Like a lot of folks, I’ve long dreamed of casting off the shackles of office commuting to become a wealthy, independent entrepreneur.
But that doesn’t mean I take my day job for granted.
Quite the contrary.
Yes, at this point in my entrepreneurial endeavours, I could probably make ends meet (barely), but the reality is that having steady employment and reliable income while you pursue your side goals is extremely valuable.
Especially in economic times like these.
With recession calls multiplying by the day and businesses locking up hiring thanks to AI efficiencies and uncertainty around convulsive U.S. economic policy, personal financial stability is more important than ever.
That makes it all the more critical that people do whatever they can now to recession-proof their jobs in case a major slowdown does in fact come to pass.
And I believe there are 5 key ways to do that.
Let’s discuss those now.
Lessons from a stint in management
I’m not currently a manager at my job, nor do I have any desire to be.
I was far more ambitious about career-ladder-type success when I was young, and by the time I was 29 (I’m 44 now) I’d secured a fairly senior management position.
I was good at it, but ill-suited for it mentally.
I’m an introvert and I don’t care for drama.
Becoming a manager makes other people’s drama your problem to deal with.
Ultimately I decided I didn’t want that, so I didn’t push any higher.
It also explains why solopreneurship is so appealing to me.
Having said all that, being a manager did reveal the traits I found most valuable in my employees and ones I employ every day to make myself valued and valuable to my managers.
I think there are 5 in particular that everyone should embrace.
Recession proof your job: Key 1
The first way to recession-proof your job is to be a drama-free person at work.
I don’t mean keeping your mouth shut even if you see something unethical or have a great idea about how things could be done better.
I just mean don’t be difficult … don’t bring nonsense to the job.
- Don’t antagonize co-workers for no reason.
- Don’t be needy. Try to fix things on your own before bugging anyone else.
- Don’t be petulant because you’re upset about something that happened at home.
- Don’t be annoying. Consider how your choices affect those around you.
- Don’t flake out and miss work for dubious reasons, which just puts more pressure on your co-workers.
In short: just be normal and reliable.
Recession-proof your job: Key 2
Key 2 to recession-proof your job is to never utter the phrase, “That’s not my job”.
To reiterate, this isn’t about ethics and doing something you’re uncomfortable with.
But failing to help out with a project because you think you’re too good for it is a great way to ensure you’re first out the door come recession time.
Here’s an example I witnessed when I was just starting out in my career.
I was full-time for maybe a year when a new batch of interns was brought in.
One day, a senior manager asked one of them to help with something that actually was part of her job.
Her response?
“To be honest, I didn’t really come here to do that.”
I was floored.
Do you think she was asked to come back for a summer job that could have led to a full-time career?
Do you think that manager would have agreed to serve as her reference?
That would be a big, fat no on both counts.
Recession-proof your job: Key 3
The third way to prepare for a recession is to propose great ideas … but don’t have a meltdown if they aren’t used.
The first part is pretty simple.
Businesses are always looking for ways to improve productivity (especially in the age of AI), and people who solve problems are valuable to companies.
But don’t forget the second part.
Maybe you think you’ve come up with the best idea ever and you’re shocked that management disagrees.
Do not, under any circumstances, take it personally.
Everyone gets ideas every day – just because one doesn’t see the light of day doesn’t mean people are ignoring you and don’t respect you.
Again, bring no drama to work.
If people don’t love your idea, don’t act like a toddler about it and stomp around telling everyone your boss is a joke.
Drum up another idea And then another.
Stay innovative and something will catch on eventually.
And then, one day, you might be the boss (if you’re into that sort of thing).
Key 4: Recession-proof your job
The fourth key to recession-proofing your job is to bring real value.
This is something I’ve come face-to-face with in my content business.
Every day I log on to write on Medium or publish a video on YouTube, I have to wade through an endless sea of junk content and AI slop.
And then people making it wonder why they haven’t achieved Mr. Beast-level success overnight.
If your work is lazy and low-quality, nobody will value you and you’ll be the first one canned when times get tough.
So ask this question: “Am I bringing any value right now? Am I bringing more value than the person I might be competing with for my job?”
If you aren’t, you should start rectifying that now.
Key 5: Recession-proof your job
The fifth and final way to recession-proof your job is to keep things in perspective.
There are many paths to this mindset, but I arrived to it after having kids.
The first time my son got really sick, it put everything in perspective for me.
Suddenly, pointless work drama became just that: pointless.
And the reality is that most things you think are important actually don’t matter at all.
When a big life milestone or an inevitable tragedy turns your world upside-down, you’ll know it right away.
My advice to you is: don’t wait for those.
Embrace the fact that most of the things you’re freaking out about are probably going to be just fine and probably aren’t worth wasting your mental bandwidth on.
So many people derive their identities from their jobs, so if something goes sideways, it tanks every aspect of their existence.
They’re grumpy, they can’t sleep because they’re wrapped up in it.
And then they bring drama, which, again, is the worst thing you can do.
You should definitely care about doing a good job, but you shouldn’t care so much that you get all emotional about stupid stuff that doesn’t matter in the long run.
The hard truth about work
Here’s a hard truth you should keep in mind: your career is a transaction, nothing more.
Your company doesn’t care about you as a person.
At the end of the day, you’re a number on a spreadsheet, one your boss will need to pore over when his boss tells him “we need to reduce headcount”.
If you do five simple things, however – bring no drama, never say “that’s not my job”, propose ideas but don’t get emotional about them, bring real value, and keep things in perspective) – I believe you’ll be far less likely to see your number deleted from the spreadsheet when times get dark.
Are there other keys to recession-proofing your job?
What have you learned about this as a manager or employee?
Let me know in the comments!