contributed by James Ledoux [IT training consultant / travel enthusiast / dancing machine]


The thought of preparing for a layoff may make you uncomfortable, but it can actually put your mind at ease. Often times there are warning signs long before an organization goes south and is compelled to reduce its workforce. Staying ready for anything will keep you from having to get ready for the worst. The time to prepare for a layoff is not when you get the call to meet the HR rep in the conference room with the ominous instructions to “be sure and bring your ID badge and your laptop.”

The steps below will not only help you get ready for a layoff, but they may also help you demonstrate enough value to the organization to keep you from being selected during the tough cutbacks some companies may be facing.

Keep your resume current.
It is much easier to make small updates regularly than to do a major rewrite when scrambling to find a new job.

Keep your portfolio and personal archive up-to-date.
You should save your best work in your personal archive at home. Keeping everything you have ever done on your company laptop is a dangerous gamble you just can’t afford.

Use work e-mail for work.
Imagine losing 10 years of personal e-mail history in one fell swoop. By keeping work and personal e-mail separate, you ensure both privacy and continuity if you ever leave a job for any reason.

Seek high profile assignments.
High profile assignments grow your skills and increase your value to the company. Companies do their best to hold on to key resources during layoffs. Plus, high profile assignments pad your resume and can affect your next salary level with a future employer.

Network now.
Stay in contact with peers, former clients, and colleagues. It is much easier to tap into your personal network if it well maintained. If the first time someone hears from you in five years is when you need a job, they may feel less inclined to help. Between LinkedIn, Facebook, Pownce, and other social networking applications, staying in touch is now easier than ever, so there is no excuse.

Balance out your work life.
Let’s face it - no matter how much you love your work, you are not your job. Working nights and weekends may help you climb the corporate ladder, but you can’t get that time back if you get laid off. I’ve seen many a former colleagues turn bitter and angry when years worth of overtime disappear. Dole out your personal time carefully and don’t be afraid to say no to busy work or tasks that can be otherwise fairly delegated.

Cash is king.
Build up your cash reserves now. You’ve heard it a million times, but cash is king. Start saving like a banshee and strive to save up six months worth of living expenses. And, by all means, stop buying things on credit. If you don’t have the money now, don’t buy it. Having substantial savings on hand will allow you freedom to seek a new line of work if you decide to change directions.

Getting out of debt substantially lowers the stress of finding a new job. I highly recommend the following books along those lines:
• Your Money Or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
• Start Late, Finish Rich by David Bach



Learn, baby, learn.
Consider taking a training class or seminar to sharpen your skills. This will not only increase your value to your current employer, but it will also make you better equipped to seek a new job. Besides, if the pressure isn’t on to find a new job, learning can be a lot of fun.

Think big.
While I could not have predicted it at the time, getting laid off in 2001 turned out to be one of the best tings that could have ever happened to me. My company took a long slow path of decline. I saw my layoff coming and was able to apply the steps above.

Lucky for me I was debt-free, single, and had no major responsibilities. I traveled, surfed friends’ and family’s couches for six months, looked for jobs, and eventually started my own company.

I’m not sure I would have done any of that had I not lost my job. Now I work for myself, make more money, take longer vacations, and have a much greater degree of control over the jobs I take. So stay ready for anything, it is much easier than having to get ready on the fly.