How NOT to Get Caught by the Downturn
The economy sucks and there is really nothing you can do about debt ceilings, downgrades, unemployment and inflation. But you can take lemons and make lemonade. The following lessons won't be as cliché as that statement:
There is no such thing as loyalty in business. You may think you have a job for life, because you always meet your goals and go above and the beyond the call of duty at work, but your recent layoff proved otherwise. Whether the company decided to phase out your position, thought your salary was too high, or just liked someone else more than you, in the end, the economy taught us that no one is safe.
As you collect your unemployment checks, you may wonder why you stayed as long as you did. You may recall times where you turned down offers from rival organizations. Did the light bulb go off yet? Your company is only concerned with their bottom line. Did you ever hear the phrase, treat yourself like a brand? You are a business. You have bills to pay, budgets to balance, etc. You need to be concerned with your bottom line, too. It's just business. If a better job comes along, take it.
Act like you're unemployed even when you have a job. You just got laid off. What is the first thing you think of? "I need to update my resume." How long does that take? The answer--longer than it should. You should always be prepared for the worst case scenario. Instead of losing a week working on your resume when you should have been looking for a job, always keep your resume up to date, so that when the moment comes that you need to find new employment, all you have to do is edit your CV and then start scanning the job boards. This goes for LinkedIn, too. Don't be afraid of what you think your co-workers might say. Business is about networking. If you are looking for a job or looking to advance your own position, your LinkedIn profile should always be updated to reflect the latest work. Stay ahead of the game or get left behind in the cold.
Stay versatile. You can no longer just know your own job. The best way to look indispensible, even though everyone is replaceable, is to make sure you know how to accomplish multiple tasks. Ask your supervisors for more challenging responsibilities. Look for ways that you can learn new things. Take classes. Maintain an insatiable thirst for education and always step up when you have the opportunity to showcase your talents. When the axe-man cometh, don't let him come for you. Let them take Employee B instead. He only learned what he needed to learn in order to get by. You learned enough to replace Employee B and C. Stay on your "A" game so your employer thinks you're a keeper.
Don't trust anyone. This goes to the above point. You don't have to sell Employee B and C down the river just because you can do their tasks. Let your work speak for itself. If asked about your experiences, tell them all the tasks you have accomplished. Let the employer be impressed by your ability to do more than just your job without making sure he knows he can fire your co-workers. Your co-workers might not be as caring. Your co-worker may go right into your boss's office and say, "you should keep me, because I can do what he does and what she does, and I am willing to learn and do the work that they do, too." They will throw people under the bus to save their job. Expect others to take the easy way out and stay on the defensive at all times by constantly proving yourself.
Don't rely too much on others in your office. It's always good to network and stay connected with co-workers, but the bulk of your networking should be performed outside the company. Sure, you might get lucky and have an opportunity to jump ship with a co-worker from one company to another, but that doesn't always happen. During a bad economy, when the writing is on the wall, everyone at your job is looking for work, and you can't rely on their assistance for resume advice, interview training or even a letter of recommendation. They are too busy with their own resumes. They are too busy going on their own interviews. In the end, you have to rely on your own skills and abilities to get the job.
Read additional career insights from John Minners on Vault.com.
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