Managing Your Fears While Preparing for the Worst

Planning for an Uncertain Future:

There is an old saying, “Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket”.  We have all heard it, or some variation of it.  This adage applies to your income requirements as much as any specific investments you might hold.  The worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and say, “It won’t happen to me”.  It can, and does, happen to people every day.  While it usually comes as a shock, the truly unprepared are especially devastated by sudden job loss.  Fear is a great motivator for some.  For others, it causes a sort of paralysis.  Get motivated.  Manage your fears by being proactive and tackling what you CAN control.

Start Protecting Yourself Today:

Schedule some time for yourself, very soon, to tackle the following items:

• Create a current budget, listing all expenses.  If you couldn’t pay for them anymore, how important would they be?  If not important, consider cutting them out for awhile.  If they are still important and necessary expenses, think about alternative sources of income that will cover these costs in the event of a sudden job loss.  If you don’t have any alternatives, get a second job, start earning money from your hobbies, and/or start saving as much money as possible over the next six months.
• Update your resume and get it professionally critiqued.  Have it ready for immediate use.  While you are clear-headed and employed, create a list of prospective companies within your industry and geographic location.  Note contact information, job titles they routinely hire for (relevant to your skills), how they need to receive application materials, and so forth.  Create/use your LinkedIn account to research these companies further and build possible networking contacts.

It’s Your Plan!

Talk to people who have been laid off.  Ask for their advice.  What would they have done differently if they had known what was coming?

Research your industry.  Is your industry strong, growing, declining, are remaining flat?  What are the professional organizations supporting your industry say about emerging trends and cautions?

Talk to your boss and state that you’d like to know more about the challenges currently facing your organization.  Let them know you want to see the organization pull through these tough times.  What can you do to help?

You cannot predict the future.  But you can take control by implementing these two concrete steps to protect yourself, starting TODAY.  Stay calm and focused.  Be proactive.  Good luck!

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

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