Absolute job security is a myth. I was originally going to write about freelancing and the perception of security that came with full-time but then I realized there is no absolute job security.

One story of being fired:

One of my friends is working as a  sales rep. at a firm. Recently, one of her co-workers got fired. She hated the girl so she is not exactly crying about it. But here’s why the girl got fired: The managers found out that she went to job interviews during work hours. Something that should be frowned upon? Yes. Something that should get you fired? I am not so sure. Depends on whose viewpoint you are considering.

If you are the employer, you would be pissed. You’d be right to be. But then again, the work starts at 9 and doesn’t end before  6.30, and that is the earliest they can leave the firm.  So if you really wanted another job, how would you be able to secure interviews after that? You couldn’t. It may look like you are betraying your boss’s trust, but then again, who doesn’t spend at least a fraction of their office time looking for distractions or other job opportunites online?

My friend freaked out because she did that too. In fact, the firm is small and the only people who haven’t been going to interviews were the managers. Job loyalty? You bet ya. They also happen to be the owners. Luckily, they didn’t take the fired girl’s word for granted and try to investigate everyone else. Maybe they really despised the girl. Hey, she had the reputation for being a difficulty bitch.

We can debate about whether she should have been warned or that they were right about letting her go. But hey, the issue here is that she wasn’t freelancing.

Another story of being fired:

Christian Slater. Image from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

Remember Christian Slater? Well, there is a chance you heard of him or saw a movie with him in it if you are slightly into movies. He has been in  Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Heathers, Untamed Heart, Bed of Roses, Broken Arrow, True Romance, Windtalkers, Basil…

Well, he has quite a CV. You can always check out my Christian Slater post if you want more info on the guy. The point is, he is a fairly well-known actor with an impressive resume. But before I could check out his TV show My Own Worst Enemy,  it was cancelled. Of course this didn’t stop me from seeing it. But then Christian was back in another TV show called The Forgotten. Great show, except it seems like it won’t see a 2nd season.  So you might be a famous actor who is hardly ever out of work, but you still depend on the “boss”-the boss being the network executives. Surely, Christian will survive. But it doesn’t change the fact that his “job” was cancelled.

The Moral of the stories:

Life is full of surprises. Your personality or your CV doesn’t guarantee security. If they want to fire you, they will fire you. If there are monetary obligations, they will pay that and then fire you.

No, I am not trying to bring you down. But we must be realistic. We can’t blindly assume our job is at risk or totally safe. We need a back-up plan. We need to be prepared. How? Networking. By getting well with our bosses. Not pissing off the ex-boss, even if we hate them. By never isolating yourself from the industry. By never letting your job to define you. If you are writer, sure- let that define you. It is a craft. Just don’t take your bosses or your jobs for granted. But while being prepared, obviously don’t go over the board like the first girl. That might also end up in you getting sacked.

Other Posts on Job-Hunting and Career Mangement

5 Questions to Answer Before You Apply to an Office Job

When it comes to changing careers, your age doesn’t matter

Bizarre Business Interview Techniques

The Power Play Between The Potential Employer and The Employee

It’s all about sales!

Lying on your CV (and job ads that ask for way too much)

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* Gerard Butler has a law degree?

* Edward Norton is a history graduate?

* Hugh Laurie studied anthropology?

* Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton studied medicine?

Gerard Butler studied law in Scotland. His grades were high too. But he always wanted to be an actor and he loved rocknroll and he loved to party. With characteristics like these, you don't survive in the office for long. He eventually got fired and decided to follow of his dreams.

It is not just about artists, of course. Most of us find a university degree useful. Let’s face it, even if we don’t like our degree, a BA at least gives us a minor degree of security and gets our parents off our backs. My dad would feel more comfortable if I worked for a corporation rather than for myself. But he can’t fight with my rationalization:

“Dad,  I studied Advertising and Business, I have work experience and my CV is pretty OK for a 25-year-old. There is not a better time to follow my dreams (which are about earning a full-time income as a writer ((writing whatever I want)). It is not just my dad who is surprised at my chosen path of career. Even though everybody knew I wrote all the time, they believed I would write in my free time while I got a nice office gig. Well, the idea didn’t sound half-bad until I actually went out and got an office job. I hated it and none of my friends has yet to find a job they enjoyed. They find freelancing scary and most see my educational background irrelevant. Right! Like a background in marketing would never helped a writer.

I just finished writing a series of articles for an online publication. Subject? Business tips. Stuff I learned 5 years ago. But obviously, not everyone wants to or needs to use their major. So as far as relevance go, I am not doing badly. My friends mostly have other stories though:

-          I have a friend who graduated from civil engineering and is working for a record company. He also works as a DJ in his part-time. He couldn’t be happier.

-          Another friend graduated from biology and although she would rather work in a lab or as an assistant teacher, she is making a decent income, has over a year of experience in sales and she just got a company car. I can’t say her biology training never comes in handy. It is just not used in the way she imagined it.

-          Another friend is working as a TA but she miserable with the professor who just prevents any sort of personal or professional progress for her.

-          Another civil engineer is working as one and hates his hours and would rather work 9 to 5 for a bank as a consultant for buildings. Yeah, that’s not exactly what he had in mind in college….

Frankly, I could on forever. Why we feel we need to or want to take different paths is a different issue. Maybe it is the subject for another article. But after I met an MBA student with a BA in sociology, I decided it was time to write this article.

How about you? Your friends? Is their work-related to their education? Are they happy or dissatisfied with this? What about the people you’ve recently met?

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Actually, I haven't read this book. So I am not promoting it. But the title is exactly about what I will talk about.

image: http://www.reiq.com.au/assets/Shop/Products/BookClub/Selling_is_Everyones_Business.jpg

I have never been interested in becoming a sales person, not directly. However, being the force behind the sales is intriguing, such as in advertising. After graduation, I started working at a consultancy firm. The premise sounded fun enough: The firm specialized in consulting people on language schools, universities, master degrees and certificate programs in different countries. It required interaction with people from all over the world and I loved that aspect. Yet, I also had to talk to people who came to the office and try to sell them the programs. Some programs were really promising and I wanted to join them myself, so I had no problem bragging about them. But some programs and most potential customers made my life really boring. The job also required mind-numbing data entry and worse, customer follow-up. You see, I don’t like to follow-up. When I am the customer, I hated to be followed up on. I believe that if people liked your pitch, they will come to you. I also believed non-aggressive pitching would make us even more distinguished since all our competitors looked downright desperate. But the boss man had other ideas. So I got bored and took off.

Then I got another job. A freelance, totally likable job. The title is customer relations/business development. The requirement though? I still had to talk to customers and potential customers-face to face and/or on the phone and persuade them to use our services. What at first sounded like a piece of cake, turned out to be a challenge since the customers have apparently turned into arrogant asses over the year. The results in the end weren’t worth the effort so we stopped the project all together.

I know the feeling.

image from: http://irrationalayush.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sales-fail.jpg

Do you like sales? I am not asking if you like shopping during the sales seasons. Do you like the concept of selling? Do you like people stopping you every few meters to ask you questions about a new product/service or a reminder of a beloved organization and asking for donations? Do you enjoy being “stalked” by the seller, the persistence, the incapability to leave you alone; or do you just like it when they give you the space you need?

Shopping/buying can be a pain in the ass. But the funny thing is whether you like sales or not, whether you work as a salesperson or not- you have to sell somethings throughout your life and you have to do it constantly. Oh, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to survive at the cash register at a supermarket. And I am sure life at any sort of box-office wouldn’t be fun unless you enjoy the interaction with people. But not only shopping assistants or street vendors sell. Not only telemarketers try to convince you to spend money.

Funny. But this is how the world works.

If you are in public relations, you are after selling a good image. The public is your audience.Your clients rely on you to develop the relationship. So you have to sell yourself to the client, to make them pay for your services.If you are in advertising, you need to sell your company and your campaigns. Oh-if you are not working in a service or product related business/shop/store, you still have to work your butt off trying to sell yourself.

Business, Engineering, IT…Whatever career you have picked, you need a CV and/or a portfolio. Then you can send it to your potential employer and then maybe get an interview. And then maybe get the job.

You might be a creative artist. Your job gets tougher. You need to go out there, make connections, send out sample, write beautifully crafted letters so that maybe,just maybe they will like your stuff and give you a chance.

It never ends. After all these years, all those box office hits, all those big shot actors and musicians are still out there, still selling themselves. Tours, premiers, award shows, interviews…All designed to sell the movie/record..whatever. If Keanu Reeves needs to sell his work, I guess I should shut up and stop complaining, right? Well, at least we LOVE what they are selling.

Keanu has been in the industry for over 20 years. Yes, he is so rich he owns an island. But he still promotes his work. But hey, I love his line of work.

image from: celebritywonder.com

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