In today’s challenging economic environment, job eliminations and hiring freezes are commonplace. Human resource decisions are made that are beyond our control. No person — no matter how skilled — is immune to job loss. What you can control however is your preparations for an economic downturn and your response should you face layoff. Once the economy picks up workers will be hired back, perhaps in the same jobs, or perhaps in a different job. Those who are laid off should not assume that they will be able to return their previous position. You have to be ready for anything, even starting a second, third or fourth career.

Of importance is your level of self esteem and what actions you are willing to take to find a job. Placing a high value on yourself and realizing that there are employers who will value your skills. If you place a high value on yourself and take the appropriate action you’ll find employment. If you are not able to find immediate employment then take advantage of your free time. Enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends. Pursue interests that you may not have had the time to pursue.

• Position yourself before a recession by considering a recession proof career. There are jobs that are essential regardless of the economy.

• If you are employed, focus on the job doing your best to contribute to the financial well-being of the organization. Make your position essential such that it would be difficult for your boss to carry on without you.

• Create a career plan with priorities and contingencies. What would you do in the event that you get laid off? Be aware of your termination benefit rights, government unemployment benefits and sponsored retraining programs.

• Cut costs and control your budget. Ensure that you have an emergency fund that amounts to at least six months worth of living expenses. Make cautious and conservative financial decisions. Recession results in lower stock prices and cheaper purchases. It might be in your best long-term interest to buy now.

• Consider employment options beyond what’s typical for you. Search out jobs you might enjoy doing and explore those possibilities. I worked unloading trucks in a warehouse for a year before finding my dream job. The experience was remarkably wonderful.

• Realize that today, governments and business have innovative tools and strategies that they are using to turn things around as soon as possible.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• • “What will you need to succeed in the job market of tomorrow?” is the question raised in the first sentence of “Job Outlook by Education, 2006-16” [Occupational Outlook Quarterly, (52(3): pp. 2-29, Fall 2008, www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm]. Drew Liming and Michael Wolf use data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to analyze how workers’ education or training relates to their job prospects and earnings. Information provided is useful for learning about occupations and possible career options at various levels of education.

• Janet Banks and Diane Coutu discuss three survival strategies including acting like a survivor by concentrating on the customer, empathizing with your boss, and being a team player ["How to Protect Your Job in a Recession," Harvard Business Review, 86(9): pp. 113-116, September 2008, www.hbr.org].

• Inspirational success stories of three budding entrepreneurs who recently lost their job are provided in “Laid Off in 2008? Start a Business in 2009” [Entrepreneur, 37(2): pp. 73-77, February 2009, www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/index.html]. Sara Wilson discusses strategies used and attitudes necessary to turn a career setback into wonderful new opportunities. An interesting inset by George Solomon, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence at George Washington University provides valuable advice on start-up dos and don’ts.

• In challenging economic times organizations may reduce employee benefits as one strategy to balance their budget. In “Employee Benefits in Today’s Economy” [Entrepreneur, 37(1): pp. 51-55, January 2009, www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/index.html], Chris Penttila examine how employers might adjust benefits in a way that will satisfy employees.

• The annual HBR snapshot of the emerging shape of business is provided in twenty short and insightful articles authored by some of the best futuristic thinkers of our time [“Breakthrough Ideas for 2009,” Harvard Business Review, 87(2): pp. 19-40, February 2009, www.hbr.org]. Topics include not only the economic crisis but also many other matters of importance, such as strategic decision making, new markets, human resources, disruptive technologies and business models to name but a few.

• Insights into technologies and their timeline that will radically reshape human life are provided in “Timeline for the Future: Potential Developments and Likely Impacts” [The Futurist, 43(2): pp. 35-37, March-April 2009, www.wfs.org]. The timeline was first developed in 1991, and has been updated every two or three years; predicting the future to the year 2040 and beyond. Interesting insights of importance to your career planning. The author, Marvin Cetron, concludes “What must be remembered by anyone preparing for the future is that technology change isn’t very important in itself……what matters is what this change enables or destroys.”

• The accelerating pace of change is driving a transformation of business, society, and global order and in some cases even what it means to be human. William Halal, in “Emerging Technologies and the Global Crisis of Maturity” [The Futurist, 43(2): pp. 39-46, March-April 2009, www.wfs.org], discusses his belief that a social revolution is needed that will bring institutions and civilization to a higher stage of maturity to handle the change brought about by the surge in technological developments.

• David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter discuss business strategies that can be used to achieve a competitive advantage in an economic downturn [“Seize Advantage in a Downturn,” Harvard Business Review, 87(2): pp. 50-59, February 2009, www.hbr.org]. Both defensive and offensive strategies are discussed that will help companies survive the recession but also thrive during recovery. On a similar theme in the same issue (“How to Thrive in Turbulent Markets,” pp.80-88), Donald Sull discusses agility and absorption in an analogy to a boxing championship as approaches to mastering uncertainty during turmoil.

• The economic crisis is affecting all levels of the organization- even the boardroom. Two articles discuss the need for corporate boards to change in order for the organization to survive unprecedented challenges. In “Surviving the Storm,” [Directorship, 34(6): pp. 29-32, January 2009, www.directorship.com] Ram Charan and Joseph McCafferty discuss how boards need to throw out the old assumptions and plan for the new reality. In “Reshaping Your Board for Hard Times” [The Corporate Board, Issue 173: pp. 6-11, January/February 2009, www.corporateboard.com/CurrIssue.aspx], Michael Kelly and Dona Roche-Tarry discuss the skills that today’s board members must have for effective governance.

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