PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Job Loss Prevention
and Preparedness
Steps for Protecting Your Career in an Uncertain Economy
BY MARY ELLEN BRENNAN
Industrial hygienists devote their careers
to protecting worker health. The profession requires a passion for its mission
and a significant investment of time to
acquire technical skills and experience.
During these uncertain economic
times, when many workplaces are experiencing budget cuts, layoffs, restructurings, salary freezes and other changes,
how do professionals protect their investment in their career? No one wants
to contemplate job loss, but the severity
of the economic downturn requires
everyone to take steps to prevent and
prepare for this possibility.
Prevention
Employees who retain their jobs in a
layoff often have the following qualities:
They are viewed as indispensable. They
know their company’s product and how
the company makes money, and they know
how their jobs contribute to that mission.
They are viewed as valuable and
difficult to replace. They increase their
value to the company by improving their
skills through continuing education. They
work longer hours when necessary and
take on additional responsibilities. They
are among the most productive employees. They are proactive, anticipating
problems and opportunities and not waiting to be shown or told.
They have excellent working relationships at all levels. They work well with
their boss and their coworkers. They
make their boss look good to his or her
boss. They are considered flexible, approachable and adaptable. People want to
work with them, and they are considered
to be team players.
groups, publishing articles, and becoming
involved in social networking sites. When
someone searches for you online, you
want your name to be correlated with your
areas of expertise.
Keep up your continuing education and
certifications. If you do not have a certification, this might be the time to get
one. Certifications can be even more
valuable in a market where each job has
numerous applicants, and certifications
might be used as a requirement to narrow
the candidate pool.
Preparation
Follow these suggestions so that you can
“hit the ground running” after an unex-
pected job loss:
Job Searching
If you do experience a job loss, your
preparation should help you to get a fast
start on the job search. Make no mistake—
now is a difficult time to get a job. You
will need to edit and redraft your resume
as you apply to specific jobs, but don’t
waste precious time trying to perfect it.
