How many times have you heard people say, recently, that they are doing this? “…waiting for the economy to pick up.” “…hoping things get better.” “…just praying for this thing to turn around.” Maybe you have said it yourself. Well, I’m not waiting. I don’t think the economy is going to pick up any time soon. In fact, although December 2009 was very productive, I believe 2010 will be extremely flat. There, I said it.   the-bucket-list So I’m not the 2010 economic cheerleader, sorry. There are indicators that point to a possible upswing. There are just as many that point the other direction. I’ve done the research. I’m sick of it. I can’t wait any longer. I’m not leaving anything up to “the economy”. And I’m not going to “just hang in there” for another year. I’m going to set records and kick some serious ass this year despite the freaking economy. “That’s easy to say…”, you say. Well I say it’s more about your frame of mind than the economy. Let’s play the “what would you do if you only had a year to live” game. I know, I know! My sincerest condolences if you really only have a year to live. I’m not being flippant. But, really, what would you do? I’m not talking about your free-time, personal bucket list (skydiving, milk a cow, learn Mandarin, host SNL). I’m talking about your business bucket list. This is the game where you want to leave a lasting legacy and plenty of security for your family (or maybe your future self). If you only had a year to make a pile of cash, or drastically improve your career or business, would you wait for the economy to pick up? I don’t think so. You would fearlessly do whatever it takes. You would take risks. Sleep little. Innovate more. You would have to work smart too. Go where the money is. For those of us in the talent business, and for job seekers, this means finding the sectors that are actually hiring. [Author’s note: Credit sourcing dynamo, Marie Journey, for encouraging me to take this post a bit further than I had originally planned. Thank you Marie.] According to a Manpower quarterly survey released in December, 75% of U.S. companies surveyed expect no change in their first-quarter hiring plans. BUT, per this article on CNNMoney.com…”The survey said companies in the mining, durable goods manufacturing, information and government sectors expect to boost hiring moderately. Companies in nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality and “other” services expect hiring to increase slightly.” Temporary hiring is expected to be up. And, according to CIOs surveyed in a Robert Half Technology study released Dec. 1 referenced in this article on eWeek.com, “Health care IT application development is expected to see the largest gains in project funding and hiring in 2010. However, network and Windows administration continue to be cited as the skills most in demand, which is consistent with hiring reports in 2009.” Yes, I see 2010 as economically flat. But I also see opportunity. So, I say to those of you who are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for things to play out, get out there and play like you have nothing to lose. Work harder. Work smarter. No excuses. Think about it, and please share your comments. What would you do differently if you only had a year to make the most of your business? What’s on your business bucket list? About the Author craigbeavercreek Craig Fisher is Co-Founder and Principal of A-List Solutions, an Information Technology Staffing, Executive Search, and Social Recruiting Strategy firm in Southlake TX.  His fifteen years in recruiting also include positions as an award-winning Account Manager and Sales Director with Stark Technical Group, and as a top-performing Senior Recruiter with MATRIX Resources.  Craig started his nineteen year sales career as a pharma and medsurge rep with Glaxo and Smiths Medical. Craig is also a speaker and trainer for Social Job Search, Social Recruiting, and Social Branding strategies.  He hosts the TalentNet Live social recruiting forum on Twitter, featuring big names in recruiting and social media on the last Wed. of each month from 9-11PM Eastern at #TNL.  See www.talentnetlive.com for details.  Craig blogs at http://www.fishdogs.com and tweets at http://twitter.com/fishdogs.

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