This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit

Instead of living in fear of losing your job, you can build new skills, raise your productivity, and widen your network of social contacts—now

If you're employed right now, chances are that each day you're fighting to keep your job and praying you don't get axed. Working normal hours and meeting job requirements isn't enough anymore. You have to stand out, offer something extra. In these uncertain times, you need to demonstrate your value—or else you become replaceable.

It may be difficult to stay motivated—40% of the U.S. workforce isn't, according to CareerBuilder.com. Motivation stems from handling tasks that challenge you, making you passionate about your work activities. Hard work, results, and positive energy come from a motivated worker.

Figure out how you can provide value to your boss and the overall organization, and then find ways to make it a habit every single day. The more valuable you become, the more leverage you will have in negotiating a higher salary and the larger your protective shield will be when layoffs occur.

Here are some tips to get yourself some job security:

1. Think outside your cubicle. Aside from fulfilling your job requirements, go the extra mile and become a consultant for other groups inside your company. You might not have thought of yourself as a consultant previously, but in today's work environment the focus is on measurable results from projects instead of your job description. Projects give you access to new resources and open up networking opportunities, which can turn you into a more productive worker in the long term and make you an attractive job candidate to other groups in case you're laid off.

2. Gain transferable skills now. You can become invaluable at work if you learn new skills and techniques that apply across multiple business functions. For example, if you understand the business value of social media and how to harness its power across customer support, marketing, and recruitment, you become more important. If you isolate yourself and only gain skills that apply to your specific job, then it will be much harder to bounce back if you lose your job.

3. Build a legion of colleagues on your social networks. Unless your audience on Facebook consists of strictly your friends and family and the content you share is highly personal, you should think about adding co-workers to Facebook and various social networks, like Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, and Ning. By connecting with people at work, you can forge a deeper relationship with them that gives you access to their own professional networks with one click. The downside is that every status update you publish can affect how they perceive you. For instance, if you post an achievement, they may get jealous. Or if you're tagged in an unflattering picture (passed out with a lampshade on your head), they might not think very highly of you. A recent report by OfficeTeam stated that only 47% of workers are comfortable with friending their boss and just 48% of managers accept friend requests by workers. Setting parameters up front before accepting co-worker friend requests will save you from aggravation later.

4. Become the ultimate mobile worker. Whether you're in the office or traveling, learning how best to use your mobile phone to get work done is pretty much required these days. If you're an iPhone (AAPL) user, you can avail yourself of several applications to make yourself more productive. First, I would install MobileMe, which automatically pushes new e-mail, contacts, and calendar events to your iPhone, Mac, and PC. Then download Documents so you can edit and manage spreadsheets, and iTalk Recorder Premium so you can record notes and then transfer them to your computer. These applications will allow you to work anywhere (even from the bathroom). There are similar offerings on the BlackBerry (RIMM) and the new Google (GOOG) Android phone.

5. Keep your eyes on the latest trends. The world is constantly changing, and managers applaud workers who can update them on the latest happenings. In fact, even if you aren't constantly researching and learning more about your industry, you can get updates in a flash. Subscribe to blogs and industry news sources through Google Reader, and keep your finger on the pulse of your company's brand by using TweetBeep.com, Google Alerts, and BackType.com. You can also use Upcoming.org and Eventbrite.com to search for networking events in your area. The world isn't waiting for you to catch up.

6. Gain a following outside of work. If you generate awareness for your personal brand outside of work, visibility and positive word of mouth will make its way back into the workplace and you will be highly regarded. A strong external network can also prevent you from spending months job-hunting after a layoff. The Internet lowers the degrees of separation between people to a point where those who you connect with outside of work can spread praise about you to the people in your office. (This can have a negative effect too, of course, depending on how you present yourself online.) Another reason you should invest time in networking outside the workplace: It's rare to get rehired with an employer who just laid you off.

So stop looking around at other cubicles and waiting and watching for the next person to get laid off. Take control of your own destiny. Work hard and bring more value to your current position. There are many opportunities now to stand out, become more visible, and even fly into a promotion despite the economy. All you have to do is take initiative.


Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert for Gen-Y, is the best-selling author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 2009), as well as the publisher of both the award-winning Personal Branding Blog and Personal Branding Magazine. Schawbel is a social media specialist for EMC Corp., has a syndicated column for Metro US, and writes for Mashable, Lifehack, and Mediapost. He has been featured in over 100 media outlets such as BusinessWeek, The New York Times, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal.

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Are you a pofessional or are you just here for the paycheck?

Job References Can Make or Break You
by Liz Ryan

I talked to my friend Scott last week. He got laid off from his technology job in March. "The worst part is that my employer doesn't give out references," he said. "So I've got no one to vouch for the last twelve years of my career!"

Scott's problem is common. More and more employers forbid their department managers from providing job references for former employees, even people who did a fantastic job and were laid off for strictly economic reasons. Employers fear that some loose-lipped manager will say something negative about somebody, and the company will get slapped with a defamation lawsuit. You'd think that these companies would give a big enough hoot about their former employees' future job prospects to train their managers not to say the wrong thing on the phone, but you'd be wrong. It's slimy and ungrateful to thank a loyal employee for his years of service by refusing to vouch for the guy, but that's exactly what you can expect if you leave the typical major U.S. employer.

Still, we have more arrows in our job-reference quiver than just our last department manager. We'll need to provide each prospective employer with three professional references, and only one of them needs to be a boss. That boss doesn't even need to be a direct boss of yours--he or she could be a boss's boss, or the boss of another department who is familiar with your work.

Because so many employers keep their managers from helping you out reference-wise, you'd be smart to stay in touch with managers who leave your firm. You can call on these folks down the road, to serve as job references for you. Your company's customers, partners, and vendors make great references, too. You can also ask coworkers to be your references. You'll need only three references to give to a prospective employer, but it's wise to cultivate a roster of six or seven ready people, so you don't keep asking the same three for favors, over and over again.

Don't supply your list of references with your resume, and don't include the redundant phrase "References available on request" on your resume--employers know that you'll provide references when they ask for them. (But don't hand over your references until you know who you're dealing with--because sham 'employers' and shady headhunters have been known to start calling their "job applicants'" references to troll for business leads. Use caution!)

Include each reference's name, title at the time you worked together, and current contact information. Check in with your references before you hand out their contact details, so they know what sort of job you're looking for and will be ready for a phone call or email outreach. Be sure and thank your references when they've jumped into service for you, even if you don't get the job!

When you do get the right offer, send your references a token gift, like a Starbucks gift card. Great references make a huge difference in a job-seeker's success. Not job-hunting? Don't wait until you need them--start cultivating your future reference providers now!

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new-millennium workplace. Connect with her at www.asklizryan.com. (The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.)

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Join in and Be Heard.
Are you a pofessional or are you just here for the paycheck?