Blockbuster Lacking Career Luster?

Last night I stopped by our neighborhood Blockbuster, picked up a movie, and proceeded to check out.  Being the only customer in sight, I asked a friendly clerk, Justin, for a major scoop of news.  Justin informed me Blockbuster was planning on filing bankruptcy and will be closing over 970 stores this year.  I’m not sure if the numbers or story is accurate but doubt there were any motives for Justin to lead me to an untruth.  After a few moments of pause and knowing my background is in career management, he asked if I had any suggestions.

Knowing Justin for quite some time and being a certified career coach, I was bound to offer bits of information under these types of circumstances.  As a result, we continued for a few minutes.  The following listing briefly summarized our conversation (definitely not all inclusive) and should be considered for anyone under these type of circumstances:

1)  Never stop working in a professional capacity. In other words, if you hear a rumor or believe your job is about to fall victim of closing doors, don’t decrease performance; nothing is written in stone.

2)  Show up for work, take care of your duties and the client.  Remember you represent the company and no doubt the company truly wants to survive; no company wants to close shop; so don’t take potential negatives personally.

3)  Evaluate your options within the company, speak to your supervisor and be honest about your goals, intentions, and desire to remain.  Often there may be a reshuffle of employees and a need to “right-size.”  If this is the case, you want to be in the number of employees remaining.

4)  Dust off your cover letter and resume; update appropriately.  Make sure your marketing material is competency based: displaying the value and contributions you will offer a new employee.  If you are unsure what I’m talking about, let me know (we will be detailing this concept in future entries).

5)  Engage in a self analysis project.  Now may be the ideal time to consider going back to school or transitioning into a new industry.  This may be the perfect time to pave the way to a position you’ve always wanted.

6)  Revisit your network of peers, professionals, and family members.  In today’s employment market, remember the vast majority of jobs are in the non-advertised market.  What does this mean to you?  Easy answer, approximately 80% of positions are obtained through networking, direct mailing, direct calling, and/or taking the initiative.  If you aggressively market yourself as a value and prove your contributions, it is not uncommon for companies to create a position.

The list above is a brief list of things to do; we will delve into each as we continue but for now, our first step is to NOT give up.  Notice I am requesting you take an active role in your life. I would never suggest one to become a passenger in life and career, being passive disallows a true path.  On the other side of the coin, with all the federal money being spent, President Obama may decide Blockbuster is next in line to receive tons of money.  Wonder if any financial banking or stock market biggies would lend a few trillion (and how is that going….okay, another story another time)?

Getting back to Justin, I hope Blockbuster is not lacking career luster and the rumor in the aisle is simply just that, a rumor.  After all, my wife seems to have developed quite a crush on this fella!

Danny Huffman, MA,CEIP, CPRW, CPCC, author, educator, and co-owner of Career Services International-Education Career Services.  He may be reached at [email protected] or visit his Career Blog at www.educationcs.wordpress.com.