This Domain For Sale. Contact us for more information.

Create Your Plan B Before the Layoff Axe Falls

In one short week, the axe fell at a number of companies and thousands of employees were without jobs. Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Ford Motor Company of Canada, PNC Financial and Kimberley Clark each had to make critical business decisions and lay off large numbers of employees. Reasons ranged from "maintaining a tighter rein on costs" to creating a "simpler nimbler" organization". Although the news is usually shocking, layoffs don't just happen. There are usually some subtle signs that changes are coming.How does one prepare for such an eventuality? By having a plan in place...creating a Plan B. Make it your responsibility to manage your own career, to swim out and meet your ship, not wait until it comes ashore. Such a mindset will help lessen the impact of a layoff, and will enable you to weather the storm if and when it comes. Here are some tips to help with your preparation:

1. Keep an eye out for tell-tale signs in your company. If you are becoming a bit jittery at work because things just don't seem right, conduct your own due diligence. Has the company been in the news lately? What for? Did it meet analysts' expectations? Did it have a management shakeup? Are there dramatic fluctuations of its share price? This is not to suggest that you become paranoid, but don't become the ostrich with its head in the sand either. The answers to these questions will be a good indicator of where your company is heading.

2. Take advantage of learning opportunities offered by the company. These may be formal training where you attend classes outside of work, or free in-house courses offered as lunch-and-learn programs. Don't forget the Internet which offers a variety of learning opportunities. Although your job may appear safe at the moment, you shouldn't stop learning. Henry Ford once said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80?".

3. Be on the lookout for internal vacancies, and assess yourself to see if your skills match the requirements. Speak with someone within that department to gather additional information about the position and then submit your application.

4. Find out if there are opportunities to job-shadow another employee or be cross-trained on a system. Such initiatives will help to prepare you for your next career move, whether within or outside the company.

5. Make yourself indispensable (at least give it a try) by keeping abreast of industry developments. Arrange informational interviews to learn more about a field you are interested in, or to keep current with trends in your industry. Watch, listen and read the news and see if you can use any of the knowledge gained to enhance your current position.

6. Start a journal of your special achievements, comments made by your supervisor or coworkers and awards and recognitions received. Review your performance appraisals. What did your supervisor say about you? Did you work on a special project? Were you a member of a team that developed a system which added to the company's profitability? These notes will come in handy when you are ready to brush up your résumé.

7. Develop and nurture a network of contacts, even if you're not yet looking for a job. Many people have the misconception that networking is done only when one is job hunting. It is an ongoing process; it takes time to grow, but will be valuable when faced with a layoff or when changing careers.

8. Join a professional association and contribute. You'll learn new skills, meet new people and build credibility among your peers. Many organizations send their job postings to some of these associations before they hit the newspapers. Saying you are a member of a professional association will be a great addition to your résumé.

9. There might be someone whom you admire in or outside your company. Ask if you could discuss your uncertainties or your career plans with them. It's not a weakness to ask for help.

10. There are times when a layoff is just what you may need to propel you to action; to change careers; to do something different. Redirect your energy into something productive and don't feel sorry for yourself. Take a long hard look at where you are in your career. Are you satisfied? Have you reached a plateau in the company? Is it time for a change?

After all this, if you are still uncertain about your future, enlist the help of a career coach who can steer you in the right direction. Whatever you do, make proactive choices now; not reactive ones later.

Daisy Wright is the president and founder of The Wright Career Solution. She is a trained Career Development Practitioner, who has been empowering individuals to find career success through effective coaching strategies. Daisy can be contacted at (905) 840-7039 or through her website at http://www.thewrightcareer.com

Copyright 2005 - Daisy Wright. All rights reserved. This article from The Wright Career Solution may be distributed or reproduced providing the copyright and website are included.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Careers & Employment Information:


Related Articles

Offer Letter Limbo
Recently we concluded the placement of a Senior Sales Representative for a publicly traded company. The role was ripe with potential as the company products were being widely embraced by current and new customers.
Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform.
Job Interviews: Succeeding With Panel Interviews
These days, job interviews often consist of a panel of three-to-six interviewers.A "team approach" to finding the best candidate can be beneficial for the employer.
10 Keys to Getting Paid What You're Worth!
Asking for money is so taboo in our culture that most of us shake in our shoes when we think about negotiating salary. It conjures up our insecurities about not being good enough, not knowing enough, or not being considered valuable enough.
Interview Quicksand
How will you respond when you're asked the following two questions?1.What type of boss do you like to work for?2.
Rethink Your Career Transition
Are you going nowhere in your career? If you've decided it's time to change your career completely, here's a new way of changing!Before you jump ship, think about what's been happening in your career. Have you been making little or no progress for some time? You may be in the throes of what George Leonard, author of Mastery, calls the "plateau".
Employment Screening Today - Are Online Database Searches Enough?
In today's employment environment, HR managers are faced with the monumental duty of hiring and maintaining, as well as the ongoing development, of employees. But the single most difficult task lies first in hiring the right people.
Have Enough Money to Change Careers - Five Key Steps
At every talk I give, I ask the audience to tell me the reasons why people don't change careers. The most common answer given each time is "lack of money.
Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses
You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions left and right.
Resumes That Work: 3 Steps to More and Better Interviews
All of us involved with helping you get a new job, whether as third party recruiters or as representatives of a company, are evaluating you for employment are all receiving hundreds of emailed resumes a day. Having done professional search work for more than thirty years, I have seen both resumes change and how they are delivered change.
Interview Presentation Skills: Dealing With Your Nerves
Sooner or later, the interview invitation is going to say you are required to give a presentation as part of the selection process. And like most people you may dread having to do it.
Evaluating Job Offers -- Eleven Warning Signs You Must Watch Out For
Moving into a new job always involves some degree of uncertainty. You should do your best to find out all you can about a prospective employer, starting right from the pre-interview stage.
Tips for Terrific Telephone Interviews
Telephone interviews don't just happen; they are the result of action you have taken. For example, when you are networking and the company representative becomes interested in your skills; when a company representative calls you in response to a résumé you have sent; or when you have previously set up the telephone meeting.
10 Tips For Writing A Professional Résumé
1. Start with an attractive layout.
The Secrets to Interview Success
Many well qualified and extremely able candidates fail at job interviews simply because they are unaware of the conventions of the job interview and the expectations of the interviewer.Successful candidates, on the other hand, manage to impress prospective employers precisely because they know how to present themselves.
Discontentment in the Workplace
While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events.
The Top 10 Reasons to have a Career Coach
Many people in the last decade have experienced for themselves either a layoff or termination. Some of these people affected have experienced outplacement-consulting services.
Avoiding Tire Kickers as Job Seekers
With the economy heating up and employment prospects opening up after years of dormancy, it is more critical than ever for employers to understand that unfortunately, career "tire kickers" still exist in the marketplace. Demand for quality talent, especially at the senior executive level, still outweighs supply.
Preparing For Your Job Interview: What You Need To Know To Be Successful
In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.
Great Interview Skills
Going for a job interview can be a harrowing experience. The reasons are varied: A job applicant may not have the necessary relevant working experience or may be worried about the inability to answer difficult questions.



/html>