How to Prepare for Unemployment While Employed

How to Prepare for Unemployment While EmployedHow to Prepare for Unemployment While EmployedIf youre reading this, congratulations. Youre probably totenstill employed. That means that you have time to put your financial, social, and work affairs in order in case your employment status changes. You can prepare for unemployment while still employed. In fact, there is no better time to prepare for unemployment than while youre still employed. While you cant redo the decisions youve made over the past two to10 years, you can make decisions now that will limit your exposure if your current employment ends. And, end it might. In the current economic climate, with the threat and reality of increased governmental regulation the threats of increased employer costs via prescribed health care and government interference in the employer-employee relationship in areas such as mandatory benefits and general uncertainty about sales and profitability, employers are still shedding jobs. Most importan tly, if you are unemployed, or kompetenzprofilly unemployed, it is important for you to know that, in self-defense, employers are creating fewer jobs and some jobs have disappeared forever. It will impact the length of time you are unemployed and highlights the importance of the need to be prepared for unemployment. How Do You Know to Get Ready for Unemployment How will you know if the unemployment ax will fall? There are signs and symptoms for which you need to watch. Employees in some positions, such as finance or sales, usually have a better picture of their companys health. Some companies aim for communication and results transparency, and all employees know when they need to prepare for unemployment. Whichever the case in your organization, this is how to know when and if unemployment looms for you. Are you in danger of getting fired or laid off? 12Tips To Prepare for Unemployment Given this economic climate, your unemployment, whether expected or hitting you out of the clear blue, may last awhile. With this possibility in mind, what can you do now to preserve and protect your family and your lifestyle should you find yourself suddenly unemployed? Unemployment Tip Save Money Recognizing that this is easy to say, your best strategy to meet unemployment is to have money in the bank. By some figures I have seen, the average person who loses their job has less than a couple of weeks of savings in the bank. According to the Washington Independent, a Brandeis University study finds that four in 10 families dont have enough savings or assets on hand to pay for essential expenses during a period of unemployment. The report also notes that the poor economy is hitting minority households particularly hard, erasing their economic gains of the past two decades and widening a racial wealth gap. Additionally, the lack of savings is affecting a familys mobility, their ability to go where the jobs are. Unemployment Tip Delay Major Purchases If you have an y inkling that you may lose your job, or even if you dont, now is the time to delay major purchases which are unnecessary. An unemployed friends refrigerator bit the dust recently, and she had to replace it, but she economized by eliminating nice tos such as the ice maker. When stores start offering options such as payment plans and layaway (remember layaway?), run, dont walk in the opposite direction. Recently, on television, for example, furniture stores are offering to delay interest payments for four years. Resist these siren calls of buy now. Despite the fact that your purchases will aid the economy, you need to prepare for unemployment. Unemployment Tip Live on One Salary For a family in which two or more members are employed, consider trying to live on one salary to build savings, eliminate debt, and prepare for the potential consequences of unemployment. Unemployment Tip Use leistungspunkt Cards for Emergencies Only Unless the item is essential, and youd be surprised how few items are actually essential, control the urge to purchase using a credit card. The purchase price always comes due, and the interest adds up to more than you ever imagine. Credit is the main factor in families living too close to the edge in the event of unexpected unemployment. In the unemployment stories featured on Alison Doyles job searching site, the readerswho sharedtheir unemployment stories cite credit card debt as one of the deepest holes they had to climb out of when they became unemployed. Unemployment Tip Stay Prepared to Job Search Your resume and references should always remain up-to-date. You never know when youll need them and you dont want to spend the first potentially productive days of your unemployment updating application materials and contacting references. Likewise, maintain your network of contacts while you are employed. Stay active in professional associations so youll be the first to know of job openings and receive leads via word-of-mouth. Prior to unemployment is also the time to build your professional presence on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. It can take time to build an effective brand online and to do the networking necessary to expand contacts. Prepare for potential unemployment with current job search materials and online and offline networks of contacts. Dawn Rosenberg-McKay offers additional ideas about staying marketable while you are employed before the dreaded unemployment event occurs. Unemployment Tip Create Mobility Options While many are tied down with homes, family, social commitments, a partners job, and more, in the event of unemployment, flexibility and mobility may make the difference between staying unemployed and finding a new position. Prepare for unemployment by maintaining as much flexibility and mobility as possible, if only by charting out what if scenarios as opposed to we cant scenarios when discussing your future with your family. Unemployment T ip Consider Further Education Just a few credits short of a degree? Maybe that professional certificate or designation would make you more employable than your competition. Working on your Masters degree sounds proactive and says something about your willingness to stretch, grow, continue learning, and develop further knowledge and skills. In the event of unemployment, education may give you an edge. Unemployment Tip Broaden Your Skills As you prepare for unemployment, consider the possibility that a job may not be available in the field or occupation of your choice. To prepare for such a contingency, a colleague suggests that you can broaden your skills and references by using a bit of spare time to volunteer, or better yet, work part-time in a different field. herbei husband worked, in his spare time, as a garage gas boy to help out a friend and to gain access to a hoist to work on his collector car. This work means he now has sales skills he can use to move into part-time wo rk after years of being a government employee, an area where there are no jobs in his high qualifications field. My colleague says, It can be hard to develop cross skills when you work in cubicle land most of your life. But, her husband did, and it is serving them wee in unemployment. Unemployment Tip Consider Starting Your Own Business Another colleague and her husband have spent years combing garage and yard sales for finds. When her husband was laid off recently, it was a short leap to selling items on eBay and in a local antiques and collectibles shop. Should he find employment, he chose a shop that does not require his presence but is fee-based. Another acquaintance, who had a long-term interest in a particular dog breed and was active in the local and national associations, capitalized on her interest, knowledge, and contacts. She opened an online business that catered to the needs of other lovers of her breed with canine cookies, breed-specific key chains, and other novel ty items, and resources for breed care and rescue. Advertising-supported, the site took advantage of her long-term hobby. Take a look at your own hobbies, interests, talents, and skills. Perhaps a part-time business, that you can start while you are employed is your best insurance and preparation for unemployment. Small business owners possess some control over income and employment, and even a hobby, can help support you well into retirement. Unemployment TipGet Along With Your Boss Yes, the babo makes the final decision often, about who comes and goes. Use the advice in these articles to ensure your relationships with your boss and coworkers are positive and rewarding. It is not the time to job hop because you hate your current boss, no matter howbad your current boss is. How to Get Along With Your BossPlay Well With Others Develop Effective Work Relationships Unemployment Tip Hang on to Your Current Job Lets face the truth. Best liked, and valued employees are not the first to go to the unemployment line or website. You can learn from this colleague who shared her job security story. I was once in the situation where a huge number of co-workers got laid off, and I was one of the few left. It was horrible. But, in hindsight, I think they kept me because I could do every job in my department. I dont think any of my co-workers could have made the same claim. That was a gradual learning process, and it wasnt something Id done on purpose with the goal of surviving a layoff. It was just me being me. When my co-workers went on vacation, I would offer to learn their jobs and keep things under control for them, so they didnt have to worry about anything while they were gone. So if the goal is to survive a layoff, Id advise people to make themselves as indispensable as possible but to do so without making anyone feel threatened. Figure out ways to make life easier for your colleagues, your boss, and everyone else you come into contact with during the workday. Unemployment Tip10 Steps to Keep Your Job in a Bad Economy Ive featured these ideas as the last tip in this contingency list to prepare for unemployment because they take time and energy over time to execute. But, these ten steps will help you keep your job when the unemployment ax falls. They are essential skills exhibited during a successful career. Contributing to your job, your customers, and your company in these ten ways will minimize the possibility that youll need to prepare for unemployment. After all, if youve done theseten things right, other employees are much more likely to experience a layoff before you. These are fundamental skills in career success that will not just shelter you from a layoff they will enhance and fuel the success of your current job and career. These12 tips should help you prepare your life and career for the eventuality of unemployment. You have the opportunity now to put your financial, social, and work affairs in order in case your employment status changes. You can prepare for unemployment while still employed. In fact, there is no better time to prepare for unemployment than while youre still employed. Dont let yourself be a victim of it cant happen here thinking. Additional Information Got the Layoff Blues?Why an Employer Might Want to Provide Severance PayPrepare for a Job Search