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How safe is your
job? Could you be the next layoff victim on your block?
These days,
"there's almost a layoff panic," says Mark Oldham, co-founder of
Vault.com, a job-research site.
Perception, as they
say, is 9/10 of reality. And today, many people perceive the economy to be
slowing down. That translates into corporate downsizing and layoffs.
Here are four ways
you can avoid -- or rebound from -- a layoff, by conducting a
never-ending, passive job search.
Plug
into your network.
Think of every
person you know -- and the people THEY know -- as a potential job lead.
Make sure your
friends and acquaintances know what you do, what you can do and what you'd
be happy doing in a new job. It's your job to make sure others are aware
of your skills, not vice versa.
Arm
yourself with an updated resume.
Revise your resume
every three to six months with your latest achievements and awards. And
review your career objective to make sure it's in line with your current
goals.
You should be able
to print your resume on a moment's notice, because the best jobs go fast.
See and be seen.
To land a trophy
job, keep a baited hook in the water -- consider posting and reposting
your resume on job sites every 30-60 days. Concerned about your boss
finding out? Check a site's privacy statement before posting, or just use
a fake name.
In addition, you
can register at most job sites to be notified by email whenever suitable
openings pop up. The jobs come to you, like the classified ads in reverse.
Interview
yourself.
You can never be
too comfortable talking about your skills and achievements. Example --
what's your answer to this question: "Why should I hire you?"
Don't have an answer? Start practicing.
Use time in the
car, or even the shower, to actually interview yourself and polish your
delivery. Do so until you can easily rattle off your best three or four
achievements at every job you've had.
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