Condo Media - December 2009 - 39

managers come from to replace those carried out on their shields? This will lead to a very interesting dynamic in the next eight to 10 years when development of large community associations begins again. Examine Your Situation Examine your real reasons for wanting to leave a job. We seem to be in a reflective mood as a country. So, before you leap, reflect on why you want to leave your current position: Is it based on emotion, or is it based on fact? If you are just sick of your job, your boss, your accounts or the way the accounting staff parts their hair … my heartfelt suggestion is not to leave in a huff and flurry of hastily gathered belongings prior to the door hitting you on the way out. Stop, think, breath and examine. Is it really that bad? Or will it be worse or the same elsewhere? Are you assured of another position? No? Then be prepared for several months of unemployment (hope for the best, prepare for the worst). And always, always leave a current position with the appropriate notice given and all of your duties executed right up until the end. You never know, you may need to go back there someday and executives have a very long memory, especially when they have an abundance of candidates from which to choose. Let go? Examine why. I talk to a lot of folks who have been laid off from their jobs in community management. Some were support staff or were lowest on the totem pole; thus they got the ax when accounts departed. It’s a bummer, but it’s a fact of life. Others are more senior folks who, for the life of them, can’t figure out why they were let go while people with less seniority had been spared. It’s heartbreaking, but the truth often lies in one of two things: Their position and anything like it has been eliminated and there is nothing available to support their salary or they had made themselves less valuable than a fellow employee who was not laid off. Less valuable? How can you be less valuable than you were a year ago? Simple supply and demand. When the manager supply rises without an increase in demand (no new housing starts in the pipeline) the price for that supply is lowered. As I discussed, there is a large group of folks — from inexperienced to very experienced — doing whatever it takes to get/stay employed in our industry. Companies have gone lean, only hiring those who provide a real return on their investment of salary, and often that salary is lower than in previous years. extra mile instead of simply showing up is valuable. Last, but not least, not being a whiner is priceless. When you add up all your effort to become better at your profession, your employer sees the value-added for account retention, employee retention, and a better bottom-line for the company. The Wrap Up Even in our industry, the employment market has changed. The pros of our industry — those who have managed their careers well, who have had steady employment, increasing responsibility, industry designations and good reputations (onsite or portfolio) — will be the most successful. Those who have less than stellar track records, as well as the walking wounded among us can find employment, yet may be unprepared for the amount of time and effort it will take to gain that employment. The most difficult effort will go to those attempting to enter the business as they may find the dues, in terms of industry education and participation may, in their minds, outweigh the gain of the entry-level salary. Can you find employment, new employment or get promoted in this market? The answer is yes, but no longer may you do so with the ease of knowing there are more jobs than managers. There aren’t. This is additionally complicated by the influx of all those folks trying to get into our recession-resistant industry. My message to all of you is this: Now more than ever, how you manage your job search, search for a promotion and how you have managed your career in the past are crucial to you at this time. The better your career management, the greater your chances of landing a job you want. CM Julie Adamen is president of Adamen Inc., a consulting and placement firm specializing in the community management industry. She can be reached via e-mail at julie@adamen-inc.com or through her Web site at www.adamen-inc.com. The Help A larger pool of good managers means underperformers may be dropped from the company payrolls. Management executives with whom I speak stand in wonder that finally, they have a decent pool of managers from which to choose, allowing them to cut less-valuable managers (and others) in favor of hiring a better staff member, one who brings more value to the company for the salary paid that employee. It allows them to run more efficiently. Want a job? Bring added value. If you want to stay employed or gain new employment, think: What value do I bring to the table? “Value” means something different to each company, but the basics are the basics: Buckle down and get your industry designations as the beginning of a value-added manager. A CMCA is a good start, but I’d advise moving up to your AMS and then on to your PCAM. A college degree is valuable, yet higher industry designations and people and communication skills may count for more. Industry participation is valuable because it’s always nice to have employees involved and the company name involved along with them. Being a team player is a very valuable trait. Having a great attitude is valuable across the board. Mentoring a co-worker brings value not only to you, but also to them and to the company. Going the CONDO MEDIA • DECEMBER 2009

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Condo Media - December 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - December 2009