6 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job

By Marcia C. Robinson

According to a recent CNN poll, 57 percent of the public already believes that the U.S. economy is in a recession. With rising gas prices, plummeting house values and an unpredictably shaky stock market, many employees are already feeling queasy about their employment situation and where their employers might be headed.

The Financial Times is reporting that leading US companies are shifting into recession mode and preparing to cut costs, freeze hiring and reduce capital spending.

As you contemplate your next move, here are 6 surefire ways to recession proof your career now.

Take a class at a local college or university.
And get serious about some additional training. Experts widely believe that we are currently living in what they term a “knowledge economy”. The more knowledgeable you are, the more committed you are to lifelong learning, the more recession proof your career will be. Education and training is so accessible today via online programs, onsite training and flexible weekend programs, explore your opportunities to learn more.

Keep doing a good job of meeting targets and objectives.
Find ways to effectively do more with less and to work as efficiently as possible to maintain and increase productivity. Bring your “Kudos File” current so that you can quickly update and disseminate your resume if needed.

Join a professional association and become involved with others in the same career.
Maintain your contacts or connect with people you may not have touched basis with for a little while. Keep in mind that you are not connecting to ask for information or help, but to bring support and value if you can.

Volunteer for tasks outside of your job description while not neglecting your responsibilities.
In a Slacker Manager blog post, Anita Bruzzese, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist on workplace issues, encourages workers to become the “go to” person on the job. “You don’t want to be a doormat, of course, dumped with all the bad stuff, but being able to step in and keep it all from going down the dumper will not only endear you to everyone, but help develop your reputation as a key player,” says Bruzzese.

Do environmental scans both inside and outside of your organization.
Pay attention to the marketplace. This does not just mean to watch the stock market. Keep on top of what is happening with your company’s key customers and suppliers. Even when you work in one of those so-called recession proof careers like Education, Healthcare or Security, there are still niches that might not do well. For example, during a recession, parents may opt to pull children from tutoring programs to save or conserve money. Although this is the Education sector, private organizations are more susceptible to cuts than say K-12 or college education.

Think about other ways to use your skills to make money.
Do you have job skills that you might be able to capitalize on to get some additional income? Imagine for example you work in a medical billing capacity for a large hospital, could you possibly take on additional medical billing work for smaller independent medical offices?

Marcia Robinson writes and trains on career, workplace and employment related issues. She is a Principal at The RayeMartin Group, a HR consulting firm in Philadelphia, that owns BullsEyeResumes, publishes the Norristown-At-Work monthly and maintains career advice blogs. Robinson has a BS in Human Resources Management and a Masters in Business Administration.

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Do You Have What it Takes?

They say only thirty percent of new small businesses will still be up and running after five years and almost half will fail in the two years.

Do you have what it takes, not only to start a new business but to survive and thrive?

Below are 10 pitfalls that you can avoid to give your business a fighting chance.

1. Business is poorly managed.
Managing your business is like being a captain on a ship – and your poor management of employees, accounting and internal controls will bring down the ship. You have to handle your business records and finances. Poor customer service will also drive down your business.  Make sure you and your employees hold customer service in the highest regard.

2. Owner does not have the right skills.
Read business books, find a mentor, do your research.  Figure out what you are good and and what you are not good at – and educate yourself.  It is important know the basics of accounting, sales, and marketing.

3. Owner underestimates start up costs.
Starting a new business can be costly, and varies greatly on what industry you choose.  Research your needed expenses, make a budget, and don’t go overboard.  Your new business doesn’t necessarily need all new furniture – and your new business credit card doesn’t need to be maxed out either.

4. Owner is not willing or not able to put in enough time.
Running your own business is a huge time investment, and it can impact your life.  Odd and long hours can be common, and it helps to have the understanding and support of your family.

5. Owner is not prepared for fluctuation of income.
Your business will most likely have fluctuations of income, having 6-12 months of living expenses saved up can help to get you through slow times.

6. Owner does not set business goals.
You can’t get there if you don’t know where you are going.  Make goals, both short term and long term from your business.

7. Owner does not have a business plan.
Your business plan holds your business strategy. Developing your business plan forces you to consider your finances, your competition, marketing, and management. Your plan does not have to be 50 pages, it can be a simple few pages.  There are many books and site that will assist you in writing your plan.

8. Owner does no marketing.
Customers can’t use your services if they cannot find you. You must find cost effective ways to market your business, your services and yourself. And in today’s market to legitimize your business you must have a website; at least a simple, professionally designed website where customers can find out about your business and its services and products.

9. Owner resists asking for help.
There are businesses out there that have walked in your shoes already. Learn from their mistakes and from their successes.

10. Owner refuses to change with the times.
The only constant in business is change. Your ability to realize opportunities and be flexible enough to change with the times is the key to surviving and prospering in any business climate.

Brian Whetten in the article Why Most Businesses Fail and What to do About it says:

The biggest problem is that most small business owners don’t really own their businesses. They act like employees rather than entrepreneurs. They love providing their services, but desperately wish they didn’t have to do all that “business stuff” that goes with it. They assume that 80% of their success will come from the quality of their services. In reality, 80% of success comes from the quality of your business systems. It comes from the quality of your recipe for success.

Take control of your business and YOUR SUCCESS.  Be brave, be prepared, research and learn everything you can, and above all believe in your success.

Torie
Refusing to Fail!

The “complicated” life of learning WordPress

After several days messing with WordPress, I am starting to see that it is a lot more complicated than the blogger interface. I shouldn’t say complicated, I should say sophisticated. Code that was easy to update in blogger is just not that easy in WordPress, so I may be holding off just a while until I can get a better handle on WP to make the move over.

I think that the sophistication of WP is going to really make the site worth the effort. I can see how I could use WP for other projects as well, my mind is racing with ideas while I am reading and researching, and long after I have stopped playing with it. I can see I am going to enjoy the process of it, once I feel a little more comfortable. I want to take my time, though, and not rush it so that all of our sites are very professional and clear. I am using another one of our sites are a guinea pig right now, and once I get that one down I will move to Sean’s other site and follow it up with this one. That is the plan for now at least.

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