By Susan P. Joyce

What you don’t know about your employer (or a potential employer) can hurt you badly!

Being uninformed today is a dangerous habit. Companies go out of business or have layoffs. Best not to be the last employee hired before the layoffs begin.

If you are employed, stay informed about what is being published on the web about your employer. Use that information for career management and for financial self defense.

If your employer seems to be having a tough time, start thinking about moving on to another employer. Read Job-Hunt’s free Layoff Self-Defense ebook for suggestions about how to prepare to move on easily and smoothly.

If you are unemployed, stay informed about potential employers so you can avoid pursuing employment with an employer who may stop hiring or may provide only short-term employment. You don't want to be job hunting again very soon (right?).

Below, find 50 search queries in 5 categories of information that can be strong indicators of pending layoffs. Your mileage may vary. Companies with excellent management or very good luck can recover from setbacks, but not every company has excellent management or great luck.

Use Google Search for Career Self-Defense

Millions of business opportunities and threats happen all the time. Fortunately, it is easier to be well-informed today than ever, with technology (aka, Google).

By Martin Yate

I must ask clients this question a thousand times a year – the answer reveals a lot about that person’s overall career management savvy. The question always generates a lot of thoughtful answers, but hardly anyone ever gets it right -- can you?

On the face of it, there are lots of reasons to turn down a job interview:

• It’s not a match for your goals.
• The job is a step back.
• It’s not a good fit.
• The commute isn’t doable.
• You wouldn’t work for that company on a bet!

These all seem reasonable for any professional living in a world with too much to do and not enough time to get it done.

Consequently, we can turn down interviews based on sound time management principles: “What’s the best use of my time right now?”

When going to a job interview for a job you’ll obviously never accept is not good use of your time today, this would seem to be a practical and thoughtful judgment call.

But there are other considerations that could change your point of view entirely.

How Important Is a Successful Life to You?

Look at your professional experience to date, just how many jobs have you been offered over your entire career? Whatever your answer, compare all your essential professional skills for your success against your competency with turning job interviews into job offers.

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