1. Be realistic
Decide when and where you would be available to work and what you need to earn.  Do you want part-time or flexible employment, can you work irregular hours, do you want to commute? Think about childcare, including one or two back-up options in case of illness.

2. Decide what you are good at
Think carefully about your experience and what you would like to do. Take advice, possibly from professional career specialist. A career change may sound appealing but consider building on existing skills. Check your local college for relevant courses or look at our Courses Section.

Part-time work allows you to keep a foot-hold in the job market and keep your skills up to date. But there are a few important dos and don’ts to think about.

• Don’t over commit yourself – agree a working schedule that is acceptable to you and your employer.
• Make sure you have reliable back up if the children are ill and you just have to go to work.
• Make sure the job you accept will keep you interested. Do not settle for something you know you will hate.
• Establish a communications system at work, perhaps a daily journal, so colleagues can deal with queries when you aren’t there. Something similar at home might work too.
• Make sure people know who you are and what you do; and when you are there and when you are not.
• Do not feel you have to fit a full-time job into part-time hours.
• Stand up for yourself and do not be afraid to remind employers of your legal rights.
• Set up good support systems at home so that you have a little time to yourself when you get back.
• Keep some of your earnings for yourself. Do not put every last penny into the family kitty.
• Do not undervalue yourself.

How to find a top employer  

• Look for evidence of flexible working at the top of the organisation Anyone can talk about work-life balance, but you need to see evidence at the top to know the commitment is there.
• How creative is the company? What you want is a flexible company that offers an imaginative range of ways you can balance your work and home life, such as homeworking, compressed hours and job shares.
• Is the IT up to date? If an organisation is serious about flexible working the IT will be in place to support it. Check you will have full remote access to the office server from home.
• Are the pay processes transparent? Check that the company has a unified pay scale and is committed to equal pay for all employees.
• The female factor You want to work somewhere that values its female talent. Ask to see an organisational chart - just how many women are there in senior positions?
• Get the story Employers who genuinely care about their people spend a lot of time talking and listening to them. Ask what the employer stands for and check the story sticks from top to bottom.
  

Top 20 Careers to Pursue in a Recession

Following a recent article in HR World, SMP Solutions takes the lid off some of the careers that are least likley to be at risk in a down turn.
If you want to recession-proof your career, the key is to focus on work that continues even when most people don't have disposable income to spend. So while consumers may be reinging in their spending, you can guarantee that people will continue to get sick, pay taxes and use energy. These are just a few of the careers and industries that can be expected to either thrive or have a greater chance of surviving in a down turn in the economy.

1. Health Care: People will always get sick- sometimes even more so when they don't have the money to take preventative measures or cut back on eating healthy food. Hospitals and Primary Care Trusts may be looking to become more efficient and cutting back on budgets but there will always be a need for health care.

2. Energy: Although consumers are likely to cut back, they will not stop using energy. In fact, this industry may grow, as companies look for more efficient ways to deliver using less energy.

3. Education: No matter how dire the economy is, there are always jobs for teachers. Kids will still go to school, and many out-of-work adults may decide to continue their education. There is currently a trend for out of work city bankers moving into the teaching profession!

4. Utilities: Just like the energy sector, it's safe to assume that people are not going to stop lighting their homes. So utility administration, maintenance and other related jobs should remain intact.

5. International Business:  Even when the economy is doing poorly there are always other countries which may be doing well. So if you are involved in international business, you can expect your career to stay safe.

6. Public Safety: Police layoffs are very rare, especially at a time where public safety is threatened by desperate criminals. A career in public safety is almost guaranteed to be secure.

7. Funerals: Just like people won't stop getting sick, it is a fact of life that they will continue to die as well, so as morbid as it is, morticians will always have customers.

8. Accounting: Death and taxes are a sure thing. In a recession, people and companies are likely to search for more deductions, cost savings and ways of becoming more tax efficient.

9. Public Sector: Although there are no longer any ‘jobs for life, in general  public sector jobs are far more secure than in the private sector, especially in a downturn.

10. Pharmaceuticals: As long as doctors prescribe them, people are still going to take drugs. So whether you're behind the pharmacy counter or in the lab, you can rest easy.

11. Military: Although various aspects of the Forces have been cutting back on personnel, the military is always hiring. There were nearly 18,000 new applicants to the Army, Navy and Air Foce this past year and the number of recruits completing basic training rose by almost 13%. Also, consider that most of your living expenses are covered, so cost-of-living expenses are not really a concern.

12. Hairdressers: People may be more wary about how much they spend but hair will always grow, so skilled hairstylists can still expect a steady flow of work.

13. Debt Management & Debt Collection: As budgets get squeezed, people will fall behind on payments. Recessions mean crunch time for debtors, and they're sure to need some guidance. Companies will also look to debt collectors to recoup their costs.

14. Plumbers: Although people may be wary of costs in a recession, if pipes bust, or heating packs up then you have little alternative. Good plumbers will always be in demand.

15. Consulting/ Interim Management: Recessions are crunch times for companies and although they may reduce employees on the payroll, they often turn to consultants and freelance contractors for advice on efficiency and squeezing the most out of their resources and Interim Managers to fill specific skills gaps rathtehr than having the ongoing payroll costs.

16. Specialist Lawers: Although the legal profession is suffering, it is sad, but true: As companies and individuals go bankrupt or companies lay off staff to battle through a reccession and survive, they'll need a specialist lawyer to help them through the appropriate legalities for their situation.

17. Food: People need food to survive, and it's not likely that anyone is going to just stop eating — no matter how bad the economy gets.

18. Beauty & Health Services: Regardless of a recession, people who enjoy being pampered will seldom give up the simple pleasures in life.  They may just be more cautious about how much they spend.

19. Ultraluxury Items: If you are in a business that caters to the rich and famous, you can expect to be safer, as this type of consumer is likely to have measures in place to weather the recession.

20. Portfolio Careers: If you don't put all of your eggs in one basket, you should be able to ride out a recession by relying on a secondary income (possibly online/web based) or deriving income from a number of differing activities and skills. This could be a job and a businesses, a range of part time jobs or a self employed career covering a variety of related or unrelated activities.   

SMP Solutions (2008) Career & Personal Development Consultancy
'helping you unlock your potential'
www.smp-solutions.co.uk