There’s no such thing as job security anymore, but you make yourself a little bit safer from the ax by making yourself as valuable as possible to your employers.
(Photo Credit: terren in Virginia/Flickr)
Forbes recently ran an excellent piece called “17 Ways to Be Indispensable at Work.” The bottom line is that the way to make yourself essential to your company is to be the only person who can (or will) do a certain type of work.
For example:
1. Acquire a skill that no one else has.
Whether it’s a technical skill, like a programming language, or a skill that’s particular to your organization, being the only person who knows how to do a certain thing makes it harder for the boss to think of letting you go.
2. Build important relationships.
“Find relationships that are crucial to the company’s survival or ability to get things done, and become the point person who maintains the relationship,” advises executive coach Stever Robbins. “Build it up over time.”
3. Be the best at what you do.
Don’t roll your eyes just yet. What sounds like the most common professional advice is actually very profound. Think about it: how often do you run into people who are truly committed to what they do, and can’t sleep at night unless their work is absolutely as good as it can possibly be?
While being the best won’t necessarily save you from losing your job, it can make you the last to go. And in an environment where even really talented people sometimes find themselves laid off, being last in line when the pink slips go out is about as close to job security as most of us can get.
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What do you do to make yourself indispensable? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
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