By: Tim Augustine

You spend so much time devoted to helping your firm grow and succeed, have you thought about your personal career development and growth?

The days of being employed by one company for your entire career are over. In today's fast-moving economy, the average job tenure is between three to five years; in other words, three to five years after landing a job, you might be looking for another opportunity. Therefore, you need to continue to build your network and sharpen your skills for your next career move. My advice regarding career develop can be summed up with three simple statements in this order.

1. Your job should be personally satisfying. You should get up every Monday morning and be excited to go to work. You should enjoy the people you work with and the cultural environment. You should feel that you are making a difference and the firm appreciates the dedication and expertise you provide.
   
2. Your job should provide professional development. You should be challenged everyday and learn new things that continue to cultivate your interests. You should be a life long learner and have the opportunity to build your portfolio as a professional.
   
3. Your job should provide financial reward. You should be paid a fair market wage for the value that you provide in your role and responsibilities. Sure, we are never paid enough, by realistically, you should keep tabs of the market and make sure you compensated fairly.
   

When coaching executives, I often suggest the following business activities to keep you closer to that next opportunity or make job hunting that much easier.

Stay connected with your network.
You need to continually stay in contact with your personal and professional network. Schedule time to make phone calls and send e-mails just to keep in touch. Schedule lunches with those key contacts to stay abreast of their career activities, as well. As with any job, you want to focus your energies on your tasks at hand, but do not forget to stay involved in your networking roundtables, industry associations, or social groups. Your network of family, friends, and business associates should continue to grow as you expand your career. Remember, networking refers to a social activity utilizing reciprocal relationships to facilitate communication between people. Networking can be a very powerful tool to building skills and capabilities, and acquiring access to opportunities and information. Build and save your database of contacts and continue to grow and expand the breadth of your network. Leverage your experiences and network of contacts to help others meet new people, gather information, or grow their career.

Stay connected to your industry.
Make sure you stay abreast of changes in your industry. Stay involved in industry associations and professional organizations. Continue to build your knowledge of the industry through educational workshops, seminars, or trade journals. You have no guarantee that your company will stay independent or financially viable. You might be forced to look for a new job if your company merges, files for bankruptcy, or downsizes. You need to continue to build your knowledge and skills in your industry, thus continuing to increase your marketability and value.

Continue to build your personal effectiveness skills.
You are the only person who can manage your career. You need to make sure you are furthering your personal effectiveness skills. These skills refer to your formal education such as acquiring an MBA or professional certifications as well as enhancing your position competencies, business acumen, presentation skills, and leadership effectiveness skills.

Do not forget how to market yourself.
I recommend updating your résumé at least once a year and practice your interviewing skills every other year. As your career grows, do not forget to capture your expanded job responsibilities, key accomplishments, successful projects, and significant results. Stay connected with the specific resources you successfully utilized to find your job, such as professional recruiting and staffing firms. Building a solid relationship with a recruiter you can trust can be a valuable asset as you grow in your career.

To further illustrate the suggestions about keeping yourself connected and marketable, let me share with you two stories of people who I have known in my career.

Susan joined a company that was growing and had a wonderful future. She worked hard, climbed the company ladder, and increased her earnings threefold. She was in the office early and stayed late. She earned a reputation in the company as a real winner and great contributor. As the years progressed, Susan continued to focus all her energy on her job. She did not work at meeting new people outside of those who worked for the company. She dropped her membership in the industry associations and even discontinued her connections to her alumni association due to her commitment to her job and firm. Her network of people began to shrink, and her knowledge of everything except the narrow world of her company slowly slipped into the realm of historical data. In fact, I heard people refer to her as a "dinosaur." Everything about Susan was what she accomplished in the past, and nothing about her was current. In the same way that never using your muscles causes them to shrink and deteriorate, Susan's market value and personal network were withering.

After 15 years with the company that Susan helped grow, the company was purchased by a competitor, which was great news for the owners but bad news for Susan. Her services were no longer needed, and she was out looking for a job. Her network was nonexistent. Her skills were outdated. In many ways, Susan was in no better shape for a job search than she was 15 years before when she was a fresh graduate. It took her a year and a half to find a new job. She took a position that was lower in both salary and responsibility. If Susan continues to follow her narrow path of focus, she will most likely repeat her marginally successful career track.

In contrast, consider Mike's story. Mike, like Susan, was a young college graduate. He accepted a position with a large firm that had opportunities galore. Mike followed a much different path than Susan. He worked hard in the office but continued to keep a healthy focus on both growing his personal network and continuing to improve his personal effectiveness. Using the tuition reimbursement program offered by his firm, he enrolled in the local Executive MBA program, earning his MBA on his own time over three years of attending classes on Saturdays. He remained active in the college alumni association in the city where he lived, accepting the position of president of that chapter. It took time to handle this position, but the contacts he made were immense. Mike was great at not only meeting and greeting people, but also taking the time to enter their names in his personal database. He was creative about keeping in touch with everyone he met. Whether it was a Christmas card or a phone call to ask a question of someone who might be more qualified, Mike stayed connected.

Mike seemed to squeeze a lot into his week: lunch with someone from the Alumni Club, an evening meeting at his church to help with the new expansion plans, and golf with a group of business peers on Saturday. Mike was so well connected that I even called him at times to see if he could help me network to specific companies that I wanted to know better.

After six years in his position, the company merged with a larger firm, and new management changed the culture. Mike was ready to move on. Mike put the word out through his network that he was interested in seeking a new opportunity. I can only imagine how people would describe Mike as they spread the word. "I know a guy who would be fantastic for any company that would be lucky enough to get him. He is smart, just earned his MBA, and is a very well-rounded professional." Within a few weeks, Mike had the opportunity to meet with several companies that wanted to hire him. Exactly 37 days after Mike decided to move on, he was sitting in his new office! Of course the first thing Mike did that night was e-mail his entire network letting them know of his new position, his new contact information, and how much he appreciated everyone's help.

As you continue to add value to your firm and thrive in your position don't forget about your career and personal growth.