Continuing Career Development in a Down Market

The economic downturn has not only eliminate thousand of positions but has slowed down advancement opportunities for those remaining.. Most career development efforts are focused on achieving success by completing a series of assignments with an increasing level of responsibility. The downturn has slowed down or even shut down these opportunities that are critical in making your talents visible to organization and in preparing for you for future advancement.
There are ways that you can continue to build your career options:
Focus on your strengths. Do more of what you do best. Early in a career, it makes sense to try a bit of everything and push to improve in areas of weakness, but at a certain point, it is better to focus on your strengths.
Reinforce these strengths. If the opportunities to show your strengths are not available on the job. Choose activities outside work at church or school or within community that develop the image you want to convey. For example, volunteer for the church or school building committee if you're good at managing projects. These outside activities can help broaden your experiences and help you become conversant in ways to reinforce your capabilities at work.
Network. Surround yourself with people with talents and skills that can complement your skills, not just with those with experiences exactly like yours. People have to recognize common values and goals before they're likely to share what they know, so cultivate these relationships.