Pendulum Magazine

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ON SELF IMPROVEMENT || How to Recession-Proof Your Job

Can someone else do your job?

In other words, are you replaceable? Why or why not?

With the looming recession that has already caused employers to lay off hundreds of thousands of employees across various business sectors, how can you recession-proof your job? 

If you have been laid off in the past 2 weeks, what can you do to quickly build up your skillset to make your skills offering more multi-faceted? To ensure you can quickly get back to work? 

WHAT’S GOING TO BE IN DEMAND?

eCommerce has been a thing now for years, but with the mandated closures of many bricks and mortar storefronts, businesses that have traditionally relied on an offline presence and personal interaction are now having to move their operations online and figure out how to survive with online sales. 

This includes everything from restaurants, bakeries, universities, retail, banks, realtors and more. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

People are already spending a lot more time online, according to a Forbes article published on March 25th, there’s a 70% increase in time spent online and a 12% increase in live-streaming - we are all craving for social interaction and are just. plain. bored. 

Businesses who did not have an online presence before the shutdowns or did not have a strong presence before now are all looking for ways to strengthen their online communications, and who better than you to come along and add value to their budding online operations? 

WHAT SKILLS SHOULD YOU LEARN? 

Anything and everything that will help you understand online behaviour and design creatives that resonate with the online buyer. 

MAKE IT LOOK GOOD

Graphic Design, Photography, Videography, Colour Theory, User Experience Design, User Interface Design…essentially proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and other mobile apps to create captivating visuals for today’s social platforms and websites.

THE CONVERSION JOURNEY

Online copywriting mastery, E-mail Automation, Content Marketing, understanding the Customer Value Journey and how they move through the 8 stages are all vital components.

UNDERSTAND WHAT SELLS AND HOW IT SELLS

Data Analytics, Brand Listening, Artificial Intelligence, learn about tools and platforms that will help you understand the who, what, when, where, why of your customers’ buying behaviour.

MAINTAIN GREAT CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Easier than it sounds when you have a few thousand inquiries coming in at once. Learn how to use AI chatbots, online Customer Relationship Management tools, and Build E-mail Automation Sequences to keep customers coming back because today’s customers are your best prospects for tomorrow’s sales. 

You may be looking at this list and saying ’this is crazy talk, how am I going to learn all that?’

Imagine walking into an interview and being able to say the following as part of your Elevator Pitch to sell yourself:

Bring on the confetti.

With this as your skills base, and hopefully a strategic mindset and strong network of connections to match, you are an indispensable asset for your company. Now, let’s on with the crazy exercise of obtaining all these skills, because others who will be competing for the same job you want are already hard at work.