the anxiety you have about a job interview by adequately preparing for it. Your preparation should include the following: understanding the company you’re interviewing with and its main competitors, knowing how to describe the ways your strengths and skills make you a highly qualified candidate, and identifying appropriate questions to help you determine whether the job (and company) is a good fit for you and your interests.

Enhance your mood. Finally, on the way to the interview listen to something that lifts your spirits, encourages you to be at your best, and fills you with confidence. This can be music, a podcast, an audio book, or even a favorite TED talk. Find what works for you.

You can reduce your anxiety about and increase your confidence by implementing these five practices the next time you get that call to come in for a job interview.        

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 6 Actions You Can Take Every Day to Build Your Self-Confidence

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from Entrepreneur, suggests six actions to take in order to build your self-confidence, including being prepared.

5 Career Lessons from the Presidential Campaign

For many people in the this country November can't come soon enough and it will be a relief to be done with this election cycle.

But there are lessons we can take from the campaigns and apply them to our careers.

Though the campaigns have been divisive and seem to shed light on a clear divide in this country, we can take away from them the following five tips for our careers:

1. Contrary to what you might hear, truth counts. It's difficult to achieve personal or career success if you are not a person who values veracity and speaks the truth. The two main presidential candidates both have low approval ratings and that stems largely from a perception that they do not tell the truth.

2. Words matter. In some ways this election has been an assault on the English language, with incomplete and incoherent statements, along with various insults that, no matter how one attempts, can not be taken back or disregarded. We would do well in our careers (and life) to follow the simple advice we likely heard as children: "if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all."

3. Listen to those you work with and for. Successful politicians hear their constituents, they read the hopes and anxieties of people, and they respond to them with thoughtfulness and policies that demonstrate they've heard. In the same way, success in our careers is dependent on hearing the needs of our customers, co-workers, and managers, and acting on those needs in carefully considered ways.

4.  Preparation counts. Usually politicians have spent many years preparing to hold public office in ever increasingly responsible positions. They spend years studying the issues, meeting with constituents, and performing public service. In the same way, success in our careers takes time, effort, and preparation. Don't expect overnight success without putting in the work.

5. Success takes persistence. The election process in this country is a long process and takes great effort, determination, and persistence from our candidates, particularly those seeking the highest office. Similarly, success in your career is a process and requires one to persist, even in the face of clear opposition and failures.

These are five career tips you can take with you long after the election is over.

5 Tips for Finding Work-Life Balance with the Start of School

It's that time of year already! The end of summer and the start of a school. And, if you have children, you've likely noticed that your daily routine has become a bit out-of-whack over the last two months.

Not to fear. You can take some basic steps to get back into the swing of things so your work and personal life return to balance.

Here are a few tips to consider as you prepare for your kids to return to school.

1. Manage your expectations. Yes, there will be stress and everything will not go perfectly. Understand that there will be difficulties: you might oversleep, or the kids will oversleep, or you'll just be plain cranky in the morning and everything will bother you. These difficulties do not prevent you from having a good day, effective, and productive day, though, and do not allow them to prevent you from enjoying your children.

2. Get back into a routine early. Don't wait until the Sunday night before school starts to begin getting back into a routing of going to bed earlier, or waking up earlier to get that morning workout in. Start your new/old routine at least a week before school starts and he won't feel like such a shock.

3. Be prepared. Do whatever you can to make your mornings proceed smoothly. If possible make lunches the night before, have everything you need to take to work already organized and ready to go. Don't get into your car to discover you have no gas. All of these little things add up to bring great stress so do what you can to minimize inconveniences.

4. Watch your schedule. You might find that no more how organized you are something always comes up to make you a few minutes late for work. Prepare for this by ensuring, as much as you are able and have control over it, you do not schedule meetings first thing in the morning or have important deadlines to meet immediately. Give yourself a break and ease into the most demanding parts of your day.

5. Accept help. This tip might even be more effectively to "ask" for help. Perhaps a neighbor or grandparent can take the children to school, or pick them up. Even if this is done only one or two days in a week it can go a long way toward reducing your stress and helping you achieve a sense of work-life balance. There is no shame in seeking and accepting help.

Finally, be sure to enjoy this time. Before you know it, you'll miss these opportunities with your children. Take some time to sit back, relax, and experience some joy for the good things in your life.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 15 Habits of Mentally Tough People

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 6 Tips for Becoming a Good Boss: "Think about the traits you want your employees to mimic, and practice them. This will build trust and respect in your ability to manage through consensus and understanding."


• 15 Habits of Mentally Tough People: "The mentally tough also know how to exert self-control by saying no to themselves. They delay gratification and avoid impulsive action that causes harm."


• 10 Words to Remove from Your LinkedIn Profile: "I would stay away from these buzzwords, though, because you sound like everyone else. These words almost lose their meaning the more that people use them."


• For Entrepreneurs Preparation Beats Passion: "New research on hundreds of founders reveals that passion has nothing to do with results a few years out. What matters is preparedness."


• 5 Reasons to Add Purpose to Your Business: "Customers will generally choose the purpose-driven product over the brand without the cause.... For startups, you can knit the cause into the fabric of your business and allow it to influence every decision you make."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Planning and Preparation

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• How to Tell People What You Do--And Be Remembered: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

• How One Day Can Make or Break Your Career: "One day really can make or break a career, but if you are ready to take full advantage then the outcome is more likely to be positive rather than negative."                                                      
• Are You Suffering from Sitting Disease?: "Given the number of workers who perform their tasks on a computer or otherwise seated at a desk, medical experts are starting to become concerned about the health effects of sitting."


• Stop Planning. Start Doing: "The most important part of actually getting things done is trusting your own abilities. Once you let go of your fears, you’re actually going to be able to accomplish the big things on your to-do list."


• Top 10 Tips for Planning Your Career: "If you don’t take any other advice from this list, take heed of this one: to get where you want to be, you’ll get there faster with a mentor."

How to Be a Proactive Manager of Your Own Career

The dictionary defines the word proactive as preparing for an expected occurrence or potential negative situation. It goes on to say that being proactive is to initiate change rather than react to events. I know so many people who have been negatively affected by the job market. Whether they are laid off, let go, or find themselves underemployed, the common theme is that every one of these people have found themselves unprepared. Heck, even my own husband did not have his resume updated when he was laid off in 2008 - and we both know better!

Life gets busy, we get caught up in everyday living, and forget to take control of our own destinies. Here are some ways that you can proactively take charge of your career path and make sure that you are prepared for any eventuality.

Always Keep Your Resume Current and Updated
Being laid off is a very stressful time. Most people want to immediately get back into the market as soon as they find out their job has been eliminated. This is very difficult to do if your resume is out-of-date. If you have not updated your resume in several years, chances are the style of the resume itself is outdated.

Another incentive to keep your resume updated is that it is very challenging to remember what you did three years ago when you go to write a resume after a layoff. However, if you have kept the resume current with accomplishments and contributions you make - as you make them - your resume stays current and accurate.

Keep Your Knowledge, Skills, and Certifications Current
Often, when we get comfortable in our jobs, we neglect our education and professional development. I urge you to keep pursuing education and certifications as your industry changes and grows. You will be much more marketable if you have current skills. Demonstrate that you keep up with industry trends by showing that you have maintained current training. It does not have to cost an arm and a leg, just a class, a seminar, or attendance at an industry conference annually is enough to keep you sharp.

Diversify Within Your Career Field
My husband is a civil engineer. When he was laid off in 2008, he specialized in designing master planned communities. When the construction market in our state hit the skids, no one wanted his skills because they were looking for someone with municipal project and highway experience. It took him almost two years to land a good job in his industry and he still has not returned to his previous salary.

The moral of his story is that you should try to avoid getting pigeon-holed. Of course it is good to have a specialty, just make sure you cross-train and gain exposure to new ways to apply your skills and knowledge. The more diverse your knowledge, the more marketable you become.