亲爱的安妮：我一直很喜欢我的工作，可自从我的雇主与另外一家公司合并之后，一切都发生了变化。我被调到一个陌生的部门，我的新上司几乎很少关注我的工作，我每天的工作量也非常有限，基本上都是老一套。但以前，我在一些特殊的项目中有过很出色的表现。实际上，虽然我在这家公司很受尊敬，我的绩效评估也很出色，但我不确定，我的新上司是否知道应该如何发挥我的优势。现在，又到了绩效评估的时间。为了改变目前的局面，我该如何与我的上司讨论当前的处境？您能给我一些建议吗？——未尽其用的员工

    亲爱的未尽其用的员工：我敢打赌，你肯定不是唯一对当前的处境感到疑惑的人。美国的并购交易数量在今年上半年的增长有所放缓，7月份突然增加了23%。这意味着有成千上万的美国人在并购中保住了自己的工作（当然，你肯定也知道，许多人未能在并购中保住饭碗），他们也想弄清楚，怎样才能融入到新组织当中。

    毫无疑问，并购之后的公司变成一个全新的企业。人力资源咨询公司BPI集团（BPI Group）的亚特兰大执行董事史蒂夫•斯皮尔斯认为：“如果你还是坐在同一间办公室的同一张办公桌前，很容易会认为公司未发生任何变化。但实际上，尤其是当你所在的公司是被收购的对象时，你所服务的公司已经发生了翻天覆地的变化，就和你离开了原先的公司，另外在别处找了一份新工作一样。”

    从某种程度上来说，变化的幅度超过了你的想象。因为对新员工来说，上司对他们的履历至少还有一点印象。可你却不同。斯皮尔斯问道：“你的新上司知道你曾经在特殊项目中有过出色表现吗？管理者通常非常繁忙，他们没有时间去调查你的背景和经验，去了解你能为部门增加什么样的价值。所以，你应该自己主动去告诉他们。”斯皮尔斯曾为许多并购后的公司提供咨询服务，对于这方面的误区有着深切的了解。

    即将到来的绩效评估就是一个绝佳的时机。斯皮尔斯说：“我们通常建议员工分三步发起这类谈话。首先，认真观察，确定合并后的新公司重视什么，期待什么。然后，想想自己可以通过哪些方式提供公司所需要的价值。你的哪些能力与经验是新上司不了解、但可能对他有用的？第三步，跟老板谈谈。描述一下你可以如何为公司做出贡献，同时就此征询一下对方的意见。”

    斯皮尔斯建议，既然你很怀念曾经参与的特殊项目，在准备会面时，找出一两个你现在可以参与的项目。他说：“明确需求，然后准备好具体的例子，说明你过去如何应对类似的项目。”

    可如果你主动请缨接受新的挑战，最终却杳无音讯该怎么办？首先，调查咨询公司Millennial Branding的主理合伙人、同时也是《推销自己：事业成功的新规则》（Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success）一书的作者丹•施瓦布建议，在公司内部寻找其他你可以提供帮助的项目。如果没有，那就选择第二套方案。他说：“任何人如果在工作中得不到重用，都应该去提高自己在网络上的影响力。建立自己的网站来展示自己的成就，在商务社交网站LinkedIn和Twitter上更加活跃一些。如果你在网络上有了知名度，同时突出展示了自己的能力，那么看重你才能的雇主就可以直接找到你。”

    Dear Annie:I used to love my job, but everything changed after my employer merged with another company. I was transferred to a different department, where my new boss is not really involved in what I do, and my day-to-day duties have become much more limited and routine, despite the fact that, in the past, I always excelled at special projects. In fact, even though I'm highly respected here and have had strong performance reviews, I'm not sure my boss knows what to do with me. Now, performance review time is coming around again. Can you give me any guidance on how to approach that discussion, with an eye toward changing the situation? -- Underutilized Asset

    Dear Underutilized:I'd be willing to bet you aren't the only one wondering. The number of U.S. mergers and acquisitions jumped by 23% in July, after a slow first half of the year. That means thousands of people whose jobs survived those mergers (and many, as I'm sure you know, do not) are now trying to figure out how they fit into the new organization.

    Make no mistake, a post-merger company is a whole new enterprise. "If you're sitting at the same desk in the same office, it's easy to think that nothing much has really changed," notes Steve Spires, an Atlanta managing director at human resources consultants BPI Group. "But in fact, and especially if yours was the acquired entity, you're now working for a different company, just as if you'd gone out and gotten a new job somewhere else."

    In a way, it's an even bigger adjustment, because new hires can usually trust that their bosses have at least a passing familiarity with their resumes. You, however, can't assume any such thing. "Is your new boss aware that you used to excel at special projects?" asks Spires, who has advised plenty of post-merger organizations and has seen firsthand where the pitfalls lie. "Managers usually have so much on their plates that they just don't have time to research your background and experience and understand what value you can add. So it's up to you to step up to the plate and tell them."

    Your upcoming performance review is a perfect chance to do this. "We usually recommend that employees approach this kind of conversation in three steps. First, look around and figure out what the new, combined company values and expects," Spires says. "Then, think of some ways that you could help provide what's needed. What skills and experience do you have that your new boss probably doesn't know about but might be able to use? And third, talk it over with your boss. Describe how you see yourself contributing, and ask whether he or she agrees."

    Spires recommends that, since you miss the special projects you used to do, you might prepare for the meeting by spotting one or two that you could tackle now. "Identify a need, and then be ready with specific examples of how you handled similar projects in the past," he says.

    What if your offer to take on new challenges falls on deaf ears? For starters, look around elsewhere in the company for projects you might be able to help with, suggests Dan Schawbel, who is managing partner of research and consulting firm Millennial Branding and author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success. If there aren't any, go to Plan B: "Anyone who isn't using their talents at work needs to create a strong online presence," he says. "Start your own website to showcase your achievements, and get active on LinkedIn and Twitter. If you get your name out there and highlight your skills, the employers who want what you can do will be able to find you."