January 29, 2008’s edition of the Wall Street Journal advises readers on ”How to Recession-Proof Your Career.”  The article, penned by Sarah E. Needleman, offers some tips to increase your chances of hanging onto your job during a downsizing at your company. 

• Stay at your current job.  Don’t try jumping ship to another company now, because you’re at greater risk of being laid off as a newer employee.
• Accept additional duties at work with a smile.  Volunteer to take on extra projects.  Your bosses will remember the helping hand during the next round of layoffs.
• Put your nose to the grindstone and work harder.
• Propose solutions for your employer that cut costs or increase revenue/profits.
• Get your resume in shape in the event that you are booted.  It’s a lot easier to put together a polished resume when you’re not panicked.
• Very important: network, network, network now with former bosses, colleagues, and classmates.  Needleman points out that reaching out to contacts when you are already out of a job can be a turnoff.  I’ve fielded desperate inquiries from unemployed acquaintances at my workplace, and somehow, it just feels like I’m being used.  Acting as though you are chummy with the contact to the hiring committee may also backfire.  A few years ago, an acquaintance I barely knew (a friend’s brother’s wife’s nephew) wrote a cover letter to my employer claiming that he was a really good friend of mine.  Of course, the hiring coordinator came to me and asked about the person.  Because I knew next to nothing about the person or his work abilities, I couldn’t offer anything positive to say.
• Look for another job within your company.  A friend whose job was being eliminated at Intel actually landed another position within the company and was able to seamlessly transition to the new job without any disruption in employment.

Despite your best efforts, you may still get the ax.  Just ask people working at Citibank, Countrywide Financial, or even Yahoo.  Sometimes bad financial decisions by the higher-ups in management could leave you out of a job.  So, in addition to the above tips, be sure to pad your emergency funds with as much cash as you can muster, eliminate all unnecessary expenses, and hunker down for the long haul to survive this recession.