Start working now toward that career change later

There’s an evolving career marketplace that’s local and global. – There are places for good talent to land. Don’t be imprisoned by work.

The environment is right for energetic job seekers. Unemployment is low. Fewer people will enter the work force. From now until 2012, the number of workers 35-44 is expected to shrink 7 percent. Boomers are at retirement age, too, though some may keep a toe in the work force.

Business has the need to expand even with a potentially shrinking work force. Result: Strategic skills may be tough to find for companies. I already see pressure on health care, auditing, IT security and construction.

A successful job change is not a piece of cake, however. Successful career movers anticipate the market and sell themselves into it. Here are the trends I see.

• Turnover is high; 45 percent of companies expect higher turnover, says one report.

• Career change is common. The Labor Department says a wage earner may have eight job changes in a lifetime.

• Job changers flee corporate employment. One report says 6 million “corporate” Americans plan to start their own business in 2007.

Even in this good employment market, I don’t see many employees with so-called “solid jobs” who manage their careers well. Here’s the foundation of a “sales” attitude that could benefit you as you manage your most important product in a volatile environment.

Research: Read trade magazines in the fields you target. Talk to subject experts about trends. Investigate job markets and companies. Know the market; don’t be surprised by it.

Network “big”: Remember power lunches, receptions and dinners for networking? They’re OK, but aren’t as effective when you are trying to connect across the country or globally. Pressing the flesh is even becoming passé locally as technology morphs the way we build relationships and establish credibility. Keep your name visible via technology. Try www.Indeed.com to find the right job, and then www.LinkedIn.com to find a connection in the companies.

Cultivate job experts: If headhunters call, take the call and give them as much information on you as possible. Refer them to colleagues as appropriate. Recruiters remember people who help them. Keep their names in your Rolodex.

Keep your material fresh: Keep various updated resumes for various kinds of possibilities — maybe one is your “bench research” resume and another is your “manage a lab staff” resume.

Be like an athlete: Every pro athlete has a coach. A business coach can improve your professional abilities, too, even with a career search. Check the International Coach Federation Charlotte Chapter for certified coaches.

It takes a sales mentality to manage a career, and each employee is his or her most important product to sell.

Wait a minute! What’s the flip side? Employers, you may be hard pressed to keep your best people. In this “New Career Economy,” attracting and retaining employees is tough. That is the subject of my next column in five weeks, but I want to hear from employers now to tell me how they handle this issue.

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