When the economy isn’t faring so well, the ways to improve job security take on a certain significance. Gone are the days where jobs for life were commonplace across a whole slew of sectors and industries; indeed, even public service and federal employees no longer enjoy a sense of security. Although there’s never going to be a guarantee, there are some ways to improve job security you can employ, especially if you like your job.
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1. Have a Positive Attitude
It’s a tough economic market, and to set yourself above your co-workers you need to show that you are dedicated to and happy with your work. If you are negative, that attitude will spread around the office and you’ll find yourself on the targeting list by the manager. If you really want to stay in your job, you have to develop the right attitude to make a positive influence on the workplace. If you are looking for ways to improve job security, you simply need to show that you love what you are doing.
2. Keep Track of What You Have Achieved
Nobody wants to lose their star performer, so make sure that you remind your boss of the value you have brought to the company. Have you sold the most in the last quarter? Are you consistently rated the highest by clients? Do you have the biggest address book for potential clients? Remind your boss of these things subtly, and you will find that he doesn’t want to lose you as an employee. Few other ways to keep your job secure are better than reinforcing how great you are for the company.
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3. Take the Initiative
Make yourself useful! Among the ways to keep your job secure always touted by experts is that you need to make a good impression on your employers. Taking the initiative is a great way to do this, as you will demonstrate that you are looking to better the company. Can you find ways to cut the office costs? If you can, give them to your boss without trying to be in their face about how great you are; you have to let your boss come to that realisation of their own accord! By taking on more responsibilities without being asked to, and completing tasks that you assume might be needed in the future, you’ll show what a valuable asset to the office you are.
4. Become the Heart of the Company
Whenever there is an opportunity for a long-term project, make sure that you put yourself forward. Nobody wants to terminate an employee who is dealing with the big project, or who will have the best contacts with clients. This is a really good way to make sure that you are always needed by the company, and thus your job is secure for as long as possible.
5. Network
Being successful in business is all about contacts and networking. You want to make sure that you have an address book filled with clients, and that you can work with companies who are beneficial to the office. The better you network, the better your reputation will become: if you are well-known in the business, your boss won’t want to let you go and you’ll find yourself with a much more secure job. You might want to use LinkedIn to your advantage, so that you can correspond with others who are in the same business and might help you to improve your professional reputation. It never hurts to make friends in business.
6. Learn New Things
You need to stay at the top of your industry if you want to remain in your job for the foreseeable future. Another of the best ways to improve job security is to stay informed. Don’t get lazy and think that you know it all – in many sectors, new developments are happening all the time and you simply cannot afford to be left behind. Read journals and take courses that will help you to be better at your job – who is your boss more likely to let go, the girl with the best IT skills in the company, or the guy who accidentally deletes his emails every few days?
7. Prepare Yourself
While you may never find that the ways to improve job security here work for you, you can always make sure that you are prepared for the worst. Keep your resume up-to-date, and make sure that you are on the lookout for jobs that might come up. If you are keeping up-to-date with your correspondents and making new connections, you will find that even if the worst occurs, you will have somewhere else to go and will be able to sell yourself better.
These ways to improve job security are applicable to all career levels and ages. The market is so tough that any ways to stave off unemployment should be used. How are you faring in the job market? Are you settled, or maybe you’re struggling to find your path?
Comments
cara: I found that number 6 is a great thing to do. I took a bunch of computer courses for my job to update myself and my boss was so impressed that I was taking them she paid for them and started to have work shops on learning new programs and now my company pays for them. It's a great feeling and I just did it because I was awful with excel and needed to refresh myself.
Sowmya: I think everyone should know this
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