My biggest fear, when it comes to my career, is having my job stability threatened. My anxious nature won’t let go of the thought. Don’t get me wrong –I’ve got a great position with a company I love, but still, there has always been a niggling thought in the back of my mind.
How stable am I really, and what would happen if I ever did lose my job? That’s where career cushioning comes in.
What is career cushioning?
Remember when the pandemic forced thousands of companies to let go of staff and close their doors? None of us were expecting such an immanent threat to our livelihood, but it happened regardless. Life can be unpredictable like that and that unpredictability breeds fear. What if something else happens, what if the country goes into recession, what if another pandemic falls into our hands?
Suddenly, the stability of your career feels a little less solid. Instead of scratching away at the fear, why not take proactive steps to pad your fall? First coined by Forbes Magazine, career cushioning involves actively taking steps to ensure that your career will bounce back, if your job is ever threatened.
How to cushion your career
It’s all about keeping your options open. Even when you love your job, career cushioning offers the opportunity for you to expand on your horizons. There are multiple things you can do to achieve this, from upskilling yourself to knowing your value, and opening yourself up to greater opportunities. Let’s get into it.
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Know your value
This is important, career cushioning or not.
We often become complacent and unhappy in our roles when our values don’t align with the job. Knowing what you’re worth and what you’re serving at the table is important. This will allow you to evaluate where you really stand with your current employer, and helps you paint a better picture of your depth in the career pool, and helps you identify where further opportunities may lie.
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What’s the situation you’re in?
Before you take up career cushioning based on fear and anxiety around your job stability, take a minute to reevaluate and do some research. Should you really be panicking, and can you identify any looming threats to your stability? If you can’t do this on your own, talk about it. Ask the powers that be about your performance, check if there’s room for improvement.
Plug in to office gossip about the company, but don’t believe everything you hear. Do the research and make the next step based on the facts. If there aren’t any looming threats, career cushioning will pad your fall if there ever is any threat to your position. The key is to approaching it positively.
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Upskill yourself
Whether you’re feeling like you could be contributing more to your current role, or you’d like to prepare yourself for whichever career move comes next, upskilling yourself is always a major plus. The key here is to keep on the pulse with what skills companies are looking for. Joining job recruitment groups on platforms like Facebook is a great way to learn about what’s in demand in the market.
You’ve got options when it comes to how you’re upskilling, like picking up a short course online or asking for more responsibility at work, beyond what you’re used to. Picking up books or listening to educational podcasts are also a great casual way to up your knowledge and skills.
Once you’ve got new, valued skills in the bag, if the threat of losing your position ever does become a reality, you’ll be equipped with skills to help you find a new stable position.
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Apply for the job, go for the interview
There’s no harm in keeping your eyes on the prize. If you’re committed to your career trajectory within the company you work for, then make that your goal. However, if you’re unhappy or anticipate any threat to your position, it doesn’t hurt to apply for that job spec you saw online.
If they call you for an interview, it means that you may be a match, so why miss the opportunity? You never know what could be waiting for you on the other side. Perhaps an even better position suited to your skills, or a better salary? Don’t close yourself off to opportunity, especially if you’re not happy with where you are.
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Start a side hustle
One of the most empowering things you can do is start a personal project that will bring you monetary value. Once you start earning from your side hustle, you’ll realise that others see value in what you do, outside of your role at work. Your side hustle doesn’t have to be daunting, you can do what you know.
Assess your skills, and think of how you can transform them into a business. If you’re good at baking, everyone raves about your cakes, why not monetise on that?
Having a side hustle will restore your confidence, give you purpose outside of your 9-5, and provide you with a small income which you can put towards savings, in case anything does ever go awry.
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In conclusion, is career cushioning worth it? 100%. Even when you are happy in your position and don’t see any threats on the horizon, career cushioning will keep you from becoming complacent. Opportunity and growth happen outside of your comfort zone!
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