There is No More Job Security!

There is No More Job Security!
In today's world, the lines are sometimes blurred between
career fields as so many market segments interact with each
other in many respects. A good example is the automotive
industry, one that I have a great deal of experience with,
both as a customer and a consulting salesperson. The big
auto-makers are connected to their supply chains like at no
prior time in history.

The United Auto Workers have now gone on strike against
General Motors with the central issue being job security.
Job security? There is no more job security! How can any
company be expected to provide such a thing? You've got to
be kidding. That was my reaction when an in-depth NY Times
news story detailed the situation. UAW president Ron
Gettelfinger said "GM can't take their eyes off the bottom
line, which is lifetime job security for union members,"
reported Internet news source, Scrappleface.

When I was a kid, it was common to see people work their
entire career for a single company, retiring after 40 years
with a handsome pension. I do not believe that the term
"job security" was even an issue then. It was more of a
given. People assumed that their employer would take care
of them. That perception is almost unheard of anymore, with
many people having five or more distinct careers over their
lifetime. Times have changed well beyond the imagination of
anyone from that period.

Since there is no such thing as job security anymore, the
UAW's expectations are totally unrealistic. What are they
thinking? Even if GM wanted to grant this, they are hardly
in a financial position to do so, especially right now.
Employers these days compete in a global economy, subject
to worldwide market forces and far-reaching economic
considerations. Companies have been forced to become more
efficient, to automate, to eliminate unnecessary jobs, all
the while combatting escalating raw material costs, skilled
labor scarcity and health-care expenses rising at 25-30%
per year.

The best way for an individual to guarantee their financial
security is to forget about job security and other
entitlements and begin thinking about investing in their
own financial security. They must learn, learn, learn;
becoming an expert in a given particular field, becoming
utterly invaluable to an employer or an industry.

A salesperson, for instance, with such knowledge and skills
will soon become a critically important resource in her
industry, always in demand and generating a handsome
living. It's all about financial security, not job
security. Learn to: Adapt. Adjust. Change. Listen. Stretch.
Learn. Apply.

Job security... what a concept!

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Daniel Sitter, author of both Learning For Profit, and
Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive
experience in sales, training, marketing and personal
development spanning a successful 25 year career.
Experience his blog at http://www.idea-sellers.com