How To: Stand Out

Happy Monday, corporate sisters!

This Monday morning we’re going to chat about something that’s pretty timely with what’s going on out there in the world right now. Making yourself valuable in a season of layoffs. 

It seems like every other headline these days is announcing massive layoffs, and I want to start by saying this: sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Sometimes an entire department gets scrapped, or bosses are forced to reduce their employees by 20%, and nothing you could have done or said would have helped. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a terrible employee, or that you weren’t qualified for your role. Times get tough sometimes, and unfortunately the corporate way of life is centered around making the numbers look positive by any means possible.

I have been very fortunate to survive several rounds of layoffs over the last couple years. Do I have slight trauma from it? For sure. But, very fortunate to have kept a job. 

My experience was that the people who were laid off were seemingly random - meaning it wasn’t one whole team or department. Each team lost some people. So there is something to be said about making yourself valuable (dare I say, irreplaceable) within your company. Here are a couple ways to make yourself stand out as someone leadership will want to keep if push comes to shove:

Not having beef with people - pick your battles wisely and be someone who is easy to work with. This is a great time to practice being the bigger person. I’m not saying to let people walk all over you; just find a balance.

Being multi-talented. Obviously you should aim to be really great at your actual role, but I’ve seen people get moved to another team instead of getting let go because they had multiple skillsets. Being really great at one thing can take you far, but if your company decides they don’t need that one thing anymore (or need less of it), you could be in trouble. 

Be reliable. You’re never late on deadlines, you respond to emails and messages fairly quickly, and people know they can come to you if they need help with something. Again, this doesn’t mean let others take advantage of you or pawn their work off on you, but make sure you SHOW (not just tell) your leadership that you can be trusted to pull your weight (and occasionally more in a pinch).

And lastly, just going above and beyond. Again (x2), this doesn’t mean letting others take advantage of your stellar work ethic, but just showing that you’re willing to go the extra mile sometimes. “Act your wage” can be a helpful concept if you’re truly being mistreated by your company, but sometimes we’ve got to step it up a little. Especially in this economic climate. This may not be the time to take a moral stand.

To sum it up, sometimes you gotta play the corporate game. Being the best and most well-rounded employee you can might just save you from having to re-start the dreaded job search process. BUT! Like I said before, if it does happen, just know that you’re not a terrible person. And you’re definitely not alone in that experience. 

Alright sisters, I’ll see you next week! Remember, you can either kick this week’s ass, or let it kick yours.