With the economy in a tizzy, the last thing you need is a pink slip. Mediocre performance will come under the scanner and even a good work performance is not a guarantee against lay offs.

Constantly look for ways to improve how you do your work. If you are really interested in your work you can come up with some ways of improvisation or innovation. That idea should be feasible and if it saves some money for your company or cuts down raw material usage or shortens the production cycle time your contribution will be invaluable.

Motivate yourself and control your outbursts and avoid quarrels at your workspace. A positive, cheerful attitude will get you noticed in these gloomy times and you will win favor for your professional and positive attitude.

Do not get involved in cliques, office politics or join factions. Be on good terms with everybody wherever possible. You don’t have to be a doormat but avoid needless confrontations.

Do not forget to blow your trumpet atleast discreetly. Highlight your tangible contributions subtly. Don’t be shy or your hardwork might not get noticed by the right people.

Network with others even if they are not in the same field as yours. Reach out with favors and go the extra mile. It might pay off in the long run.

Set higher benchmarks in your job. It might be difficult but solid high performance cannot be ignored when crunch time comes.

For students graduating this year the downturn has come as a dampener on their job ambitions. Some companies have postponed their recruiting drives, others have put their appointments on hold, while some have asked their employees to defer their joining date.

There are of course a number of alternatives to tackle this turn of events.

Consider a government job or even joining armed forces. Some armed forces recruitment campaign involves acquiring a college degree free of cost so it may be worthwhile to take a look at that.

Appear for competitive exams, not only will you increase your chances of bagging a job, you can keep your skills honed and and improve your logical thinking, knowledge and aptitude.

Consider taking a off the beaten track jobs like volunteering, social work etc., While they may not be big paymasters, these types of jobs will give you a personal satisfaction and will look good upon your resume. You can proudly display your social commitment to future recruiters.

Take up a skills acquisition course, create a blog, join online forums related to your specialisation, contribute articles, blog posts, learn a new language, in short don’t be idle and waste away time.

If you don’t land a job straight away after your graduation, don’t despair, acquire soft skills, learn a new trick or two and these will stand you in good stead and give you the extra edge during interviews.

In today’s competitive work environment, forming networks or alliances can offer support and goodwill and even protection to see through turbulent times.

Form an alliance with your boss without being seen as a toady or worse still a doormat. Your loyalty can be a deciding factor when things get tough. Clear any misunderstandings and support your boss as long as they are not in conflict with the overall policies of your firm.

Create a clan with your teammates. If you are in a team based job your teammates can be a tremendous source of support and you can feed off from their enthusiasm and protection. But it is not a one way street.
Never backstab or let down your teammates. Be ready to help, praise and bolster the team with trust, confidence and friendship and you have a sureshot winner in your hands.

Clanning among your peers. Alliances among people of the same age and same interests are the most powerful alliances. These alliances can be a lifesaver literally and are powerful anti depressants.
Since it is easy to keep in touch through online social networks there should be no excuse to build a strong clan.
Help all you can and volunteer for the dirty jobs. Some sacrifice of pub time is worth the investment and you can really count on the favor being returned at the correct time when you need it most.

Shock and awe your customers and they will readily form an alliance with you. It might benefit you both personally as well as professionally. Respond to their queries with a genuine interest and offer to solve their problems even if they are not in your area of responsibility and you have made a powerful alliance.
Treat them right and and they can be your ladder to success.

Alliances can provide you with the critical support you need to achieve success and can make or break a career.So form your clan now.

A close relation of mine was laid off. I was not aware of this fact for more than a month even though we were in touch with each other regularly.

I suppose he was not comfortable with being fired, who would?
It is more psychological than we care to admit. It is one thing to resign from a job and another thing to be told you are not needed.

I asked him about the job hunt and he replied that a manager in one of his former companies was favorably inclined to hire him back. Apparently networking has its own benefits apart from being in the good books of your ex-companies.

There are several lessons to be learnt from this episode.
Networking is good for all times more so in a recession where the job opportunities are limited.
Loyalty in a company is not passe. My relative was there for only six months before he was fired. Longer serving employees were being retained in the priniciple of “last in first out”.

Success in networking depends on the people who are in the list. Professional networking should include people who are influential and can make a decision.

Offer help and references to people when they need them.Your efforts will bear fruit when you need them most. Online social networking is good in this respect.

Keep in touch with your contacts regularly,call them if only to say hello. Attend conferences, seminars and conventions. You can expand your networking in a big way at these places.

Be good to customers, vendors and even your competitors. You don’t have to cosy up to your competition but there is no harm in being civilized and acting professionally.Let them be aware of your skills, it might help you later.

Make networking an integral part in your job hunting or in your work life.

People like to adopt a “batten down the hatches and lie low” attitude when it comes to tough times in the economy. Companies tend to cut costs, order more pink slips, stop recruiting thus contributing to a vicious cycle of recession.

Get rid of the herd mentality and do some innovative thinking, after all if you are going to take the same steps as your rivals you are not going anywhere either as a recruiter or a job seeker. Recession is much more the result of a mass mindset fueled by fear and aversion to think creatively or take risks.

Some sectors like food, clothing, health care, communication, energy are able to keep their heads above the water. Companies that deliver more value to the customer, having a good customer service departments are able to retain customers.

Thinking long term and not obsessed by a downtrend in economy will keep the company in a good advantageous position. Now is the time to think of setting up joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Pooling the resources will help weather the storm.

An organisation that cares about its stakeholders and keep its customers informed and building relationships with its vendors, bankers will find its nose ahead when the economy improves.

Job seekers should not be disheartened and look out for sectors that are evergreen in nature like pharma or food industries to hunt for jobs.
Even self employment is a option but carries more inherent risks. But if you can pull it off in this scenario then things can only get better.

Some times knowingly or unknowingly people might have to take a break in their careers. Perhaps a medical condition might force the issue or you may take a professional break for e.g. to study some course or degree or author a book or treatise.

So what should you do to get back in the mainstream. All is well and good if your company sponsors your degree or sabbatical, you will have your seat all warmed up and ready. But if you want to switch companies after the break or make a fresh start here are some pointers to help you out.

Keep in touch with the latest trends, technology and skills you might need for that job.

Update your skills with technology courses, computer courses and other courses which will help you.

Brush up your resume. Adapt your resume to suit different vacancies. Emphasize the learning you have done in the break and correlate it to your skills and strong points.

There are recruiters specialising in helping people hunting for jobs after a break. Talk to them and submit your resume for a review.

You might have to face uncomfortable questions during the interview regarding your break, rehearse them and emphasize how the time spent during the break can dovetail with your current job and bring additional experience or skill which you wouldn’t have acquired normally.

Take action and you will see results.

Most of the people who graduate think academic qualifications alone can ensure getting through an interview or bagging that coveted job.

Businesses need people who can think and work efficiently, get along and co-ordinate with others, make logical decisions and are self motivated.

Development of employability skills like communication, decision making, problem solving, innovation and initiative can be acquired while you are studying. Do not fall into the trap of waiting till you graduate and think that you can learn these skills later. It might be too late in these tough times.

Take part in internships and voluntary work. Event hosting and hosting seminars, conventions will give you opportunities to develop team working skills, problem solving and innovation especially when you are working on a tight budget and time schedules.

Effective communication and presentation skills can be honed while delivering papers or during project presentation or during brainstorming sessions. Ask for feedback and make necessary course corrections.

Social work and involvement in fraternity groups or societies can help you gain confidence as you meet different people and work along with them.

Network with like minded people not only using internet social groups like facebook, twitter, myspace etc., but also offline professional or social groups.

Make use of your extra time at school or college to develop these highly sought after skills and you will have that extra edge over others during that tough interview.