The second half of 2008 has been pretty miserable on multiple fronts. The economy seems to be taking a nose dive and the fallout is that more and more jobs will be lost. Unfortunately, the outlook is not too good…

I have recently heard from several colleagues who have been laid off, who are in the process of being laid off, or who are fearful that a layoff is in their future. The latter being the case at EDS (acquired by HP earlier this year). HP recently announced that it may lay off as many as 25,000 people over the next year or so – mostly in the US. Obviously EDS will be the primary target for these numbers. Having so many of those conversations lately made me start thinking about how I could help my friends and colleagues prepare for what might come. Preparing yourself for the worst makes good sense. I am not suggesting that you dwell on the future and develop a pessimistic outlook. But it is wise to be prepared – Boy Scouts learned that long ago.

We spend a lot of time “polishing” our resumes, thinking that will be our ticket to success. Granted, a good resume is important. I don’t want to downplay that fact. But relying solely on your resume in a very tough job market may not be enough. Hiring managers can be very selective these days.

Just like products, brand awareness for people is important. It’s not only about what you have done, but who you are. Your brand is not automatically built for you. You must work on it. Brand awareness is really important if you have a “lofty” resume. By that I mean lots of “successes”. Those successes may be important to you, but if nobody else knows about them then they are of little value. Thomas Kempis once wrote “The loftier the building the deeper the foundation must be laid.” So if your resume is lofty, then you should ensure that you have a solid, recognizable foundation to support it.

I have included several links on this site for personal development. Knowing who you are and how other people perceive you is important. Take a few minutes and check them out.

Being “digitally present” is key in today’s business (and social) community. One of the first things that recruiters do nowadays is google candidates. This is especially true for executive positions. If you are not “present” on the web your “currency” (business value) drops. But just being on the web is not enough – your presence has to be relevant. Twenty hits on your recipe website is not likely to help you land that high tech job. Blogs are an easy way to establish a presence, but you must be careful with how you portray yourself. A recent article by John O’connor is very helpful in understanding some of the “do’s and don’t's” when it comes to blogging.