Question: How can you layoff-proof yourself?

Answer: By being prepared.

Today's ecomony means that companies are being forced to cut costs at a record level. What was job security 5 years ago can now be more fragile than a tightrope that has been frayed at the ends.

Look at the facts. Hoover's Dead of Dwindling Dot-coms lists hundreds of companies that have either gone under or reduced their workforce significantly. Layoffs.com gives up-to-the-minute coverage of companies that go boom. And the net's favorite F'd Company.com gives terminated employees and other folks a place to announce rumors ahead of time.

Ever wonder just how many people have gotten axed every month? In the Internet industries alone, 11,649 employees were laid off just in February (that's equivalent to 52 people getting fired every single hour)! according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks employee movement in the Internet industry. Compare that to 2/2000 - the number was only 101.

This is scary stuff. Especially if you're taking care of a family.

Layoff-proofing involve many factors (all of which are spelled out in detail in the book Snare A Job - Make Them Beg To Hire You!). They include:

• Gathering the knowledge to surpass your colleagues and competitors (and the good news is, tons of tutorials and classes are available for free on the Internet!)
• Having an "inside track" of where your company is, and where it is going (as well as its competitors)
• Knowing how to deflect corporate politics like lice and emerge victorious
• Internalizing what's in it for the company to keep you

The Free Management Library has lots of resources that will give you the big picture regarding many business concerns. Layoff-proofing requires more than just knowledge, however - it also means you have comprehensive abilities to actively demonstrate to management your value. And that's what this entire site teaches.