When your “Spidey senses” are tingling. Simple strategies to fortify your career in uncertain times.

An area of science that is absolutely fascinating to me as a career consultant and coach is the science of intuition or “gut feelings”, especially as it applies to business and organizational development in the corporate world.

In fact, over the years, I have identified a trend among the senior corporate executives who contact me and I can almost predict how the conversation will unfold.

“Maureen, over the last several months, I’ve had a feeling something has gone awry and I cannot quite put my finger on it. I’ve been contemplating a change for a long time and feel that now is the time to act.”

The science of intuition is growing. The chances are that if you’re feeling uneasy about something in your current role, there is a good reason. Of course, there are dozens of reasons that your job could be at risk and many of those reasons are entirely out of your control.

Here are the three most common:

Change in leadership.

Disruption in the marketplace.

Merger or acquisition.

Here are signs that you may be about to lose your job. Of course, as the cliché says, the best defence is a good offence and by creating a plan, you will gain confidence and intention for your future.

Create a plan

Here is a handful of ideas for building your career toolkit.

• Status quo – continue in your current role.
• Engage a handful of trusted recruiters.
• Mine the hidden job market.
• Start your own business.
• Remain relevant and visible.

Settle with the status quo.

It is possible to improve your relationship with your current boss. By opening the door to a candid conversation, you could be investing valuable time and energy in a role you already have by making it better.

If this is out of your comfort zone, consider external resources including coaching and mediation services. This can be an excellent ROI for your future, especially if you do not want to undertake an extensive and lengthy job search.

Engage a handful of trusted recruiters.

Executive recruiters can be helpful as you navigate the labor market. Understand that recruiters work primarily for their clients and are not obligated to help you gain employment. They can, however, help you navigate the 21^st-century labor marketing by identifying companies in growth mode. Insist on confidentiality.

Leverage the hidden job market.

You likely know that 95% of jobs today are never advertised or at least are not ever advertised immediately. Get in the back door before the position is posted.

Start your own business.

What better time than now to begin your own business.

Remain relevant and visible.

Whether you decide to remain in your current organization (provided this is an option), remaining relevant and visible will be important to communicating and reinforcing your value proposition.

The beauty of this plan is that it can be executed in parallel. Many of my clients have begun their own businesses while they are in their current roles. It takes intention and energy, but the ROI can be much better than the status quo.