It’s Time to Look for a Life Boat

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

On October 10, 1912, a luxury liner set sail from England to New York with passengers and a crew of 2213.

It contained the first swimming pool on a ship, veranda cafes, smoking rooms, reading and writing rooms, squash courts, a Turkish bath, a gym, and a barbershop.

No one inspected the vessel for lifeboats when boarding to determine whether there were adequate survival options for everyone. They trusted what they heard. The ship was a marvel of modern engineering

One-third of the passengers and crew survived when the Titanic sank.

 

Many people are on career versions of Titanic and sailing without awareness of the risks they are in as they sail into the unknown of what I suspect will be recessionary times.

As a result, they are taking no precautions to protect themselves, their family or their career when the ship hits the iceberg.

As I reflect upon what I read, a few hundred thousand have already hit the iceberg and are swimming in waters where they’ve been able to climb into a lifeboat. Others haven’t and are struggling to survive. More will be forced into progressively worse waters. Some will drown because they don’t have a lifeboat.

What lifeboats are around?

1. Being financially prepared for the worst. The statistics about Americans and their savings is consistently horrifying. Many could not last two pay periods without financial calamity. Maybe you feel good because you could last a few months. For many of you, when you are not working, a few months is not a long time. Add to your savings while you can.
2. A network. You’ve been so busy doing a good job that you’ve let your professional and personal relationships go to pot. If something happened to your job, how likely do you think it is for someone to actively help if you haven’t spoken, texted or emailed with them for a year or more? Get to work on reconnecting with people from your past!
3. Giving a firm a twofer. When the economy tanks, firms still hire but the list of job requirements gets longer and they don’t compromise. What secondary hard skills do you have that could make you stand out? How could you fill two jobs for someone and save them money by doing so? You may hate the idea now but love it when you win a job over the other 10 people they interview later.
4. It may be too late for this recession to accomplish because it takes time to do. Your reputation for expertise, being an industry-known subject matter expert, extends beyond your employer(s). Maybe you’ve written a book, appeared on a podcast or spoken at a conference. Being visible helps. A lot.
5. Your relationship with search professionals. Whether these are retained or contingency recruiters, your relationship with search pros can be pivotal when it comes time to advocate for you with their remaining clients. Remember, a lot of their clients will have greatly reduced their hiring. With fewer jobs to work on, their advocacy can make the difference between getting in the door or not.

There are many other lifeboats available but I believe these are a solid 5 to start with. Don’t relay on the crew to save you. You need to be prepared.

 

Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2023

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