How to “Outsource-Proof” Your Job

By Kevin Donlin | April 29th, 2008

Charles Darwin wrote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

In today’s global economy, when your job can vanish down a fiber-optic cable to India before breakfast tomorrow, it’s not how strong or smart you are that matters. It’s how adaptable you are to change.

That’s bad news for anyone who can’t or won’t change how they work, to make themselves more valuable to employers.

But it’s good news — and can mean real job security — for anyone who does adapt to change and does want to evolve on the job.

So here’s a question to help guide your thinking and keep from getting outsourced any time soon:

“What do you do that can’t be done overseas via the Internet?”

Example answers …

1) Seek out new tasks.
Is there one project at your company that nobody wants to touch? If you did take it on — or at least chipped away at it — would it make you look like a hero? If so, why not start today?

2) Make team members better.
Do you serve as a “connector” among the departments at your company, putting people and resources in touch with each other? If not, why not start now?

3) Bring in new business.
Even if you’re in accounting or IT, what one thing could you do today to bring in new customers or revenue? If you’re not sure, ask your company’s #1 sales superstar. Then do something to bring in more sales, and make sure your boss knows. When you do, you have a revenue-producing edge over every other accounting or IT person.

Re-read Darwin’s quote, then ask yourself these final questions:

How adaptable to change am I on the job?
If I don’t adapt well, what one thing could I do to start adapting better today?

Then, if you’re ready to take your job search to the next level, take a look at The Simple Job Search System.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 7:50 am and is filed under goal setting, life hacks. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.