Monday, January 5, 2009

Don't Let Downsizing Take Your Job With It

By Craig Calvin

With companies failing daily and reports of layoffs just another blurb on the nightly news, our collective sense of job security is changing rapidly. For many, never does a day go by that we don't consider whether our job will be one of the next to go.

While there are no guarantees, there are some things that you can do to help ensure your job security. The most important thing is probably to just be the best employee that you can be. Go out of your way to make yourself highly visible at work, especially to supervisors. Make every effort to set yourself apart by going above and beyond what is expected. Every company has expendable positions, so try to work your way into one that provides job security. This may involve something as simple as arriving early and leaving late. But at the very least you should "own" and live the company's mission and goals if you are to be considered less indispensable than others.

Don't wait for layoff notices to start coming to the staff before you put your plan in place. You must be a team player. On the down side, even being the hardest working employee may not save you. Many of these large companies are run by corporate offices which are located elsewhere. You're merely a number to them. They hand down the word to your supervisor and that's that.

If the times are telling you that there's a possibility that you'll lose your job, then you may need to change from a passive to a proactive mode. Get your resume updated and reprinted. And make sure your interviewing skills are sharpened, possibly even using your friends as guinea pigs to ask you questions. Making sure your job skills are updated and pertinent to the current market is as important as anything else.

If a job loss seems like it may be possible, you should certainly curb any large purchases and immediately begin to pay down your debt. Signing up for credit insurance to help cover your bills is a good idea if you should be out of work. Unemployment is usually collectible, but know that it will only be a fraction of what you earned while workilng. It is important that you keep your head up and keep a positive outlook if you should indeed lose your job, because as they say, when one door closes, then another opens. You just need to be ready to turn the knob.

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