With companies failing daily and reports of layoffs just another blurb on the nightly news, our collective sense of job security is changing rapidly. For many, never does a day go by that we don’t consider whether our job will be one of the next to go.

This may be the time to become a team player, and being the best employee you can be may give you an added advantage over other employees. For instance go out of your way to be highly visible at work, especially to your supervisors. Don’t hesitate to go above and beyond and do that extra little something that sets you apart. There are some positions that the company can live without, so try to work your way into a core position that makes you indispensable. Come to work early and stay late. Live and breathe your company’s mission. Share its goals, and be an active participant in internal and external activities.

Since many companies have corporate offices in other states, the likelihood of your hard work and accomplishments standing out to them is lessened. You must do whatever you can to impress your local supervisor so that the message can be conveyed up the corporate channels. Being proactive is in your best interest at times like these.

If the times are telling you that there’s a possibility that you’ll lose your job, then you may need to change from a passive to a proactive mode. Get your resume updated and reprinted. And make sure your interviewing skills are sharpened, possibly even using your friends as guinea pigs to ask you questions. Making sure your job skills are updated and pertinent to the current market is as important as anything else.

Don’t make any large purchases, and work to pay your debt down. You may even consider signing up for credit insurance to help cover your bills in case you’re out of a job. Set aside some rainy day money. It’s true that if you get laid off, you’ll be able to collect unemployment. However, it’s generally only about half of what your normal pay is or less. Prepare yourself and you family mentally for the possibility of you losing your job. Most of all, keep a positive outlook. As the old saying goes when one door closes, another opens. This may be just the push you need to get out of a career rut and move on to something better.