As the economy continues to change and adjust to the challenges of the new millennium, many professionals are feeling the pinch of companies cutting back on personnel in order to stay afloat. This can be an especially stressful time for anyone holding a job today. However, if you leverage yourself and think like the management does, you should be able to hang onto your job even in a tough economy. Here are some ways to do this.

Be realistic about your role within the company.

You may have a fancy work title, but do you really know what you bring to the table at your company? Think clearly about the tasks that you routinely accomplish in any given week and identify ways that you can improve on them. How can you work smarter not harder? Are there additional tasks that you can ask for or new skills you can learn to become an even more important aspect of the company as a whole? In times of personnel downsizing, those that can handle multiple tasks and help the company earn revenue are the last ones to go.

Superior performance on the job is the key.

Make sure that your manager knows that you are a valuable member of the team whenever possible by demonstrating your best performance. Don’t sit around and don’t waste company time – make use of your hours on the job and outperform your peers, most especially in presence of upper management. Do your best to shine and be positive when others are stressing out or being negative. When the time comes that the management has to make sacrifices, they won’t be adding your name to the list of the employees being let go.

Increase your marketability as a professional.

Not only should you be thinking about performing well at work, but you also need to increase your value on the job market by improving your marketable skills. For many, this can be a great time to head back to college to complete courses for an advanced degree, to develop new skills or earn a specialized license. In some industries, having certain types of certificates or career skills can make the difference between being employed or getting a pink slip. If you are weak in a particular area, now is a good time to work on this to better your chances of staying in your current career or getting a better job.

The present economic crisis is an opportune time to start thinking of how much of an asset you are as a working person. Life is about learning and growing both professionally and personally. Use this time to your advantage and learn all you can about yourself and your skills so that you will be able to stay employed in the most challenging of times.

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