Even though the economy seems to have healed after the Great Recession of 2008, it’s still a common occurrence when people reach out to me for advice after getting laid off.
There are two reasons why a person loses their job:
- The company goes out of business.
- The person stops adding value (or takes value away by performing poorly)
To prevent yourself from being unprepared for that possible bad day, I’d like to suggest the following steps to better plan for that day.
- Perform! You have full control over this one. Each day, come to work with the mindset of doing your job the best that you can and when you’re done, look for something else to do. Play until the whistle!
- Keep Your Eye on the Industry. Companies rarely fold without warning. Spend some time each day reading the news and watching business reports. If you see what your company produces is fading from popularity, start making plans to change industries or companies.
- Keep Your Skills Sharp. You may not like the new technology or don’t feel like learning it, but sooner or later that technology will become the standard. If you aren’t willing to develop yourself and adapt, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a pink slip.
- Keep Your Resume Updated. Keep it current with the latest trends in resumes. I often hear that a person is writing their first resume in 10 years, and that resume shows it! Trends change in the HR world. Be sure you’re changing your resume and approach too.
- Build and Nurture Your Network. It’s always better to work your contacts when you don’t need them so you’ll feel less obligated and guilty when you DO need them. Start growing that network today!
If you follow these steps, you’ll never be blindsided with that pink slip. Hopefully you’ll have seen it coming from a distance and proactively transitioned to a new role. Take ownership of your career development and you won’t be the victim when a company seeks to reduce its headcount.