With headlines and experts alike forecasting recession, right now is when all of us should be taking stock of our situations, assessing our jobs, and developing a career safety net. Even if your job may be at risk, your entire career doesn't have to be in jeopardy. In a challenging economic climate, it's important to evaluate and protect the position you're in while preparing for all possible contingencies.
Act Now! Activate a FREE three days trial to EmploymentCrossing.com, because you know how important it is to know about all the jobs.
Don't wait for a pink slip to figure out what you'd put on a resume to account for the last several years.
Showcase Your Accomplishments
Protect: Ignore the conventional wisdom which says that times of trouble mean you should be quiet, bury your head, and do your job. Definitely do your job — and do it really, really well — but be visible and vocal about your contributions. Make sure your boss, and even your boss's boss, know what you're doing and how well you're doing it. If your knowledge and contributions are viewed as essential to the company, there's less of a chance you'll be axed, so it's up to you to communicate that before any decision has been made to eliminate your job.
Prepare: Make sure that as you move through your career, you're keeping a brag folder. This folder should include a recent list of achievements and copies of any recognition or kudos you've received. Don't wait for a pink slip to figure out what you'd put on a resume to account for the last several years. Check out some online resume templates for guidance on showcasing your skills, abilities, and accomplishments.
Pal Around with the Right People
Protect: The cynics call this sucking up. We call it saving your job. In every company there are power brokers and all-stars, and those people can be great allies in times of trouble. They can help protect your job by fighting to keep your position alive during discussions of where cuts should be made. So, if you're not already in with such folks, get to know them now. Volunteer to help with a key project, participate in meetings, or even stay late or come in early if that's the best way to get some face time.
Prepare: The classic mistake is waiting to call all of those long lost friends and former colleagues only when you need something. Check in with them now. Make a list of 50 people who aren't part of your inner circle. It's not a difficult number to reach if you push yourself. Having this list handy will also put you one step ahead of the game should you find yourself needing to start a job search.
The classic mistake is waiting to call all of those long lost friends and former colleagues only when you need something.
Educate Yourself on Economic Realities
Protect: Instead of waiting for the news to come to you, seek it out on your own. Assess your company's health by reading daily media coverage of your company, its industry, and your surrounding area. Pay attention to the water cooler and cafeteria chatter within your company. Look for cues and clues about your employer's financial stability, such as internal cutbacks that may come in the form of canceling events, or other forms of retrenchment.
Prepare: Get a sense of who's hiring and what's hot. Attend free career fairs, participate in free online webinars, and search the online job boards. If you know your skills aren't up to par in today's competitive workplace, invest in education through online courses or continuing education programs in your area.
Consider Making a Move
Protect: During a recession, the first cuts are typically made in what are considered support areas, such as administration, human resources, marketing and public relations, and customer service. If you have the ability to transfer within your company to a profit center — think sales, for example — that's something to consider. If you can solve costly problems or save big bucks in your current role, get busy doing that, because you can be just as valuable if you save money as someone who brings it in.
Prepare: Ask yourself, ''If I didn't have this job, what would I love to be doing?'' Also ask, ''If this job went away tomorrow, where could I see myself working?'' Put all of those answers on paper. Be comprehensive. It could be a move to a competitor, or it could be a whole other industry. You might even dream of starting your own business. This exercise is the start of a roadmap — you have to know where you might go before you can actually get there.
About the Author
Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the Workplace Contributor on ABC's Good Morning America. Connect with her at www.womenforhire.com.
Eric , Mesa, AZ
This website offers great opportunities to which I have already responded.
Julie , Chicago, IL
EmploymentCrossing is too good and very user friendly. The best feature is the submission of the resume and cover letter online. The search engines are also very fast.
Stephen , Potomac, MD
EmploymentCrossing and its services are very impressive. I am grateful to the customer service representatives as they were very helpful. I would definitely recommend the website to my friends.
Stephen , Lake Oswego, OR
I appreciate the online application of resume and cover letter on EmploymentCrossing. It saves a great deal of time. The site's advance search engine is also fantastic.
Alexander , Pittsburgh, PA
EmploymentCrossing is easy for searching jobs through geographic locations. You can find a job in almost every region in the United States.
To compare EmploymentCrossing with other job sites
Project Manager United States-TX-Dallas
Project Manager
Thank you for your interest in joining the Lambert's team.
Lambert’s is seeking a Project Manager to help implement in-house desi.....
Unlike other sites, EmploymentCrossing works for you and does not charge employers to post jobs and actually goes out and researches jobs for you. The jobs you see are the jobs we find for you and not the ones employers are paying us to post.
To compare EmploymentCrossing with other job sites
EmploymentCrossing - #1 Job Aggregation and Private Job-Opening Research Service — The Most Quality Jobs Anywhere
EmploymentCrossing is the first job consolidation service in the employment industry to seek to include every job that exists and not charge employers to post jobs on its site.
EmploymentCrossing uses sophisticated technology and manual work to comb employer websites and other job boards for jobs and bring them all to its site.
