One of the best strategies for dealing with unemployment is avoiding it in the first place. Too often employees go down with a sinking ship — which translates into being laid off and out of work. Some people stay because they are not aware of the issues the company is having, while others think that things will change or that they are indispensable and will therefore be spared.

The key to organizational reading is to continually evaluate the company and market conditions. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the company selling products and making money?
• Are open positions being filled?
• Is the company trying to be innovative?
• Are departments being cut?
• Are budgets being cut?
• Has the company been successful in getting new rounds of funding?
• Are key people at the company leaving?

If you identify that the company or department is not stable, then it is time to create a plan of action using our Job Search Plan master checklist . You are more marketable while employed, so the time to start a job search is before you are out of work.