_These days, even the most talented, hardest working professionals have discovered that they’re not immune from the flood of layoffs sweeping the nation_
For many individuals, this means that if they haven’t already been laid off, the potential that they may suddenly become unemployed is building every day. Therefore, it’s imperative that people—whether they currently have a job or not—know how to bounce back from sudden unemployment.
h3. Specialize and Focus on a Specific Goal
Connect the key skills you possess to a niche, and then develop additional skills that will help you stand out from other job seekers. In a shrinking job market, employers have plenty of candidates to choose from and will be most interested in the special few who have developed the exact skill set they are seeking.
h3. Be Visible Beyond Your Workplace
To bounce back quickly from a layoff, it’s not enough to have the respect of former colleagues and supervisors. Today’s job seekers need to have already presented themselves as movers and shakers in their occupation and industries. To establish this kind of credibility and enhance your network of contacts, consider joining a professional organization, publishing a blog relevant to your career goals, or offering your expertise to the media. This helps you develop a wide-ranging network in your industry. In turn, you’ll enhance your brand which will have a long-lasting impact on your future career success.
h3. Keep Your Resume Up-to-Date
For many career coaches, this piece of advice ranks high on their list of career commandments—in good and bad times. Whether or not you’re unemployed, your resume should include your most current job title, as well as outstanding accomplishments achieved in that role. This way, you can put your resume to use immediately, rather than having to completely re-work it for the job search.
h3. Keep Your Skills Up-to-Date
It’s a no-brainer that you should already possess the skills needed to perform your job. What many individuals overlook, however, is that developing additional skills can go a long way in making them more valuable and attractive to employers.
h3. In his book, Laurence Shatkin identifies the most recession-proof skills and encourages individuals to enhance these areas to become more valuable to employers in tough economic times.
h3. Believe in Yourself
You can find great opportunities in the job market, regardless of what today’s grim headlines may suggest. The key is to stay positive, treat the job search as though you were being paid for your efforts, and think of your layoff as an opportunity to have a fresh start or find more rewarding work.
h3. Top Recession Proof Skills
1. Social perceptiveness
2. Writing
3. Reading comprehension
4. Service orientation
5. Persuasion
6. Active listening
7. Critical thinking
8. Speaking
9. Learning strategies
10. Instructing
_150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs is available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (“www.jist.com”:http://www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST) for more information._