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Microsoft may have just salvaged your stock options, Yahoos, but you're not out of the woods yet. Layoffs are still coming. It just might not Decker and Yang dropping the ax. But don't worry! Your employer has advice for you Check out "Bullet-Proof Yourself Against a Layoff" by Caroline Levchuck for Yahoo HotJobs, here condensed into a more digestible but still bitter pill.

It's easy to spot of layoffs looming: Talk of mergers or acquisitions, belts tightened, hiring to a standstill. How can you protect yourself?

  1. [Keep] an up-to-the-minute resume. After a layoff you may be reeling with emotion or [may be] hungover, if you drowned your sorrows in a beer or three. If you're laid off with a bunch of other folks, you may be competing with them for each and every lead. The early bird will likely get the interview.
  2. [Save up] Six months of living expenses (above and beyond your savings).
  3. [Keep] an active network. If you let your network languish, folks won't have sympathy when you look to cry on their shoulders and exploit their industry contacts.
  4. [Have] a backup plan. The most stellar resume, supportive network, and neat nest egg may not be enough. Having an alternate means of generating income.

(Photo by Ordered Chaos)