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A CAREER STRATEGY WHEN A COMPANY IS IN TRANSITION

Here’s a case study about "Steve" and his career strategy during a time his employer is in transition -- potentially putting his job at risk. Steve’s experience is not unique. Corporations downsize, merge and reorganize. Will the company’s new direction fit Steve’s goals and when will he know enough about the changes to make a smart career decision?

Steve is happily employed at a major corporation in a mid-level management position. He has been there for several years and feels comfortable about his career track. His family is from the area and would regard relocation as a major sacrifice.

Working for a global corporation, economic forces beyond the local market have cast a shadow over company profits and serious belt-tightening has begun. There are rumors of cutbacks but nothing official has been said about trimming staff at any level. His boss has assured Steve that he is "safe." Steve is whispering under his breath "at least for the time being." He knows that factors beyond anyone’s control could impact his position -- but when and if the worst case scenario might become real is anyone’s guess. So, what does Steve do?

Being a "take charge" person, he wants to mobilize and "do" something to protect himself -- just in case. So, he updates his resume figuring it’s always good to have a current resume. Not ready to really "hit the job market hard" he remembers all the calls he’s had over the years from "headhunters." Within a week his resume reaches me. Steve has started down a path that he has given little if any thought to -- past this point.

Are you ready to look?

We agree to talk about his career and his goals. The basic question to answer is, what would happen if you began to explore a new opportunity? Would you be in a position to accept an offer? In all candor the answer is no -- not at this time "because I don’t know if I am jumping the gun." As a recruiter it is clear to me Steve is not ready to commit to a move and he would cause himself, the client and me real pain if he even agreed to a preliminary interview. It’s time to go back to the beginning and analyze his work situation in more depth.

What are the Questions to Ask?

Here’s what we looked at. First, what are his career goals? Is his current employer a good long-term "fit" with those goals? If the answer is yes, then should Steve "wait out the storm" for those long-term gains? He also needs to look at the growth potential in his market segment.

Steve is lucky. His experience is in high tech, and he’s based in a major metropolitan area. While excellent companies with job openings are not as prolific as in Silicon Valley, the market is active. Over a period of six months, he could expect to tap into at least four comparable positions (to the one he has) – or even better. He may decide that while his company does offer career opportunities, there are other attractive organizations that are poised for growth – with similar or better jobs – altogether a better scenario for him.

Before Steve takes any action he needs ask several other questions. How marketable am I at this point in my career? If I move now will I maximize my value to a potential employer or would I benefit from "sitting tight" and gaining additional experience over the next six months to a year? In Steve’s situation, with a recent promotion, there is a case to be made for staying put, and demonstrating his ability to handle his new managerial responsibilities. (He is now doing the basic career thinking that every professional should complete before pressing the "send" button on his e-mail.)

Can I Do Excellent Work?

Balanced against the case for staying, may be the overall health and spirit of the company. Steve can’t do outstanding work, build his skills and develop an excellent team if the company is trimming resources and "hunkering down." Successful communications professionals thrive when challenged to do new projects, think creatively and help senior officers tell the company story. If the organization doesn’t want to "reach out," the PR Manager may be limited to routine product announcements and lower level tactical work. A year where the main task is to hold the press at bay simply doesn’t translate well to a new employer with an aggressive growth strategy. Sitting tight in a besieged organization is not valuable work experience.

Is The Organization A Takeover Target?

Another issue is -- is my division/company a takeover target? Or, has an impending sale been announced? If my department is redundant (e.g. do we need two corporate communications managers for the business unit?) what are the odds I will be asked to stay? If Steve’s division is being acquired, the odds are overwhelmingly against him being asked to remain to tackle a challenging position. However, should he leave before severance programs are offered? If he has several years with his employer, and the new owners have a history of negotiating these packages as part of the terms of the acquisition, then my suggestion is to sit tight, and take advantage of the policy. The most lucrative scenario is to secure the severance and begin to job hunt as the current assignment winds down.

So, What Is The Right Career Strategy?

As you can tell, choosing the right career/job hunting strategy is a complicated assignment. However, the fundamental questions that Steve should ask apply whenever he considers a move. He should know what his long term career goals are and be prepared to look objectively at the potential to reach those goals in his current organization. Once he moves past the fear factor and examines his situation, it may become obvious that for the next few years it simply won’t be fun or exciting to stay. Corporate turnarounds take far more time than people can tolerate. Fatigue and burnout set in and once that happens, there is no choice but to move on.

The Case To "Sit Tight"

If Steve’s new responsibilities will enhance his marketability (and we both thought they would take him to the next level), then he should plan to stay long enough to master the job and develop a track record demonstrating his achievement. That would mean sitting tight for at least six months, and keeping a very close eye on how much personal progress he is making. Based on the pace of organizational change, it seems a pretty safe bet that his job function will remain intact for at least that time. During this period he would have significant opportunities to work with senior management in an advisory/strategic role.

The Issue of Relocation

Because his family would find relocation very difficult when/if he job hunts, Steve should confine the initial phase to the local area. Only if he were convinced that there were no positions that "fit" and he strongly felt the need to leave the company, should he widen the search. No matter how tempting the job is -- if it is beyond his local area, he should stick to his guns and not be swayed to "check it out." The most deadly phrase I hear is, "it can’t do me any harm to check it out." I couldn’t disagree more. Steve shouldn’t start what in his heart he knows he can’t finish.

A Plan of Action – Eight Points

For Steve answering the question of what to do next has become a plan involving several steps. First, he is keeping that resume updated as a tool to help him judge if he is growing into his new role. Second, he will NOT plan on job-hunting for at least six months when his market value should take a significant jump. Third, he is monitoring developments within his company, so that he is prepared to adjust his plan of action if the situation deteriorates. Fourth, once he determines he is ready to job-hunt, he will have done a thorough analysis and defined what represents an excellent next move. His goal will remain finding a career-enhancing opportunity at a higher compensation level. Steve can always lower his sights if he needs to leave his current job quickly. Fifth, he will job-search through an ever-widening circle, starting first with local companies. Sixth, he will not waste time exploring jobs that he knows do not fit his goals (for whatever reasons). Seventh, he will keep recruiters informed about his timetable and strategy so that they can bring appropriate searches to his attention when he is ready to move. And, lastly, he will remind himself that patience is a virtue and that NOT "looking" is a legitimate strategy even in times of corporate reorganization.