Nine Tips to Maintain Job Security for 2009
With all the focus on layoffs and unemployment rates, it is sometimes hard to remember that the majority of Americans are still employed. Below, I offer some advice to give you the best shot at staying employed, and not being on the top of your managers downsizing list if your company restructures.
- Make yourself indispensable to your company. Be an overachiever, have a hard to find skill, and contribute and volunteer to help without a request from anyone.
- Keep an ongoing "kudos file." Every time you get an email from your boss, your boss's boss, a co-worker, or customer, print it and send it to your home computer for safekeeping.
- Record your successes. If you work on a special project, pull overtime when a co-worker is sick, or come up with an innovative idea that is implemented, notate it. It will be hard for you to remember months down the road at review time, and even harder for your boss, so write it down.
- Request periodic reviews. Don't just rely on an annual review for feedback on your performance. Even if it's just an informal discussion with your supervisor, make sure you are on task with their objectives. There is no excuse for being surprised with a bad appraisal.
- Participate in industry and networking organizations. Join the professional groups in your industry and volunteer and mentor. Embrace social media - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and learn which service will help you advance your career the best.
- Stay ahead of the knowledge curve. Sign up for classes and continuing ed, learn new industry processes, and keep up with technology.
- Obtain references in writing. Don't wait until you're laid off to ask for them, and don't rely on verbal references. Get them recorded in writing.
- Update your resume. Make your life easier if the unexpected happens. Who knows, that unexpected event may be an inquiry for your talent from a competitor.
- Have six months' of your salary in savings. At least.
Even if you do everything right, you can still be impacted by your company closing, going bankrupt, inter-office politics, or being acquired with duplication of staff. If you do the above, these things will be unfortunate events, not horrible disasters. You will literally be able to start your new career search the next day, somewhat empowered, and more optimistic than your peers who will be blindsided and unprepared.
August Cohen is a resume writer and career consultant who holds the prestigious Certified Advanced Resume Writer credential. She has leveraged the talents she acquired in her successful corporate career to assist professionals with high-impact resumes, confident interviews, and effective job search strategies. She is a member of Career Directors International, The National Resume Writers' Association, and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.
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