Jobs are tumbling like ninepins

All of a sudden the spectre of redundancy looms everywhere across the economy. And for some it has already become a grim reality. So what can be done by those who fear for their jobs? A pessimist might say ‘there’s nothing you can do - if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen’. But except in extreme cases where an entire business goes under, most cut-backs involve a choice for business managers: who to fire and who to retain. That being the case, surely one course of action open to us is to work hard on our internal business profiles. Does our boss really appreciate all that we contribute to the organization? Have we been properly acknowledged by senior management?

For many people in work today, the idea of self-marketing is an anathema: we don’t like doing it; we probably think we’re not much good at it; and anyway, how do you go about it? If that is your attitude though, just remember this: if you aren’t promoting yourself, and the guy next to you is, which of you will be better placed when the list of redundancies is being drawn up?