A recession is known as 2 or more quarters of negative economic growth. This really just means that the country is making less products for about 6 months overall and production is slowing down.

The flow of events will go like this; Production slows and GDP falls, companies see that production is slowing and begin to lay workers off to reduce costs of paying for less output, Workers go without a paycheck and cannot afford to pay bills, companies lose income due to consumers having less money to buy things and pay bills, and the cycle continues.

This typically is reflected in a bear market for the stock market.

However, this is a way you as the worker and the consumer is able to protect and market yourself in a tumultuous job market that follows a recession. These 5 tips will be beneficial for anybody who is looking to market themselves for the road of a volatile job market.

Build up a skillset-

In a recent poll conducted on LinkedIn, most job recruiters are in search of a candidate who is adaptable to the needs of a role.

Building up a skill set that can be adapted to your job that you currently are tasked with to a new role that you may fit into can be a pro to keeping you staffed at a company and building a brand within the company of growth and favorablity.

You can find many good videos on YouTube on how to build and fine tune soft skills as well as gather the skills from being experienced in the job field. Furthermore, you can find technical skills on many sites like Udemy or YouTube as well. These are great for sprucing up your resume for a job market that is helpful to your company.

Update your Resume-

This should go without saying, update your resume, when new skills are learned, new jobs start or end, you graduate, or every 6 months is a good starting point. Having updated information on your resume is key to making yourself look the best you can to your current employer or any prospective new employer that you may apply for.

Network-

Building and maintaining a network of peers and professionals is key to making the market work for you. You can find individuals to help you start a business, find a better position in the job market, or even give you an edge in a competitive position you’ve been working for.

Networking is really simple, It’s just professional friendship. It’s just finding friends in the professional sense that can help you build your career while you help build theirs. The key to Networking is to offer and help others. If you give to your network, they will give back one day when you need it most.

Be present online-

It’s a fools name to say that the internet hasn’t already changed the way the world works. We are using social media and apps on our mobile devices more now than ever. Business has adapted to using mobile apps for their causes and apps have found their way onto our network devices such as company devices.

It is key to have a online brand that can be used to showcase who you are how you will benefit a company in the future. The future is online, you should be too.

Make yourself valuable-

When it comes to finding a job during a recession, most companies are trimming down resources to deal with an economic hit. This means that they will be getting less income as a company and will be worried about wasting the valuable money they have stockpiled for this very moment.

If you are looking to get your hands on some of that stockpile, (this isn’t stealing, it’s getting a paycheck when companies are cutting back on expenses) You need to be perceived as a better value to the company than the money they pay you.

If these tips have helped you get prepared for a economic downturn by protecting yourself as an asset to a company and yourself. Be sure to leave a like and share this post with your friends, family and Network. Read more Personal Finance posts at The Little Dollar and be sure to check out my publication here on Medium.