Do you like your job? Someone else might!

Hi neighbors. For those of us who are fortunate enough to have jobs, we may think news about today's job market may not be of importance to us. I suggest we should, more than ever, keep a sharp eye on whose being hired, fired and retired.

In a country where hundreds line up to apply for a job cleaning out an animal shelter for less than minimum wage -- it pays to know what your employer (or more importantly your employer's company) wants from its workers.

There are lots of articles floating around the Internet and in magazines and newspapers about how to find a job, how to write a resume, how to conduct yourself in an interview, etc.

I think it equally important to know what attitudes, skills and insights you need to keep the job you have -- or how to determine if you need a different (or additional) job.

It doesn't matter if you work in a white or blue collar job field. There are certain job skills you must possess to keep your job.

First, you need to make an honest appraisal of how important you are to your company.

How many other people could come in tomorrow and do your job with little inconvenience to your employer? How many unemployed people have the skills to do your job as well as you do?

Are you relying on your seniority to make the difference between keeping you and hiring someone else? You might be surprised to find that experience may not figure as high on your boss's list of skills as you have thought.

Are you nearing retirement age? Will that count for you or against you in your company?

Some questions you need to ask yourself...

* Who else could do your job?

* How easy would it be to replace you?

* What special skills do you have that make you important to your employer?

* What other skills do you need to increase your importance to your employer?

* How can you get these additional skills -- how can you afford them?

* Will your company give you time off or a flexible schedule to get extra training?

* Should you consider a second job as a form of job security? Or should you stop working a second job you now have to go back to school?

* What do you know about your company's overall plans and needs? Is the company's future secure?

* What other career would your job skills make you qualified for?

* Will taking extra training make you a more valuable employee to your current company and to any future opportunities should you have to start looking for a job again?

* How important is your employer's company to you? Is loyalty a two-way street with your employer?

* How will you know when it's time to bail -- should you stay till the last possible paycheck -- or start sending out resumes today?

* What skills do you have that you are not using at your current job?

* Should you go to college or a technical school full-time and lose income -- or pick up a class or two here and there that will embellish your resume?

* Should you consider moving to a place with more job opportunities?

* What benefits does your current job offer that are essential to you and your family's well-being? (Consider retirement benefits, health and life insurance -- they may not be available at another job and/or not affordable if you become self-employed or unemployed.)

* Do you have skills that you could develop to become self-employed either full time or part time?

* Is any job better than no job at all -- even a job with no benefits and minimum wage pay scale?

* What options do you have if you would become unemployed next week? Does your family have a plan for survival?

* What can you live without?

* How much do you have in savings?

In today's economy, walking off of a job -- any job -- may not be a smart choice.

Consider this, does your employer need you as much as you need them?

Until the next time friends remember that when there are hundreds of people standing in line for every job out there -- even yours -- you need to stay on your toes, do your job well, and do all you can to improve your worth to your employer by increasing your skills and your knowledge.