CAREER DEVELOPMENT Employment Tips: How to Get and Keep Your Job

Printable version

Smart organizations have, and always will, go out of their way to look for and retain the kind of employees who acquire and use the skills, competencies and qualities needed to contribute to the bottom-line success of the organization.

From a very practical standpoint, to get and keep a job you must:

• Be a self-starter.
• Have and continually develop your technology skills.
• Previous accomplishments are good, but you will keep your job on what you are doing today and what you will accomplish tomorrow.
• Network actively with people throughout your chosen occupation and profession.
• Realize that you are not only judged on productivity, but also on popularity.
• Forget the traditional career ladder and seek work that you are passionate about.
• Make the absolute best use of your innate strengths.
• People value most your cooperation not your input.
• People and the organization continually want to know what you can do for them.
• Co-workers, the boss and subordinates want you to make them feel good about themselves.
• Become a generalist but with some specific sought-after skills.
• Work well with others connected to the organization, both internally and externally, colleague or customer.
• Like sports professionals, keep honing your competitive edge.
• You must always prove your value today.
• Treat each and every day as a new chapter in what your going to accomplish for the organization
• Never assume your job is safe

You have many of the same credentials as others you are in competition with. The attribute that will make you stand out will be your ability to demonstrate that you can learn to do new work in changing situations.

This cannot be over emphasized… The future success in the workplace belongs to those who have “learned how to learn” to those who have developed a solid set of workplace “core competency skills” are “self-reliant” and to those who are committed to “curiosity,” “personal responsibility” and “life-long learning” and…“Work well with others.”

Bottom line… if you want to stay employed and be at your career best, you must learn from mistakes, overcome challenges, mitigate your weaknesses, and play off your innate strengths, talents and skills. You must stay closely in tune to your career performance and objectives… know what’s going on in your organization and have a job you feel is worthwhile doing. You must stay informed, engaged, open to change, and determined to make a positive impact on those around you.

A Very Important Point: You must work every day to earn the right to keep your job… Never take your job for granted!

Copyright Information:

You MAY reprint the information contained in this article as long as no portion of the contents are modified and it used “exclusively” within your organization and credit is given to Ingbretsen Consulting. Please contact for republication.

About Ingbretsen Consulting LLC:
Coach and author Roger Ingbretsen is a certified executive coach and organizational developer, providing organizational and career guidance to professionals, managers, supervisors and all individuals looking for "real world" career development and business information. His entrepreneurial approach will help you learn how to plan, lead and succeed in your career. Roger is the creator of the “Leadership Development Coaching Experience©” and author of the personal development reference eBooks, “Plan Your Career Now: The Survival Guide for the American Workplace” and “Master Your Career: Proven Strategies for Career Success©.” To know more and claim dozens of Rogers free articles go to www.ingbretsen.com or call 509 999 7008.

Back