Tesar-Reynes

In tough times, job cutbacks are inevitable.  Having lived through some myself,  here are some suggestions to keep your job.

1.  Follow the money.

If possible try and work on an account or brand that has relatively consistent spending.  Areas such as health care, manufacturing and certain business services fall into this category.

2. Work for a winner.

There are certain golden people in the office that everyone knows are the stars.  If cutbacks occur, they will not be affected nor will the people who work for them.

3. Get credit for your work.

It is wonderful to be a team player, but make sure that people know what are the individual contributions you have made to the organization.

4. Nurture your network.

Make sure you grow and contact your network of friends, past associates, people from school, and people from conferences, etc. Use social networking sites or more formal means like Gold Mine or Outlook to have a safety net developed.

5. Always be learning.

In today’s job market, it is not just necessary to do your job, but also to improve your skills.  Step back and make sure you’re not only learning, but you are learning what is relevant to your job function, your work group, your company and the category.

6. Be a volunteer.

There are always things in the office that require someone to step up and handle extra responsibilities.  This could be an office outing, a holiday party or a going away party.  People remember who goes the extra distance.

7.  Hang in there.

I know of cases where there were going to be massive cutbacks in a corporate reorganization.  Most people effected, once they were notified, let their jobs go to hell and took the time off to either enjoy the summer or look for new jobs.  A few people hung onto the organization, looked for new employment, but made sure that none of their responsibilities fell through the cracks.  These few people were offered new jobs in the new organization.