Dear J.T. & Dale: My company just got bought! I would like to stay on and even get a promotion with this new employer. Is there anything I can do to let them know this? Also, my competition with my colleagues is stiff. What can I do to stand out? — Jalen
DALE: A veteran outplacement executive once told me to never think of two companies as merging; rather, think of them as swallower and swallowee. With that in mind, assume that the new owners will prefer their own employees — their employees already know the internal systems and culture.
J.T.: While it’s true that acquiring companies often eliminate people to save money, most will take time to meet existing employees to figure out if any have a level of knowledge or experience that they should keep. Pull together a list of the things that you have accomplished for the company as well as the additional things you’d like to do. When it is your turn to have that conversation, you can make it clear that you are committed to the new organization and want to know what you can do to stay on.
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DALE: Those same lists will be helpful in your job search. (You have started a major job search, right?) Also, as part of your intense networking efforts, see if you can find contacts in the acquiring company. Those connections might ease you onto the new team.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators’ Lab and author of a novel about HR, “The Weary Optimist.” Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
