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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Ten signs you might be made redundant (and what to do)

As iProfile.org reveals nearly 30% of British workers believe there's a good chance they will be made redundant this year, the online CV expert highlights the ten signs you should be looking out for and how to be prepared

As iProfile.org reveals nearly 30% of British workers believe there's a good chance they will be made redundant this year, the online CV expert highlights the ten signs you should be looking out for and how to be prepared.

With the British Chambers of Commerce predicting that one in ten of us could be jobless by summer next year, it's unsurprising that a recent poll by iProfile.org found that nearly 30% of workers believe there is a good chance they will be made redundant in the next 12 months. More worrying is that 61% are completely unprepared for losing their job and have done nothing to increase their chances of keeping it.

To help those worried about their job, online CV provider iProfile.org has identified ten signs that redundancy could well be on the horizon. Spotting the signs your job might be in danger, before it's too late, can put you in a much stronger position, either by allowing you to show your employer how valuable you are or by giving you a head start in looking for something else.

Ten signs to look out for:

1. Your company isn't doing well/the boss gives a speech on tough times ahead
2. Recruitment freeze
3. Rumours around work about potential redundancies
4. Your annual pay review is postponed/you're overlooked for an expected promotion
5. Your expense account/company car allowance gets cut
6. The annual party is cancelled
7. Your manager or boss does not include you in meetings
8. Large number of teams/people being reorganised
9. Unusual amount of off-site/closed-door meetings with senior management
10. Extreme micro management and criticism

While these signs may not always spell the end, if they do sound familiar making yourself indispensable to your employer can only work in your favour.

Top tips for jobkeeping:

- Give your clients or customers the best possible service - it will be harder for your employer to make you redundant if customers like you

- Ask to take on more responsibilities - show that you have capacity to produce more than you currently are

- Shout about your successes - make sure your boss knows about your great new sales win by dropping it into conversation next time you're both in the lift

- Are you dressed for success? As the mantra goes - dress for the job you want, not the job you've got

- Ask for a mentor/offer to be someone's mentor to show your commitment to the business, and your eagerness to learn

- Volunteer for more training - it shows you're prepared to adapt and by taking on new responsibilities and skills, you're making yourself more valuable to an employer
No matter what effort you put in, you still may find yourself facing redundancy. The best preparation you can make is to get you CV ready before you get any bad news. If you're ready to hit the ground running this will put you one step ahead, giving you first pick of any relevant jobs against other colleagues. Worryingly, research by iProfile.org has shown that 83% of employees don't keep their CV updated.

The signs of redundancy and tops tips for keeping your job form part of iProfile.org's recent Recession Survival Guide for Jobseekers and Jobkeepers, aimed at addressing the gap between the number of workers who think they will be made redundant and the number who are preparing for it.

We understand that facing unemployment can be a daunting time, but we're surprised by how little people are doing to help improve their situation, explains Daniel Elkins, co-Founder, iProfile.org. Our research found that only 39% of those surveyed had taken measures to safeguard their job; just 16% had worked unpaid overtime; 8% of employees have postponed their holidays; a tiny 3% have bought smarter clothes for work; and 2% have volunteered to take a pay cut or switch from full time to part time employment.

Elkins continues, One of the easiest and most effective things jobseekers or jobkeepers can do is update their CV, however, our survey results show that only 17% of workers have ensured their CV is up-to-date. Your CV is the key to securing a job, and in the current climate you never know when you might need it. If you're made redundant it's possible you won't be able to return to your desk, let alone collect any relevant information as evidence of your work achievements.

Case study
Matthew Hancock, a former headhunter, was recently made redundant. In hindsight the signs were there, but at the time the announcement was completely unexpected: Looking back I can see that without making some cost cuts, the business wasn't sustainable. Also my boss was very cagey about future commitments, from my involvement in client meetings to holiday requests. If I'd realised my job was in jeopardy it would've put me in a much better position as I'm very aware my redundancy pay will only last another month. Given the current market, finding another job in recruitment isn't really an option for me so I'm starting from scratch and finding a new career.

With nearly 3 million iProfile holders in the UK, iProfile.org has drawn on its industry knowledge to offer practical advice to all with its Recession Survival Guide for Jobseekers and Jobkeepers: including recent graduates; those who have found themselves unemployed after many years of service; and even those lucky enough to still have a job.