Current Trends....

Some interesting employment, career and work related trends of note:

Faced with the grim reality that their jobs might be eliminated despite good performance, employees are be more open to lateral moves and developmental assignments. And companies, desperate to fill key roles, will give them those opportunities to save money by filling these positions internally.

With the economy the way it is, people now have the duel issues of wanting to find meaningful work, but nervous because they feel they should be grateful to even have a job. On the bright side, you can still pursue anything you want; versus our grandparents who had their lives already all set out for them.

A recent survey revealed that only 40% of the employees working in the Midwest love or even like their job. 88% are not truly satisfied with the work they are doing; 75%said they wanted to spend more time with their families and 75% felt they worked too hard.

So what are we to make of all this? Obviously, no longer are we living in a world where the organization one works for has any loyalty to its employees. It's time to make yourself irreplaceable to your boss, your team, and your company. Do this by providing extreme value both internally, within your organization, but also externally, to your field, industry and profession.

Whether you want to switch companies, roles, fields, or do a complete career makeover, the need is to start is NOW. Self-reflection, evaluation and research are all parts of a new career discovery process. And, you need to DO more. Try volunteering or non-traditional projects, and these new experiences will give you more wisdom into what your next steps should be. This journey will result in expanding your network, talents and your enjoyment while testing unchartered career options.