By Michael, on August 17th, 2012 
Obtaining and maintaining employment is vital to ensuring your self-sustainability as an adult. For many workers, just the thought of hearing that dreaded, two-word phrase–"you’re fired"–is enough to chill them to the core. If you're perpetually fearful of losing the job you worked so hard to obtain, there are some things you can do to reduce your chances of winding up on the chopping block.
However, to mitigate the damage you'll suffer should you find yourself at the losing end of a series of layoffs, you can put some effort into preparing for a potentially unavoidable period of joblessness.
Make Yourself Indispensable
For optimal job security, you want to be the last person your boss would want to let go. Make yourself seem better than the rest by continually out-performing your coworkers. Don’t do the minimum, but instead put in extra effort, showing yourself to be a productive and dedicated worker. By doing so, you can improve your chances of staying the course even if the budget requires employee cutbacks.
Advocate for Innovation
Any time something is changed within a business, manpower is required to make the modification. Instead of being content with the status quo, encourage your employer to adopt new systems or implement new programs. Each time you can convince your employer that a change must be made, you effectively create a pile of work for yourself and other employees, decreasing the likelihood that your boss feels the urge to cut anyone loose.
Maintain some Prospects
Particularly if you're a chronic job-hopper, it's vital to avoid burning bridges within your industry. Should you identify the threat of unemployment looming on the horizon, you can always turn back to your earlier connections to try to line up something else should your current job cease to exist. It's also a wise choice to keep an eye on job openings even if you're pleased with your current employer; doing so allows you to remain in the loop in your industry, making it easier for you to pick up a new job should you lose your current one.
Prepare for the Worst
Regardless of how meticulously you prepare to avoid unemployment, on occasion losing your job isn’t something you can prevent. To ensure that any period of unemployment through which you must suffer is minimally painful to you, take some precautions. Focus on building up a savings safety net, keeping enough money stashed away to pay your bills for 6 months if possible. If you do find yourself unemployed, don’t leave yourself uncovered and open to financial hardship should you become injured or ill. Instead, consider picking up some short term medical insurance to keep yourself covered during your period of unemployment.
By working to prevent yourself from losing your job while also preparing for a job loss should it occur, you can create a protective umbrella, substantially decreasing the likelihood that a job loss would spell ultimate disaster and improving your chances of getting back on your feet effectively should you find yourself back in the hunt for employment.
