Recession-Proof Your Career With These 21 Moves

Recessions are a natural part of our country's economic cycle, and though they occur regularly, they can also be somewhat tricky to predict. But the longer we go without one, the easier it is for fear to creep in that the next one is right around the corner. If you’re worried about what a recession might do to your career, here are a number of important moves to make.

The job you do at your company may be limited to a single department or team, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t broaden your horizons. In fact, the more you learn about how your company operates, the better equipped you’ll be to withstand a round of layoffs should a recession render one necessary.

Maybe your role requires you to be an expert in a certain computer programming language, or to study up on new accounting laws. No matter the specifics, hone in on the things that are most important to your job, and aim to get even better at them.

There are those skills that pertain to your specific job, and those that apply to any job. The latter are known as soft skills, and boosting yours could make you a more treasured employee, thereby lowering your chances of losing your job in a recession. Common soft skills to work on include communication, time management, and attention to detail.

Nobody’s perfect, but if you’re able to identify your primary weakness on the job and improve upon it, you’ll put yourself in a better position to withstand a layoff. And if you’re not sure which shortcoming to focus on, ask your manager or colleagues for input.

Maybe your company is missing that one person with a keen eye for proofreading, or that data wiz who excels at compiling statistics. No matter what need it is that your company doesn’t seem to have fulfilled, aim to be the person who closes that gap. In doing so, you’ll make yourself invaluable.

The scary thing about a recession is that if you lose your job, you’ll be forced to go without an income until you find a new one. But if you secure a side job on top of your main one, you’ll have an additional income source at your disposal. Therefore, explore your options for getting a second gig, whether it’s consulting in your current field or doing something totally different (and perhaps more creative).

The more people you know, the easier it could be to find a job if yours ceases to exist. One of the best ways to protect yourself in the face of a recession is to establish an extensive network of professional contacts. But don’t just compile a list and call it a day; stay in touch with your contacts to strengthen those relationships so that you’re able to ask for favors when you need to.

Business conferences are sometimes a drag, and attending them often means missing out on actual work and falling a bit behind. But it’s important to get out to those events, because if you do, you’ll have an opportunity to learn new things and meet the right people, both of which could be crucial to securing employment when the economy takes a turn for the worse.

Recruiters can sometimes come off as pushy, but if you find a good one, he or she could be your ticket to a new job if yours goes away. If you’re not sure where to begin, crowdsource. Ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations, and take it from there.

The more you know about your industry on a whole, the easier it’ll be to add value to your company and keep your job when others are eliminated. Spend some time reading the news or subscribing to industry blogs and podcasts; a little time investment go could a long way.

The more content you are mentally, the more your performance at work stands to improve. To this end, it pays to invest in self-care and stress relief, whether via acupuncture, yoga, gym classes, or other means of eliminating tension.

You may know what your company does or sells, but are you in tune to its goals? Knowing where your company’s true priorities lie can help you become a more integral employee, so poke around, ask questions, and figure out what near- and long-term objectives your management team has in mind.

Becoming the person your manager relies on the most is a good way to buy yourself some job security in the face of a recession. Therefore, identify your boss’s primary needs and step up to tackle them. For example, if your manager spends so much time in meetings that he or she struggles to comb through your team’s research reports, offer to summarize that data on a weekly basis. The key is to make yourself an employee your boss can’t live without.

Jobs can be lost without warning when a recession strikes. A good bet, therefore, is to have an up-to-date resume ready to go at all times. That way, you’ll be able to jump at new opportunities should the need arise.

Just as you’ll need a resume to apply to new jobs if you lose yours, so too will a cover letter most likely be a requirement. Having one ready will allow you to act quickly and perhaps beat other viable candidates to the punch.

If you’ve been at the same job for quite some time, then you’re probably rusty on the interview front. The solution? Boost your skills so you’re confident going into those meetings. Research the questions interviewers commonly ask and prepare answers to them so you’re not left stumbling on the spot.

The last thing you want is to lose out on a great job opportunity because of a silly picture on social media or an inappropriate comment. You never know when a recession might force you to kickstart a job search, so make sure your social media profile is as clean as possible beforehand; prospective employers have a tendency to look.

A portfolio site can showcase your skills in a way your resume can’t. If the work you do is creative in nature, it pays to invest some time into building an online portfolio highlighting your graphic design prowess, writing ability, or web development talent. That way, you can point potential employers to a link and have them verify that you’re good at what you do.

When you’re in the market for a new job, it helps to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. And creating your own blog can accomplish that goal. This especially holds true if you’re a strong writer with unique insights about the field you’re in.

You’ll often hear that it pays to maintain a positive attitude in the face of a downturn. But actually, picturing the worst-case scenario could be just the thing that motivates you to take action and make some career-saving moves, so spend a little time going to your dark place, and use it to map out a plan afterward.

If a recession hits and you lose your job, you might really struggle to keep up with your bills in the interim. That’s why it’s crucial to have an emergency fund, and ideally, yours should contain enough money to cover three to six months of essential living expenses. Having that cash on hand will not only spare you a world of stress, but it’ll also buy you the option to look for a new job more calmly, thereby preventing a scenario where you resign yourself to taking the first offer you get -- and the wrong offer at that -- because you’re desperate for a source of income.

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