Monday, January 5, 2009

Can Your Job Survive The Recession

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.

Embracing the company mission and goals is a good way to strengthen your position. Companies often have expendable positions, and you should make every effort to set yourself apart from others by exemplifying the core tenets of success which the company leaders have set out. Make yourself visible. Come early and stay late. Make suggestions. These will announce to the management that you are an engaged and active player in the business at hand.

This is the time for you to jump in and become more of a team player. You should do everything possible to assure your contributions are noticed and acknowledged. It is often the corporate offices located elsewhere that make decisions on hiring and firing. You're possibly nothing more than a number to them, so whatever you can do locally to impress your supervisor will be to your advantage.

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.

It may seem like the possibility of losing your job can be debilitating, but there are things you can do to minimize its impact. Avoid making large purchases and make sure you sign up for credit insurance so that some of your bills can be covered. If you can manage it, try to set aside some money for a rainy day. And know that unemployment will likely be available to you, even though the amount maxes out these days at about $330 per week. If the working world leaves you aside, try to keep your head up and consider the positives. After every thunderstorm there is always sunshine. - 16928

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