What is Career Management Horsepower?

In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, a disturbing

trend reared it's ugly head. 



MOST career seekers don't have a clue what career management

skills they have or even what those skills are! In fact, only

71% of the respondents recognized they had any career management

skills at all! 



That’s precisely why these people are vulnerable to future

layoffs.



Before skipping to the answers, try your hand at identifying

YOUR career management skills. 



List your Top 3:



1)______________



2)______________



3)______________



Now, let’s compare your answers - and your survivability - to

these respondents.



Simply by reading this, you are gaining horsepower versus

your competition! You’ll begin honing some competitive edges

– and hopefully, it may be enough to survive through future

layoffs.



What are the real career management skills necessary for success

and how does your competition stack up? Let’s check out the

facts:



The American Heritage Dictionary ironically puts CAREEN right

next to CAREER some must confuse the two as their career careens

out of control. So, “A chosen pursuit; a profession or

occupation” sometimes ends up “To lurch or swerve while in

motion.” 



Let’s get your career on track with some relevant career

management skills – and some competitive edge!



Top 5 Career Management Skills 



1) NETWORKING (internal) – Always building contacts and

relationships within your chosen profession and in your

industry. These may turn out to be your very best source for new

possibilities…especially to stay in the industry where you are.

SPOTTING OPPORTUNITIES ahead of your competition through

these contacts is a critical career management skill.



Only 10% had networking as a career management skill. A shocking

90% are missing the boat and are on the block for future chops.



2) NETWORKING (external) – Always build relationships

outside your profession. These may serve as the entrée to new

possibilities. Just think, these individuals may PROVIDE

CLUES to upcoming opportunities.



No one differentiated the distinct differences between internal

and external networking, but it is critical in survival

strategies.



3) HAVING A CAREER PLAN – How can you arrive at a

destination without having the course charted? A careening

career is a “career by coincidence.” Not the way to survive

in the current economic and business realities.



Only 1% of the respondents recognized having a roadmap or

blueprint for their own career as important. Many thought

business planning was a critical skill but not necessarily for

charting their careers. They couldn't be more wrong!



4) KNOW THYSELF – If you are to market yourself, then you

must be able to objectively view the assets and liabilities you

have. It must not be blinded by rosy glasses or dark ones but

you must sustain inspection with a powerful microscope. In fact,

because we humans possess so many personal filters, this process

is nearly impossible without the aid of some professionals who

can view you objectively. They will invariably see things in

you that you can’t see in yourself – both plusses and warts.



Again, only 1% of the respondents got this one. If you don’t

know the details of the product you are marketing, how can you

effectively market it internally (or externally if you don’t

follow the steps above)? An objective third party that is

trained and sensitized will make sure you don’t miss any “key

features” in the unique product you are marketing named “YOU”.



5) KNOW YOUR COMPETITION – If you are to market yourself

– you must realize that you are not competing in a vacuum! Your

skills and capabilities will be stacked up against many others

in the company and it’s not always the most qualified who stays

or who gets promoted. It’s always the one who markets themselves

the best! 



No respondents got this one but it is critical to success.



So, how did you do? 



Did you get those career management skills correct – or did you

struggle? Are you vulnerable or are you on track? Awareness of

these skills will help you chart a course through potential

layoffs – and keep you way ahead of your competition…the final

score:



YOU – win! Everyone else – second place and off the

field.