5 Warning Signs You Might Be About to Get Fired

5 Warning Signs You Might Be About to Get Fired5 Warning Signs You Might Be About to Get FiredWhether youre fired for cause, or made redundant as part of a mass layoff, losing your job never feels good. Even if you were less than enamored of your former gig, chances are you need the money and dont need the stress of navigating the job hunt. Alas, into most lives, a few pink slips must fall. If youre going to lose your job, the best-case scenario is to figure it out long before you walk into a conference room only to be greeted by a somber HR rep that way, you can get started on your job search while youre still employed. Here are a few warning signs that its about to be your turn to apply for unemployment* 1. The Company Isnt Doing Well Depending on your role at the organization, you might have direct insight into the companys fortunes. If your employer is hemorrhaging clients or cash, getting a drubbing in the press, or suffering other reputation reversals in the industry, you r job and those of your colleagues might not be long for this world. For this reason, it also pays to keep on top of your employers profile by following them on social media, setting up Google Alerts with the company name, and so on. Not every bad mention in the press equals impending doom, but youre better off knowing which way the wind is blowing ... even if its about to change. musiknote that your company doesnt need to be doing badly for big changes to impact your career. An acquisition or other structural change could affect you just as much as a business failure. 2. You Dont Have Anything to Do Your biggest project now belongs to someone else, while your lesser responsibilities have landed on an interns plate. Your reports are reassigned to another manager, and your clients are gradually making their way to someone elses list. Meanwhile, youre trying to find ways to keep busy that dont involve welchesting time on social media. Start using that free time to develop a stra tegy for finding another, better job. (Just dont do any of the actual job searching at work. Thats a great way to turn a potential layoff into termination for cause.) 3. Your Project Deadlines Just Moved Up ... and Theyre All Around the Same Time Maybe, however, its not so much that you dont have anything to do, but that your boss seems to be in a much bigger hurry than usual to get your projects wrapped up. This doesnt necessarily point to imminent dismissal, but if a lot of your deadlines move up all at once, and to the same general time frame, you could be looking at your own deadline for termination. As mean as it sounds to make someone clear their to-do list before letting them know their services are no longer required, it happens. Keep an eye out, so you can see it coming if its about to happen to you. 4. Your Boss Just Doesnt Seem to Like You Maybe you used to get along with your boss, but now you cant seem to communicate about even the most basic issues. Or maybe yo ur workday has turned into a blame game, and youre always It. Perhaps there was even an inciting incident, such a genuine mistake on your part that no amount of effort or responsibility-taking seems to erase. Whatever the reason, if the boss doesnt seem to be on your side, or if youve received a warning about your performance, it might be time to start polishing your resume. 5. You Feel Suddenly and Completely Out of Place This indicator is a little harder to pin down than some of the others, but its still worth paying attention to. If you feel like an alien life-form at work, with totally different priorities, interests, and perspectives than everyone youre working with, it might be time to move on. Even if youre not about to be given a cardboard box and told to relocate your things to your home schreibstube, you deserve more out of your employment experience. Start thinking about making a jump to a more congenial corporate culture, before youre pushed out. *Note Not all employ ees who lose their jobs qualify for unemployment. Learn more about who is eligible for benefits, and check with your state unemployment office for specific information. What Else You Should Know Should You Quit Before You Get Fired?