I don’t want to be unemployed

December 17, 2011|How to find a job, Tips At work| No comments yet

When someone says, “I don’t want to be unemployed,” that person joins millions of other workers who are worried about the future. Weekly and monthly employment reports show little or no progress toward the nation’s employment crisis, leaving many workers fearful for their job. Statistics show that employers are firing more than hiring these days, leaving many workers with a vulnerable feeling.

Losing a job can be a difficult experience even in a good economy, but when the economy struggles, so does the job market. Millions of long-term unemployed workers testify to the fact they can’t find a job after losing the one they had. Therefore, many people should make keeping their current job a priority. There are some things workers can do now to make them less vulnerable to a layoff.

Become more valuable. Workers who offer the most value to their company are most likely to keep their job. Any employee should evaluate his or her position and find ways to become essential to their company’s mission. This could mean developing new skills. A wise employee will find out what skills their employer needs and then learn them. This works well, especially if the needed skills are in short supply in the current workforce.

Building skills may mean taking some college classes or doing some self-study, but the extra time spent in personal and professional development will payoff when layoff time comes. Those with fewer skills have less value will be the first ones out the door.

Improving skills is another way to boost survivability in the workplace. Anyone with a commitment to excellence will be the last to go. Anyone can do average work and produce average results, but those who produce exceptional results will have work while others are in the unemployment line.

There’s an old saying that says, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Knowing the right people in a company can make the difference between beans and steak at supper. Those who want to keep their jobs will make a concerted, planned effort to set goals for meeting and pleasing the right people at the office. When the decision makers start making the lay-off list, the workers who they don’t know will be at the top.

Finally, a worker who doesn’t want to be unemployed should make his boss look good. When a worker finds ways to help the boss by taking on new responsibilities, completing special projects and providing useful ideas; that worker will have a job for a long time.