Boost your company’s profits, boost your career

With unemployment continuing to rise,   job recruiting lines growing ever longer, and , according to some, dark clouds on the economic horizon, how do you position yourself to hold on to your job?

“Better start thinking about how you can become more of a rainmaker — someone who increases the company’s growth or cash flow” says this article in CNN Money.

“Ask around your company to identify who the hotshot rainmakers are and what they’re working on. Then find a way to attach yourself to one of their projects, advises Jody Miller, CEO of Los Angeles executive recruitment firm Business Talent Group.

Talk to one of the players on the team to explain that you’d like to volunteer and what you can offer. If you work in market research, for example, and your firm is developing a new social-media app, you might be able to help them figure out who the target audience is. Says Miller: “Companies are so lean right now that everyone is eager to have an extra set of hands.”

Push an idea up the ladder

Don’t underestimate the value of your insights. Upper management is often so obsessed with what’s happening inside the business that they’re out of touch with what’s happening outside. Leverage your knowledge of your area to come up with three new moneymaking ideas. (If you’re in legal, for example, you might see a fresh way that your company could license its intellectual property; if you’re in marketing, you might suggest some new avenues for client leads.)

Write up brief pitches that give a sense of revenue potential, and e-mail these to the business development folks. Let them know that you’re happy to discuss further. Even if the ideas don’t go anywhere, your move will show the kind of initiative and entrepreneurialism that companies value, says New York City organizational psychologist Ben Dattner.

Lower overhead

True rainmaking typically involves increasing revenue, but you can also help boost the company’s profits by cutting costs. Scour your department for ways to do it: Are there cheaper suppliers available who wouldn’t compromise quality? Is there a process improvement that could save money? Are you spending too much on overtime pay? Reducing overhead, after all, makes room for your next raise.  ”

And just in case

Always be networking, always be meeting others in your field and broadcasting your value, just in case the rain really starts to pour.  Be ready by having developed close relationships  with other pivotal players in companies who are still hiring and may be interested in someone with your particular skill set. Keep up with job boards like Careers.AdvancingWomen.com so you’ll know who’s hiring and what the competition looks like.  Just in case.

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