Are you worried about your career? Are you stressing about future job prospects?
If so, you’re not alone. The UK is back in a recession for the first time in 11 years, and experts believe it may last for years. This economic downturn has left many people feeling anxious about their job, but there are things you can do to help ‘recession-proof’ your job’.
Sure, there are never any guarantees in life, but altering your mindset and learning new soft skills can help to protect your job.
Here are five things you can do to protect your job during the recession.
1. How To Protect Your Job During The Recession: Look At Your Career Through New Eyes
Most people look at their job through the lens of their job title, but it can be more beneficial to instead think of the value your skills provide. So ask yourself these questions; what soft skills do I have? What hard skills do I have? What problems can I solve? What gap can I fill?
Once you have answered these questions, you can start to think about other ways you can provide value. For instance, if you work as an accountant for an accountancy business and you are made redundant, you could register as self-employed and help small businesses with budgeting during the recession.
2. Think About Your Financial Fitness
When the economy is good, most people focus on increasing their salary and earning more – but if there is a recession, you may want to instead focus on stability. This could mean spending less and budgeting better (for instance, if you own a small business you could use a virtual assistant agency to save money), or it could mean looking at ways to create more income streams.
Multiple income streams are a great way to establish financial fitness, as it means you don’t rely on one pay-check to pay your bills. You could earn a second income by freelancing or consulting, or you could become an online seller or invest in stocks. There are lots of options out there, so just take some time to think about which option suits you best.
3. Work On Your Mental Fitness
It is also important to work on your mental fitness. Working during a recession can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, but fear-based thoughts won’t help you to succeed. So if you are feeling anxious regularly, consider establishing daily habits that will help you to destress (such as a five minute run, avoiding the news while you work or eating a healthy, delicious snack).
4. Become Indispensable
If you really want to keep your current role, you need to become indispensable. Improve your current skills and learn new ones so that you stand out – but don’t cause yourself stress doing this. Instead do it in a way that is fun and enjoyable for you; for instance, you could listen to productivity podcasts while you exercise after work, or you could take a skills class with a work friend you get on with. You can also make your small business indispensable by hiring a virtual assistant agency, as this will increase the business skillset.
5. Prioritise Networking
Finally it is important to prioritise networking. Establish your online and real-life presence by attending events, commenting on business articles and posting on forums. You could even collaborate with similar businesses to create new connections! This could lead to future job offers and collaborations, so you can continue earning throughout the recession.
Do you own a small business? You can find out more about our virtual assistant agency here.
