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Is changing jobs given the current state of the economy just too risky? Does it make more sense simply to sit tight?

A lot of people are opting to hunker down, preferring the security of what they know to the uncertainty inherent with a change of employment.

So, for the time being, should you politely tell the recruiter “no, thanks” regardless of what kind of opportunity he’s calling about?

Not necessarily.

But do exercise caution. Obviously, you should carefully vet any company you’re considering joining any time you’re contemplating making a change. Especially now, though, given the volatility of the market, it pays to be careful.

While it’s not commonplace, I’m sure you’ve heard about people (particularly in the financial sector) who’ve had offers rescinded literally days before they were supposed to start work – or who relocated to take new jobs and found themselves out of work shortly thereafter when their companies ran into financial trouble.

Then there’s the “last one hired, first one fired” adage. Sometimes that does turn out to be true.

What to do, then, when considering a possible change?

Don’t feel pressured to make quick decisions. Do your homework. Make sure you understand the company’s financial health.

• If it’s a public company, you can review its filings with the SEC. Information that must be disclosed on an ongoing basis includes annual (Form 10-K), quarterly (Form 10-Q), and current reports (Form 8-K). The 10-K is the most comprehensive and will give you a good overview of the company’s business and financial condition. Go to the SEC website and consult the EDGAR database to look at the most recent 10-K report for your potential new employer.

• Get a handle on the company’s turnover from a historical perspective. Find out when they last laid people off. How many were let go? How did they determine which jobs were cut?

• Is there a potential sale in the cards for the company? Has there been any talk of a merger or consolidation?

• What’s the overall status of your potential employer’s industry?

• Tap your network; find out if there are any issues that may be flying “under the radar” about which you should be aware.

You can also try to negotiate some protection for yourself. If you’re signing a contract, ask for some kind of severance package.

Where relocation is involved, it pays to proceed with caution. If you opt to go ahead with a job that involves a move, don’t jump in right away with both feet. It might make sense to hang onto the house, let the family remain behind for the time being, and commute until you get a feel for how solid the situation is. Added bonus: your kids will probably thank you if they can avoid changing schools in the middle of the year.

Do what’s necessary to protect yourself – but keep listening to what’s out there in the way of opportunities. The economy isn’t likely to turn around any time soon; don’t limit yourself needlessly. Just be prudent about how you proceed.

Forget the macho mode. You are not expected to know everything or to be perfect in all regards.

Never be afraid to admit you need help and then ask for it. Many careerists, otherwise smart and capable, hamstring themselves by believing they lose face if they say, “Hey, I don’t understand this problem, much less what to do about it. Please help me.”

Career Tip: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is just the opposite; it is a sign of strength and maturity. When you ask for help, you are paying a compliment to the one you ask. You are saying, “You know something I don’t know. I trust you.”

Who doesn’t like to be asked to help? Few fail to respond positively.

When you put your ego aside and seek help, those you ask for assistance find themselves in your debt.

None of this is to suggest that it is always easy to ask for help. Admitting a shortcoming tramples a bit on the ego.

If you’ve made a mistake, admit it right away. Nobody is perfect. You have a right to make a few mistakes. If you act promptly, there is usually time to correct the situation. It is well to heed Confucius who declared, “Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.”

If you are working for a boss who doesn’t accept this premise, you are in a relationship that doesn’t bode well for your career path.

Career Tip: Don’t make a habit of asking for help to duck responsibility, to take a shortcut, or so you can sit on your butt. If you’ve made your best effort and you still come up short, then reach out for assistance.

Volunteer to help others. Step in to offer a hand in finishing a tough project. Let it be known that you are ready to help those with less experience.

When you get help, don’t be shy about sharing credit with those who gave you a hand and shared their knowledge.

When you ask for help and get it, be sure to seal the transaction with a sincere, “Thank you.” That simple step, often overlooked, paves the way to ask for more assistance when it is needed.

If you ask for assistance and no one steps forward to help, look out. You are in an unhealthy situation.

Never depend on a friendship with your boss to insure career success. Think of the relationship as a business deal, a step forward on your career path. You have something to sell–your skills and knowledge. The boss is a buyer. The price paid is an investment that must earn a profit if the employer is to stay in business.

Bound by his own ambitions and the rules of the workplace, he can’t carry out his assignment of supervising you on the basis of friendship. There comes a time when your boss has to say “no” when a friend would say “yes.” If you think otherwise you are on the road to frustration and pain.

Spend as little time as possible alone with your boss, because ever minute one-on-one is an opportunity for him to probe, get too involved in your affairs. The more time together the more time there is for differences of opinion and conflict.

It is also wise to avoid becoming attached on a personal basis with your fellow workers, peers or subordinates.

Career Tip: Personal relationships on the job will inevitably cloud and restrict your judgment and leeway for action.

A Costly Lesson

Work hard to keep the relationship with the boss from getting too personal. You never want the boss to let his hair down about his personal affairs, his concerns and weaknesses.

Unfortunately, learning that lesson cost me a lot of money.

Early in my career as a management consultant, I had the opportunity to assist Carl W. to move from his position as chief financial officer of giant public utility to that of chief executive officer. The move, the result of a corporate shoot-out, was unexpected and dramatic.

Carl was filled with doubts that he shared with me. I spent a lot of time holding his hand from the perspective of my experience with of other corporate giants.

Unfortunately, our discussions began to take on more and more personal matters. He confided in me that he had under gone extensive cosmetic surgery. Our conversations even included his deep personal concerns about the ethics and moral considerations in the assumption of power.

He revealed his personal feelings about his associates.

He sought my advice in dealing with the social aspects of his new position. I coached him on his public speaking and CEO presence.

His Ego Ballooned

As time went by, Carl’s ego began to balloon. He carried out a massive remodeling and expansion of his office space. He bought a larger jet.

He was becoming embarrassed in my presence. We began to drift apart. Eventually, he terminated my consulting services.

I came to understand that he had ended our relationship because he felt vulnerable after revealing his weaknesses to me.

Three years later I encountered Carl when he spoke to a large audience at a meeting I had arranged. Now secure and confident in his position, he thanked me publicly for my advice and gave me considerable credit for the repositioning strategy and policies that I had recommended for his corporation.

A footnote: He ignored my advice about the growth of his ego. He was fired without ceremony when he tastes for a lavish lifestyle far outdistanced his personal performance and that of the corporation.

Are you afraid that you’ll lose your job within the next six to twelve months due to the recession? What are the warning signs you should know that could mean you’ll be unemployed soon? And what can you do now to protect yourself if your worst fear were to happen?

Unfortunately, you’re in good company. Recently a higher than usual number of people have contacted me looking for job leads, for either contract assignments or full-time jobs. At a time when HR really makes a HUGE difference, it’s unbelievable that this function is often downsized during economic downturns. When this happens, it’s truly a sign that a company just doesn’t understand the contribution that you, as a HR Pro can make to the bottom line right now through effective management and retention of your most productive people. Of course, your actions also protect the company from employee litigation, which potentially saves the company big money. But when this happens, you must move on and seek your next job “opportunity.”

Here are some of the warning signs to be on the lookout for that could be indicators that your job is in jeopardy:

* Your boss stops giving you work assignments that are project oriented and take several months to complete

* Your access to information is suddenly cut off

* Your boss stops seeking out your counsel and avoids you

* It feels somewhat uneasy or uncomfortable to be in your boss’ company, but you can’t figure out why or what’s changed

* Senior management or your Company’s CEO stop talking once you enter a room…..

Uh-oh!! It’s time to update your resume. We HR Pros are so good at taking care of everybody else that we put ourselves at the bottom of the list. Guess what? It’s time to put yourself at the TOP of your own priority list!

Update your resume, adding your “selected accomplishments” from your current job to others from previous jobs. Add skills, specials projects you managed, quantifying outcomes and results whenever possible. Talk about what’s uniquely “you” and how you differ from others in your field. Think about what is your unique selling proposition to prepare for interviews. You want to position yourself as an “A” player so consider yourself as an applicant from the recruiter’s perspective.

What challenges is the company facing? What skills, knowledge and abilities do you possess that can solve those problems in the short-term? Find out what challenges the company is facing in both the short and long-term, then position yourself as “the person” who can take them where they need to go in managing human resources. Remember that you’re selling yourself, and you’ll have to answer the employer’s question: “What can you do for me?”
Start spreading the word that you’re looking for your next job. Network, network and then network some more. Here’s some tips you can use to build contacts (and therefore, job leads):

* Make a list of your “circle of influence,” everyone you know who you consider being influential in your professional and social world. Write or email them with an update on your situation, and tell them that you’ll be calling them within the next week to follow up. Then, just do it! Brainstorm with them on the phone or in person about all of the contacts they have to determine others who you can call for job leads. Explore contract assignments or full-time work as a part of these conversations. Frequently contract work evolves into full-time employment.

* Go on websites and see what jobs are available. Craigslist, careerbuilder.com, monster, hrjobs.com, plus sites of professional associations you belong to, etc. Do Google searches for companies and jobs you’re interested in for different geographic locations.

* If applicable, post your qualifications on sites such as elance.com to gain freelance project work. You might end up going into business for yourself if you can generate enough business and enjoy the soloprenuer lifestyle.

* Use social networking such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to spread the word about your job search.

* Find recruiters who specialize in placing professionals in your field. Call them to learn about what jobs they’re filling, and how they work. Only use recruiters whose fee is 100% paid by the hiring Company (and not by you!).

* Buy and read books that will help you in your job search, such as the classic “What Color is Your Parachute?” Follow the advice they provide to help find your next job. Even if you get only one or two tips from each purchase, it’s worth it. They can be the tips that lead you to your next job.

* If outplacement services are offered, use them. Or negotiate to receive them as a part of your separation from the company.

If you’re truly worried that you’ll lose your job sometime over the next few months, start saving as much money from your paycheck as possible. Financial experts advise having a savings account with 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses stashed away for a rainy day. If you don’t have a “rainy day” fund, start one ASAP!

Remember that people are happy to help you, really they are. All you have to do is ask for their help, and most people will go out of their way to help you. Reportedly only 4% of all jobs ever are advertised in the newspaper, and with the decline in the newspaper industry this statistic is probably high. So that means that you are going to have work hard in your job search in today’s market to find the next good job opportunity.

Finally, even though change is difficult once you’ve gone down this path of finding your next job you may be in a better employment situation than the one that you left. Job hunting is tough, and I’ve always thought that it’s good for us as HR Pros to go through the process once in a while just to remember what’s it’s like to be on the other side of the desk. It always helps to remember how it feels to be the customer in the recruiting process.

Copyright 2008, Regan HR, Inc.

You know you’re worth more, if only you could make them see it. Your superiors seem determined to hold you down in the same old paper-pushing job. You feel stuck in a rut, your skills and education go unappreciated. You know you could run this ship, if only given the chance. Even in a tough economy, you can emerge from the doldrums and take charge of your own career destiny.

Get educated – Education doesn’t always have to cost a ton of money. Sometimes it involves pursuing an advanced degree, and sometimes it only involves learning new job skills. You can get educated from a career mentor just as easily as a college professor. Of course, if degrees are a required part of your career path to the top, go get ‘em.

Network – Get a mentor who works in the job you want, listen to their advice and watch their behavior. Get involved with the local Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis or Rotary club. If qualified, speak about your career field at local educational institutions. Find ways to get involved in your community to expand your opportunities. After all, your next boss could be anywhere!

Volunteer – Yes, you should volunteer for community activities, as that is part of networking. You should also volunteer for extra duties at work, important duties and big projects that everyone else dodges. Focus on tangible achievements like increased sales, decreased cost, landed new clients or partners, received promotions or salary increases, etc. This is resume-building material.

Get help – There are plenty of job listings on the Internet. However, online job searches can be very time consuming, to say the least. Seek help from automated job search features that provide the latest results on a regular basis via e-mail. Target job sites that will provide six-figure income results, preferably ones that will also provide resume editing services. Don’t forget about popular online networking sites, but always be careful what you put on the Internet, as your online reputation can easily affect your real-life reputation.

With the stock market crashing and companies laying people off left and right, now is the time to reinforce your position and get noticed for the right reasons. Remember this, when it comes to laying people off the slacker, the gossiper, and the always late people are the first to go. I’ve listed a few simple things you can do to NOT be one of them.

-Do your job and stay busy! If you have nothing to do don’t just sit there cruising the net. Ask for more work or just try to look busy. Don’t get labeled as a slacker, it’s a tough one to shake off.

-Don’t loiter. Don’t hang around in the hallway, break room, or someone else’s desk or office no matter how cute she is. Don’t get noticed socializing!

-Be sociable to the big wigs. A simple ‘Good morning’ or ‘Hey, how’s it going today’ can be all it takes to make people like you. And a well liked person is less likely to get laid off then somebody that isn’t liked at all.

-Become important. This is a tough one but look for something, anything that nobody wants to do and do it. For example, cleaning up around the coffee machine, adding paper to the printer or clearing paper jams. One guy in our office is responsible for ordering coffee and supplies and he isn’t even in the purchasing department.

-Don’t be cheap. When it comes to birthdays, weddings or whatever, if money is being collected for a party or gift give a few dollars. Don’t get labeled as a cheapskate!

-If you smoke don’t hang out in front of the office puffing away! Go around the block, VPs and managers are always going out for meetings or long lunches. Don’t let them see you standing outside all the time.

-Watch your personal hygiene. Don’t look as if you just rolled out of bed after a long night of partying.

-Be professional during office parties. Don’t drink too much, or at all. Don’t be labeled an alcoholic and don’t get ‘friendly’ with the ladies or guys.

Remember; get your job done, be well liked and look busy! and good luck to everyone.

In today’s job market it is a good idea to have more than one email format when responding to a request for your email resume. The marketplace almost demands that you do so because of viruses floating around the Internet, and the importance for you to follow exact instructions. Anything less might imply that you do not know how to read and follow instructions.

You really need 4 different email resume formats in two different versions to cover all the possible requests you might encounter in the hiring process, allowing you to read and respond immediately to exact instructions.

You need 4 different email resume formats because about 50% of companies and organizations will accept email resume attachments and 50% will not. For those companies and organizations that will accept attachments to an email, you should use the attachment format, especially when you are dealing directly with the company or organization looking for a new hire.

Use the attachment version because it should look like the original hard copy version of your resume and cover letter. All of the formats you use should be in Microsoft Word for easy down loading. Using PDF files might be popular but they are not nearly as practicable. Everyone may not know how to down load PDF files but almost everyone can down load a word.doc file. Be smart, not sorry; format your versions in MS Word.

You should have two formats of the attachment version. One should be the resume followed by the cover letter, and the other should be the resume only. When personnel types ask for an “email resume” it is best to send the resume only format.

This is because specialists that screen email resumes consider the cover letter unnecessary, and they may not be doing the actual interviewing and hiring so they could care less whether you or another more qualified applicant is interviewed.

Should the initial request be for an “email resume and cover letter” then you have the other attachment format to transmit. It is best to have two versions of the attachment format because if you are sending the resume only, you have to remember to delete the cover letter at the end. Many potential hires are in a hurry and forget to do so, thus irritating some human resources (personnel) specialists.

When a company or organization will accept an attachment, they know you are sending it, and you clearly identify yourself, use the attachment version because it should look most like your original resume and cover letter.

If there is any doubt in your mind about whether a company or organization will accept an email attachment version of your resume, call and ask them. When an online prompt says “cut and paste your resume here” that is a sure clue that you should not use the attachment version because it will not display properly in the box provided.

Do not use your company email address when you are employed and in the job hunting process. Companies can and will monitor your email usage and messages. To avoid this pitfall, create a personal email address for yourself that you can access at home and not on the job. They can and will monitor your personal email on the job.

Do not use stupid email addresses (like “hotshot43@” or “hothoney1@”), or email addresses that are so convoluted they make no sense at all (like “jrz13xueb@”). Keep whatever floats your boat, but get yourself a clear, understandable, straightforward email address for jobs and promotions.

If your name is Ed Bagley, do as I do. Make your email address “edbagley@comcast.net”, even better would be “ed-bagley@comcast.net so it is easier to distinguish your name as the sender.

Do this so the person you are sending your email resume attachment to can easily identify you, otherwise, your email may get deleted.

(Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 of a 6-Part series.)

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley