How to prepare if your job is at risk
2020 has been a tough year for the economy, and as such, there are risks for jobs everywhere. The US has seen 40 million jobs disappear, and the UK 750,000, and the longer the pandemic continues the greater the opportunity for more losses, so it pays to be prepared. The good news is that you can take some simple steps in case the loss comes your way.
I've been made redundant once in my life after being part of the founding team in a startup that got bought up by a bigger fish, where the bigger fish consumed the entire operation into their own business and all the employees were let go.
It's a huge strain on everything in your life, as the security you had around you is removed and questions are raised about how long you can pay the bills and put food on the table.
This experience led me to make a conscious decision to be prepared for a time when it might happen again.
What can you do to be prepared? Actually quite a few things.
Update your LinkedIn profile at least once a month
Treat your profile as a living, breathing document, which means adding new achievements, skills, and responsibilities as they happen. If you've completed an online training course then get it on there. If you're now heading up the internal task force for a particular area, make sure it's included.
In addition, remove elements of your profile that are becoming less relevant. As you focus more on product management, then maybe there's an opportunity to tone down your social media marketing role.
Having it up-to-date and relevant for what you are currently focusing on means that should you get the heads up that your role is a risk then you can flick the setting that says that you're open to opportunities and your profile starts working for you to find the next role.
Do the same for your CV
For all the same reasons mentioned above, keeping your CV up-to-date ensures that when the time arises you'll be able to fire off your application as soon as possible to get your name at the top of the list of potential hires (see this post about the best time to apply for jobs).
Set up your job alert emails
Just because you haven't had the news of a job loss yet doesn't mean you can't keep an eye on what's happening in the job market now.
Set up email alerts on a couple of different job sites that are focused on your dream job. Use the job title you want, the salary you want, and the location, and you'll soon get a feel for what's out there you might even beat your boss to the punch by resigning in order to take on your dream job before they get the chance to make you redundant.
If you don't want to be bombarded by alert emails then most job sites allow you to set the frequency of notifications, so just receive them weekly.
Decide who you're dream employers are
As with the general role-based job alerts, you can think about who you would really want to work for and then target them with a specific job alert so you are the first to know if an opportunity arises.
Conclusion
Getting news of a potential job loss will always be stressful, but it's worth your time acknowledging that a) it is a real possibility, and b) it's a possibility that you're prepared for so you don't waste any time should it happen.