During the past five years we have been able to see that small government is not as stable as it appeared ten years ago. People have come to an understanding that there is no true statement of job-stability anymore. As time presses on, pensions and retirements are at an all-time high level of threat to be revoked due to financial indiscretions. I personally have encountered people who have had to change their livelihood into a completely different field because they were either being paid more than someone else who could handle the position for less pay or their position was eliminated all-together.

As these real and defining challenges present themselves into full light we must take into the following rules for living in today’s society:

1.       Your resume must be up to date, current with all of your job responsibilities. In addition to this you need to list all of your computer talents, making yourself more marketable and proving your adaptability to the present world. Allowing others to see that you are not sitting idly by as technology progresses is a key attribute to hiring people.

2.       If your current company does not have the latest office software you need to make sure your software at home is current. This presented itself ever so true when the change from MS Office 2003 to MS Office 2007 presented itself. The vast change required that people readjust their working knowledge of an environment to realign with the working aspect of their position. Though most companies are current with the MS Office environment, there are plenty out there that have not afforded the upgrade. The reason that you need to have the most current version of MS Office is so you are prepared for the new work environment in the case that they are working with the latest, showing the prospective company that you have made efforts to keep abreast of technology.

3.       Be active with social networking. Better yet, be active with social networking daily. Join groups that correspond with your job functionality on LinkedIn. As if there is any new groups to help develop your skill or to refine your role. People love to help answer questions. Head hunters love to see people who are active on polishing themselves.

4.       Clean up your Facebook account. Many companies are now going to Facebook to look at people, who they are associated with and of course to look at their pictures. The truth is that we are easily persuaded by pictures. Believe me that you do not have to explain why you are holding a cocktail in each hand, acting wild and living it up. We understand that we can expect a call from you on Monday telling us that you will not be able to make it in because you are “sick”.

5.       MeetUp is a key to networking. Join groups that interest you. Join groups in areas you want to know more about. The key thing is that you do not give them your business card right away. Be interested in what people have to say, find common ground into what you and the person speaking have. And whatever you do, do not hang out at the food table unless you are scared to talk. The other people hanging out at the food tables are also probably scared to talk to. If this is the case, talk about the food. Just make sure to carry breath mints with you. Garlic is not a flattering odor from the mouth!

6.       Having business cards are important. Having printing on both sides is very important. Tell them what you have to offer on the back side. This will keep people from having to remember why they met you and why they should remember you. When handing out your business card, present them with the back side facing them.

7.       If you have a website, do not use generic email account. Use the ones provided by your carrier. You pay for this service. Also, it looks more professional. And if the issue is checking the email, just call your provider and ask them how to set up your Outlook to receive your emails. In most cases you can also set up your mobile device to receive the emails as well. These ensure that you are aware of incoming emails and are able to respond to them promptly.

8.       Stay current with your knowledge. Training is primary to keeping ahead of the game. There are plenty of various outlets as to how to obtain new knowledge. You can take a class in person, online or through a manual. Whichever is your choice of training method, make sure that it comes from a company where their primary objective is training rather than a company that provides a plethora of services. Better yet, make sure that the training you receive is from a company that does not focus on a great deal of products but a small amount of products. This will ensure that you are getting knowledge from a focused expertise.

Making yourself more apparent to those around you allows others to have better insight as to who you are, your capabilities, your expertise, areas you are expanding in and other aspects. Above all things make sure to present yourself as who you really are and not what you want to be. Who you want to be will be evident with what you know, how you present yourself and what you have done knowledge-wise to obtain certain stature. Take each step as a lesson, making note of what is successful and what is a tribulation.

As you increase your network of people, groups and knowledge, make sure that you ask questions along the way. Please make sure that you do not rely on your network of people only for the fact of your personal growth. Try to help others first. Most people do not know or realize that this typically will get you further with your own endeavors.