How to Protect Your Job in a Recession

Even if your company seems financially secure in this economic downturn or you've avoided the latest round of pink slips, it doesn't hurt to take extra steps to protect your job in a recession. With a few preventive measures and some extra educational effort, you may not only find yourself keeping your job safe, but also moving up the company ladder as a result of your conscientiousness. Consider these tips to protect your job in a recession.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Make yourself indispensable to protect your job in a recession. Brush up on job skills that would allow you to pick up a co-worker's slack, find ways for your company to improve efficiency or cut high operating costs or even volunteer to take on the job duties of recently laid off employees to become a valuable asset to the ailing organization.

2. Improve your marketability by seeking job skills training or continuing education courses to expand your depth of knowledge. This will not only make you more valuable to your company, but also help you compete with lower-paid, entry level employees who may have more current knowledge and skills. Subscribe to industry trade publications or join associations to keep up with training trends. Be sure to have human resources add any copies of course completion certificates or industry certifications to your employee file.

3. Ensure your bosses know who you are rather than trying to fade into the woodwork amidst layoff rumors. Network during conferences, company meetings or after-work social functions. Take the opportunity to point out the job skills (such as forming relationships with key clients, understanding the multiple job functions or using computer software that your co-workers aren't familiar with) so higher-ups will remember your name (and hopefully skip over it) when making another round of cuts.

4. Protect your job in a recession by maintaining a positive attitude and avoiding office gossip. Running to consult your boss each time you hear a new layoff rumor or spending more time worrying about the your company's financial state when you should be working will do more harm than good. Continue to show your managers that you're professional and can work productively through the tough times.

Tips & Warnings

• Although it may seem excessive to seek additional networking or continuing education when trying to protect your job in a recession, the contacts you make and the skills you acquire may be helpful if you do happen to lose your job due to cutbacks. Your new skill sets, combined with experience, will help you pursue additional opportunities with professional contacts.

[cclofmead]

on 5/11/2009 Great article on protecting your job in a recession !! 5*