Job security doesn’t mean standing still

Congratulations! According to a Jobfox.com report, nursing is among the nation’s top five recession-proof professions. In July, nurses were the “most wanted” job candidates in America, according Jobfox statistics.

In a weak, volatile economy with rising unemployment figures, nurses have excellent job security. Nurses can follow their calling — and put food on the table.

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LEITA COWART / Special

Jean Houston Shore, owner of Business Resource Group, advises her clients to learn how to be influential.

Does that mean that nurses can coast along in their careers until retirement? Hardly!

You know how challenging nursing is today. Nurses are asked to do more with fewer resources. They’re often needed in leadership positions long before they feel ready. When was there time in nursing school to learn about supervising others or managing tight budgets?

Now — when nursing skills are in demand — might be a good time to ask for help in taking those skills to the next level or to learn more.

“There’s never a bad time to get more education,” said Jean Houston Shore, owner of Business Resource Group, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm. “In today’s market, you always want to be increasing your skills.”

Even in high-demand fields, employers are looking for the best candidates — people who can do the job and possess the communication and people skills to help others do their jobs. Leadership potential is always valued.

Now — when nursing opportunities are plentiful and employers offer more flexible schedules — is the perfect time for long-term career planning, Shore said.

Find out if your employer has a tuition-reimbursement program to help you earn a higher degree or certification. If not, associations sponsor affordable seminars and workshops, and university continuing education programs offer short-term management, leadership, personal enrichment and technology courses.

Another way to learn new skills is to get involved in an in-house management training program or to volunteer for a committee that will put you in contact with people from other departments.

Working on interdepartment teams is a good way to learn and practice two important skills needed to thrive in today’s work environment: how to be influential and how to form alliances, Shore said.

“People don’t understand the importance of learning to be influential,” Shore said. “In the old days of command and control, you just told people what to do and expected them to do it. Now, so much work is done in teams and you need to know how to get people’s cooperation and support.”

Becoming a person of influence means knowing how to build alliances in the workplace.

“Most people create alliances with people just like themselves, because that’s what is comfortable” Shore said. “But three-fourths of the people aren’t like them, so they’re missing opportunities to learn new things.”

Shore believes that most people have an inner career-management voice.

“They know in their hearts whether they are in the right place. If they’re not, they either ignore it or take steps to move into the right job,” she said. “Whether you stay put or move on, you want to be thinking long term.”

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