8 Ways to Keep Your Job in a Tough Economy

Dawn Dugan, Salary.com contributing writer

Layoffs. Downsizing. Reorganization. These common workplace buzzwords are a sign of the times. Today, more than ever, holding on to your job can feel like survival of the fittest, with seriously high stakes if you lose.

One of the best ways to keep your job is to show your organization that it simply wouldn’t be the same without you. In a world where some people will do anything to keep their jobs or earn that coveted promotion, this article will explore eight ways to communicate your value to your employer, without compromising your own values. Continue Reading

7 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensable

The Grass Is Always Browner On This Side Of The Road – Is It Time To Find A New Job?

“The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.” – Unknown Source

When I was 9 or 10 years old, I was riding in the car with my father (a rather modest car to say the least). I remember looking out the window and seeing an amazing sports car and saying “I wish I was that man with his fancy car” and my father said “If you want to be that man, you would have to take all of that man’s problems as well as his fancy car”.

How often do we think that the grass is greener on the other side of the street, that someone else’s job is better than ours? Too often I would say. And, like my little story, we often do this without knowing all of the facts (like maybe the grass is greener because its AstroTurf).

So what does this have to do with job search? Continue Reading

Limited Shelf life – Is Your Job About to Expire?

“My son is now an “entrepreneur.” That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.” – Ted Turner

Have you ever watched someone’s job unravel and they don’t even know they are in trouble? I just watched this happen to someone that works in my company. This particular person started off okay, with good annual reviews. Then his boss left and in a matter of a year or so, he went from having an okay reputation to someone who was viewed as “on his way out”. I’m not sure if his old boss was covering for him or maybe his new boss just did not like him. The really sad part was that he had no clue that every day the front door was one step closer. Not that there was some type of official notice about this guy, you just got the feeling watching from a distance. Long story short, he was shown the front door yesterday. The guy was shocked (as most anyone would be if they had no clue – take a look at “I lost my job, now what?“) and, of course, not prepared. So what are the warning signs? How do you know if you are about to lose your job? I would argue that in most cases (except for down-sizing), the clues are there if you look close enough. What can you do? Continue Reading