This week I was asked by a professor to teach a class called "skills employers value." Indeed it is an actual seminar that has been offered for many years here at UAB career services and i'm sure at many institutions across the country. At one time or another it has been entitled 'job keeping skills' or 'career development skills.' In reality the title should be 'seriously, do i really need to tell you this stuff'.' Can you imagine if i actually opened with that title. I might actually do it!

The content of said seminar gives such groundbreaking advice; be flexible, offer to help outside of your job description, constantly prove yourself, follow through on your commitments and other illuminating suggestions. I was actually sent an article a couple of days ago that related how a survey found that recent graduates were seen to be more unprofessional than ever before when entering the workforce, that they were not prepared to go the extra yard and seemingly made no effort to stand out from the crowd. So scarily the seminar it would seem is even more relevant now than it has ever been. But still i get embarrassed telling young adults and even established adults in this seminar that it is a good idea to show initiative, to be willing to take on new tasks; i feel like i'm patronising them.

Unfortunately it would seem that about 90% of people are happy just to do the minimum, to do what's on their job description and nothing more. How many times have you heard someone whine, "i'm not paid to do that." Nothing makes me more angry than hearing that. Ask yourself the question, when you're asking for a raise or looking for a promotion do you think that attitude hurts you, you better believe it.

So now we come to hard economic times, (i've barred myself from using the phrase, 'in this economy') people are being let go, companies are looking to get every bit of effort from smaller workforces and so there is even more need to come in early, stay a little late, help a colleague out, learn a new skill that will allow you to meet more needs of your employer. But wait, should we only be doing this now because we have to, now that doing more has become the minimum.

It is true that companies can take advantage of those people who never say no, who are always going the extra mile, but this person will always have options. In good times they will be able to change companies because their ethic and value is so easy to spot, they stand out because they are the minority. In bad times, they are the people companies can least afford to lose, not that they will never be let go, even they may feel the sting of unemployment, but they will be the last person out of the door and it will be an agonizing decision for the employer to let them go, because to let them go is to know the business is really in trouble and beyond simple cost-cutting.

The problem is that apathy and settling into a routine are hard things to break. We can all point to people who have gone stale (some people have never not been stale), and who have real difficulty adapting to change, hence turnover in organizations is so high when a new manager comes in with new ideas. So constantly challenging yourself is a necessity.

So make yourselves as hireable as you can, as unfireable as you can, and if you are ever in my 'skills employers value' seminar and feel like you want to leave, if you can possibly bear to, that would make me glad in a way!

I don't have a Jagger quote at this point.