The Problem

I work for a bank that is making heavy job cuts. So far they have been made more on the basis of political horse-trading than on ability, and I'm wondering how to play it. I've worked here for three years and am a solid performer, not a star. Losing my job now would be bad timing - I have a young child, a pregnant wife and an eye-watering mortgage. Should I play the sympathy card with my boss? Or embark on a shameless bout of self-promotion at the expense of my colleagues?

Analyst, male, 30

LUCY'S ANSWER

I'm surprised you've lasted as well as you have in the City, given the quaintly outdated way in which you describe yourself.

The language of most companies, especially banks, is now based on the notion that everyone is outstanding, even the tea lady. So if you go about saying that you are merely "solid" you are begging to be fired.

You also need to drop the disapproving talk of "shameless self-promotion" and "political horse- trading", as this is how it works. It is a market and you need to sell yourself, not just when job cuts are in the offing, but all the time.

There are two ways of playing the political game. Which one is right for you depends on your personality. Either you can take the boasting route - that is, every time you do anything good you shove it under your boss's nostrils. Or you take the sucking-up route and make yourself charming by complimenting him and generally being chummy.

The trouble with both approaches is that they require some natural flair - especially the second. Badly done, sucking up can end up alienating everyone.

I also fear it may be too late to start practising either, both because if you suddenly start behaving differently everyone will think it odd, and because your boss will probably have made his decision already.

If I were you I would do practical things like renegotiate the mortgage, get a lodger and send out your CV. And maybe start wondering if this rough, up-and-down world is really the one you want to be in for ever.

Don't even think about playing the sympathy card. Talk of your unborn child will make no difference to your boss - it will only make him want to end the interview as soon as possible.

YOUR ADVICE

Trumpeter

Blow your own trumpet. There's nothing shameful about self-promotion: it is a fundamental career skill. You worry that it would be at the expense of your colleagues, but if they cannot promote themselves that's their problem. But you shouldn't deliberatelyundermine them: that would be wrong (though not entirely without precedent).

Manager, male, 35

Welcome it

If it happens, embrace it and exploit it. I was made redundant twice, once at 29 and once at 39; in each case a forced change took me in an interesting new direction. I have now ended up doing the dream job - freelance motoring journalist - that the 16-year-old me yearned for with a passion before teachers, parents and others nudged me towards the orthodox path taken by so many other FT readers: Oxbridge, MBA, job in consulting and so on.

Anon, male

Fight it

Go on the attack. Take your boss aside and quietly ask to take voluntary redundancy. The likelihood is he won't pick you, as he will assume you've got a job offer elsewhere and would be loath to hand over a six-month tax-free redundancy payment if you are already out of the door. It's risky, but it might work.

Director, male

Hatchet man

In banking roles over the past 10 years or so I have made a lot of people redundant. I used to worry that they would never find other employment, but I cannot think of one who failed to find another job, even when times were tough. It's easy to say, when you feel the weight of expectation in terms of supporting your young family, but stay positive, do the best job you can for now, be philosophical if the worst happens and put yourself about in the market.

Manager, male, 54

问题

我供职的银行正大举裁员。到目前为止，裁员决定的做出更多地是政治交易的结果，而不是出于对能力的考量，我不知道怎么玩这个游戏。我在这儿工作了3年，表现一直不错，但算不上明星员工。如果我现在失去工作，时机会非常糟糕--我有年幼的孩子、怀孕的妻子和不堪重负的抵押贷款。我是应该跟老板打同情牌呢？还是应该以牺牲同事为代价，厚着脸皮进行一番自我推销？

分析师，男，30岁

露西的回答

我很惊讶你竟然能来到伦敦金融城，并在这里待了下来，因为你在描述自己时使用的是那种古怪过时的方式。

大多数公司，特别是银行，如今使用的语言都建立在这种观念之上：每个人都很出色，即便是端茶倒水的女工。因此如果你到处去说自己只是"不错"，那就是在要求人家解雇你。

你还需要停止使用"厚着脸皮进行自我推销"和"政治交易"这类不满的言辞，因为这就是它的运作原理。这是一个市场，你需要推销自己，不仅是在裁员的时候，而是在任何时候。

玩政治游戏有两种方式。哪一种适合你取决于你的个性。你可以选择夸耀路线--即每次有什么事情做得不错，你都要拿到老板鼻子底下宣传一番。你也可以选择拍马屁的路线，通过奉承老板，跟老板套近乎，增加自己的魅力。

这两种方式都存在一个问题：它们需要一些天生的才能--特别是第二种。如果做得不好，拍马屁可能最终会让每个人都疏远你。

我还担心，现在开始采取任何一种方式，可能都已为时过晚：一方面，如果你的举止突然改变，大家会觉得奇怪，另一方面，你的老板可能已经做出决定了。

如果我是你，我会做些实际的事情，比如重新协商抵押贷款条件，找个房客，投递简历。此外，你也许应该开始考虑，这个残酷多变的世界，是否真的是那个你想永远待在其中的世界。
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