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The robots are coming! What’s your plan?

Look out! The robots are coming! Seriously, they’re coming! And they want your job!

… OK, phew. Your job is safe now from automation. That was a close one.

But look out! Budget cuts and layoffs are coming! Watch out for falling axes! Your job is in danger!

… OK, you dodged that one. Good. You can relax; your job is safe, you have a good thing going, your boss is great, and — what? Your boss just took a new position in Charlotte and your new boss is the guy down the hall who’s had it in for you since day one? 

Panic!

… Or don’t panic, if you have a solid exit plan.

Any of these scenarios can be disastrous, and depending on your career, any of them could happen to you. That’s why it’s vital to have an exit plan in place before you need one.

How to prepare

Your exit plan should include:

  1. Having an updated résumé. It should describe your current job, responsibilities, and recent accomplishments.

  2. Keeping your skills up-to-date. Don’t get complacent because your job only requires you to know version 5 of the software. If version 6 is out, you’d better learn version 6, and mark your calendar for the release of version 7.

  3. Maintaining contact with your network. You know other people in your field who work for different companies; check in with them every now and then, connect with them on LinkedIn, have lunch to trade news from other corners of the industry. Know the environment, get their take on which way the winds are blowing, and start thinking about which direction you should set sail if the waters get choppy.

You never know when you will need your exit plan; it may sit in the back of your mind for years until you retire according to your own schedule. If so, mazel tov!

But if something unexpected does happen to throw you off course, an exit plan will let you start your new career path from a place of preparedness and control instead of panic and desperation. And that’s the best way to leave one job: with a firm focus on the next one.

Adapting to new skills is a skill in itself. Own that.

When I think about the rough waters we’ve all navigated this past year, I keep coming back to a quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

When things get choppy, those with skills and determination will come through stronger. When given no alternative, most people will find they’re stronger and more adaptable than they presumed themselves to be. That’s when they prove their mettle and strengthen their skills, whether steering a ship, running a business, or just trying to keep up with a changing world.

With this principle in mind, I’ve added a new question that I ask all my clients these days: “How did you adjust to the pandemic?”

How did you rise to meet this moment?

Did you convert your physical workplace to accommodate social distancing?

Did you coordinate the logistics of having a team suddenly scattered to their home offices?

Did you redesign all your lesson plans to be delivered electronically, and learn new software to make it run smoothly?

Did you have to think outside the brick-and-mortar when your business model became a violation of state health codes overnight? How did you do it?

What skills did you need to become an overnight expert in to keep your supply chain running or your customers confident that your company wouldn’t become a pandemic casualty?

Whatever you did that expanded your skillset and pushed you beyond what you ever expected you’d have to do, that has to be on your résumé.

Employers don’t want to see applicants who have never faced challenges. They want to see applicants who have overcome obstacles and emerged stronger on the other side. When they ask you in an interview to discuss a time you’ve faced adversity, a shrug and “I’ve always been lucky, I guess” isn’t going to cut it. Because when luck runs out (and yes, it always, always does), what matters is how you adapt to the new landscape.

The pandemic is not over. We are not about to go back to our “before” routines. This has been a landmark event that will have long-term implications for how we work, spend, learn, play, and think. We don’t know yet what those long-term implications will be, but here’s what I’m confident of:

The most important skill is the skill to adapt. The better you can adjust to changing demands, the more valuable you’ll be to your employer, and the more prepared you’ll be to take the helm of your own vessel, no matter where the tide takes you.

The Syracuse Pen provides résumé and cover letter services. Visit our home page for more information about what we can do for you.

Greg MaranoComment