A version of this article has also been published in my column at the Globe and Mail. See here for more. 

Are you worried about your job security? In the past few months there has been a severely amplified threat of disruption. The trade war prompted by President Trump has sparked an unprecedented level of uncertainty, confusion, and chaos. Governments, business, and so many of us are on alert.

In this backdrop, I’m hearing from clients who are nervous about their career wellbeing. What can they do to stay safe? What if they lose their job? The chorus of concerns gets louder as the weeks go by. While there sadly will (and already have been) job losses as industries grapple with the impact of sudden tariff increases, those still employed are feeling anxious with all the uncertainty.

In this article, I offer just a few starting thoughts to help navigate these turbulent times. For starters, don’t panic. But do prepare.

Photo: Geralt on Pixabay

Don’t panic. But do prepare: It is always a good idea to stay on your career-ready toes even when all is well. This is even more important when there is turmoil  and uncertainty that may (or may not) impact you. Rather than waiting, there are things you can start to do right now. Some of the points I’m about to share cover just the basic essentials. Equally important, are some crucial mindsets and behaviours. Make sure you read to the end for those as well.

Starting with the essentials:

Ensure your resume and LinkedIn profile are up to date. This sounds obvious but it is so easy to let dust accumulate on your profiles while you are busy working and happily employed. But don’t do that. Make sure your profile is fresh and current. This means more than just your job history. Include your strengths, accomplishments, and the value you bring (see next point). Resume writing takes time, thought, and remembering who you are and your many accomplishments, large and small. Don’t wait until this is a scramble. Take time to update now. See the next points to help you do this.

Take stock of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Knowing your skills, strengths and accomplishments is not only for your resume (interviews, etc.) it is imperative that you know your own value. This process will reconnect you to all that you’ve done and what you are capable of as you look ahead. It’s a confidence booster which is helpful in these uncertain times, especially if you need to pivot to new terrain. If this is difficult, keep reading as I outline a helpful exercise to remember through stories (see the CARS activity)

Don’t forget transferable strengths: Chances are there will be a lot of pivoting ahead. Do not limit your skills only to your current role and context. Make sure to highlight transferable skills so that you can be seen able to flex and pivot to other opportunities. For instance, negotiating with suppliers; managing projects; and developing relationships – all these abilities can be transferable to other roles and sectors.

Remember through stories: I’ve coached many people who got stumped when asked to describe their strengths and accomplishments. We tend to be so focused on getting stuff done, we pay less attention to who we are. If this feels difficult for you, try to remember through your stories. There are various ways to do this. One that I work with is a variation of a common exercise often referred to as CAR. I call my version CARS.  The “S” is very important – read on:

Try the CARS Exercise to help you remember: The CARS exercise prompts you to reflect in a way that boosts your own self awareness of your accomplishments and strengths. You can decide what to bring from this exercise into your profiles (resume, Linkedin), letters and interviews.

CARS: Stands for Circumstances; Actions; Results; and ‘So What’.  

Circumstance: Identify a situation or circumstance. It could be a challenge, opportunity, tasks —  large or small. E.g. I had to find way to improve a process and reduce costs under tight deadline and get support from variety of stakeholders.

Actions: What did you do? Reflect on all the activities, behaviours you did. Start with action verbs (e.g. consulted with __; Generated options __; Executed __, etc.)

Results: What happened because of what you did? Consider both concrete results but also the less tangible yet equally important outcomes such as deepening relationships.

So what does this mean? This last part should not be under-estimated or ignored. It prompts you think about why this story matters and what it says about you.

“So what this means is –___.” Here’s where you convey what this reflects about you and your abilities. Why does this example matter? What does this little story highlight about you and what you can bring to a role?  Connect to this and you’ll be better at telling your story to others.

E.g. “So what this says about me is you can count on me to find solutions to even the most difficult of challenges; to be collaborative and respectful and…..(fill in the blank”. 

Mindset Matters 

During times of disruption it may be easy to default to defensive behaviour (when we are frightened, our brians default to a protective stance). Some people may feel like hard work is futile and that control is out of their hands.

Your mindset, attitude, and ultimately behaviour may make a significant difference in how you navigate these tricky times.

For this article, I’m focusing only on situations where you are still employed but may be operating under the cloud of uncertainty. In my experience, I’ve seen situations where companies were forced to lay off staff. But some still got to stay. I had a client recently ask me:

“How do I make sure I have the best chance of being in the group that gets to stay?”

Management decisions who to cut and who to stay are not always clear cut. Here are a few thoughts on how to give yourself better chance of surviving the ‘cuts’.

Adopt a flexible mindset:

This is no time to be ardently defending the way things used to be done. Rather, this is a time to show you can flex, pivot, and adapt to changes – as often as you need. Survival of the fittest is always about adaptation. In today’s context, companies are grappling with how to respond to the current climate. You may find things shifting frequently. Roll with it as best you can and do not be the vocal naysayer that complains about all the changes. Be the person that portrays an attitude of “I’m ready to be of service and can pivot to what is needed.”

Be a person who is good to work with:  You do need skills, but character should not be overlooked. If you find yourself in a situation where your employer must make some cuts, but will keep some people onboard, what can you do to increase your chances that you will get to stay?

While skills, abilities and roles will play into the equation — what about when there is parity in those kinds of skills (i.e. yours are the same as others)? If you are someone who tends to be perceived as difficult to work with, you may not have as many chips in your favour in comparison to others who may seen as consistently good to work with.

Check in with yourself and ask, are you seen as a collaborator? A good person to work with? Make sure you are. It won’t guarantee your job but it sure can’t hurt.

Looking ahead, we will all need to strengthen our tolerance of uncertainty and adapt to change for at least for at least a good while. There’s lots more on this topic but for now if you are still employed but feeling the weight of uncertainty, at least give yourself a little peace of mind by doing what you can do right now as a start.

Wishing you resilience and lots of positive energy (we can all use large doses of that!).

Eileen Chadnick, PCC, of Big Cheese Coaching, is an ICF credentialed, two-time ICF (International Coaching Federation) Prism award winner, who works with leaders (emerging to experienced), and organizations, on navigating, leading and flourishing in times of flux, opportunity and challenge. She is the author of Ease: Manage Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy.