The “R” word is being thrown out there with regularity now. Are we in a recession? Even if we’re not technically in one, it sure feels like we are.

It’s pointless to look at the different economic figures because if you’re feeling the pinch or it seems ominous then you have to start thinking about how you’re going to survive the economic downturn.

Here are six ways to put yourself in a good position when you start feeling the crunch:

1. Be seen. This is not the time to use up your sick days or take a long vacation. You need to be visible. Show up everyday on time. Give your employer no excuse to put you on the list of people about to be axed. If you’re in sales, then work on getting or keeping your numbers up.

2. Let your contributions be known. As you step up your performance you want to make sure that your boss knows about it. Tread lightly here as you don’t want to come off as annoying. But if there ever was a time to shine brightly it’s now and the people in the decision making situations need to see your successes.

3. Extend your responsibilities. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself as someone who just does what his job description says. Take on some new roles. Ask for more responsibility in crucial areas. Show off your skill set more than ever before.

4. Hone your skills. If layoffs are inevitable then the employees with obsolete skills are the first to go. Take classes in an area you’re not very comfortable in or join a trade organization. By taking the initiative to better yourself, your boss will know you’re serious about self-improvement which will only make you more valuable.

5. Be positive. Don’t be the guy who mopes around the office and complains about every little thing. It’s a lot easier to let go of the unhappy worker because the bosses will actually think they’re doing you a favor. If you’re detracting from the overall morale of the office it’s time to change your attitude.

6. Never stop networking. Even if you think you’ve got great job security it’s a good idea to keep in touch with your contacts around the industry. If the day does come and you are laid off you’ll need to tap these resources immediately. People will be more apt to help you if they remember who you are.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of how to become a pharmacist. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Getting out of the employment world to strike things out on your own is rather one challenging endeavor. It is also a risky move. Not many people are daring enough to do it.

And out of those who did, only a handful of them achieved what they wanted. Many others would eventually go back to their previous comfort zone.

But minding your own business comes not without its own set of advantages. These advantages are rarely available, if any, if you are employed to work for others.

Here are some of them:

1. You control your own schedule

You can decide how you want to structure your work schedule. Some people perform at their peak during wee hours like 3 o’clock in the morning and if you tell your boss that you want to come at 2am instead of 9am, he might only allow you to do so after you break his jaw.

But since you’re on your own, you devise your own time. Best of all, you can change it as you please to accommodate changes in your need and any rise in emergency.

2. Get rid of bureaucracy, protocol and red tape

If you want to take leave, there is no more need for you to send an email to your boss, submit the application leave form and find someone to cover for your duty. By having your own business, you apply leave to yourself, and you approve it on your own. No forms to sign. No boss to beg.

Similarly, no one would want to condemn, charge or discipline you if you decide to come in to your office with a Hawaiian shirt, a sarong and a pair of sandals.

3. No one wants to reject your good proposal

Sometimes, when you work with people, you feel that you have come out with a brilliant idea to save the company’s expenses. Or better, you find a new niche that can potentially multiply the company’s profits in 2 years time. You propose to your management with full of enthusiasm. In the end, they don’t buy it.

“Too risky.”

“Taking too much time.”

“We don’t have the resources.”

Those are some of their excuses.

But with your own business, you don’t have to go through all that. In fact, you can approve your own proposal while you’re brushing your teeth in the morning. And before you know it, your plan is already being implemented while you are having your toasted bread during the breakfast, barely one hour after you finished your shower.

4. Your income may hit the roof

As a full time employee, your are guaranteed a fixed monthly income but your earning is pretty much linear. Whether you work 40 hours per week or 60 hours per week will not bring much difference. If you earn RM3,000 on March working as an Account Executive, in logic there is no possibility for you to be paid RM10,000 by the same company on April, working in the same job.

Even if your job comes with the sales based commission structure, there’s no guarantee you can bring more sales by spending more hours.

Being on your own, on the other hand, can make a whole lot of difference. By making adjustment here and there, you can possibly revolutionize the results, and in turn, your income can simply hit the roof. Practically, the sky will be your limit. Today you may earn RM1,000 but next month you may find yourself RM10,000 richer.

5. You’re creating assets for passive income

If done right, what you do in the present can become an invaluable asset which can pour you passive income for generations to come in the future. Today you probably wrote 1 or 2 pages of articles. In the next 6 months, you realize that your articles can now be compiled into a published book, which will give you royalty for as long as the book is in the book store shelves.

Also, your small, unknown company today may potentially become one of the major players in your industry in 6 years time. You have, by then taken a virtually a non-existing entity into becoming a powerful and respected brand. The brand can now be leverage for yet more successful ventures.

And if one day a giant corporation decides to buy your company, your ambition to embark on a world tour will materialize faster than you can imagine.

Award: Fortune’s Best Companies: No. 6
Global headquarter: San Jose, California, US

About the company

Cisco Systems was pioneered by a wife-and-husband team, Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner in 1984, who were both working as computer operations personnel in Stanford University during the time.

Their very first product developed was a router. The name Cisco was taken from the origin town of the company, San Francisco.

Cisco Systems is today a multinational corporation with a long string of award winning products including switches, remote access, ATM network, IP telephony, office routers and many more. Cisco represents five major brand names, which are Cisco, Linksys, Scientific Atlanta, IronPort and WebEx.

Worldwide operation

Apart from its native country United States, Cisco has worldwide operation covering various continents and countries including United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, UAE, Uruguay, Algeria, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Germany, Greece and many others.

Career Opportunities

Cisco offers both technical and non-technical job opportunities in their operation. The jobs available include internship, entry level, professional and top management.

Apart from offering candidates jobs, Cisco also offered technical driven certifications that allow engineers and IT professionals to master certain specific areas of its technology and add values, employability and marketability. Some of them are the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), CCIP, CCIE and so on.

Why Cisco?

At the peak of its growth, Cisco became one of the fastest growing companies in the world, and went public listing within a short span of 6 years. At the turn of the 21st century, Cisco was named as the most valuable company in the world, with an impressive $500 billion value in market capitalization.

Merrill Lynch has been voted as the Best Company To Work In The Global Finance Market sector in a comprehensive 2008 poll.

The financial giant was trailed by Nomura (Japan) in second, followed Credit Suisse (Switzerland), Morley Fund Management (UK), State Street (US), Bank of America (US), Dresdner Kleinwort (Germany), Jefferies & Co. (US) and KBC Group (Belgium) to complete the top 10 list.

In the poll, votes from staff in major companies in the sector were gathered and the results are published on annual basis.

Founded almost 100 years ago in the US, Merrill Lynch is one of the leading companies that provides a host of financial services including investment banking, advisory, wealth management and capital markets with its global operation headquartered in Manhattan, New York. Another of its global key office is located in London, UK.

The company today employs more than 50,000 employees worldwide, spanning an operation across 38 countries including in Argentina, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Luxemburg, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE, Uruguay and United States itself.

BusinessWeek also recently listed Merrill Lynch as one of the best places for internship and training.

Among notable presence in the top 30 of the best companies list include BNP Paribas (11), Barclays (12), JP Morgan Chase (13), Citibank (14), Goldman Sachs (17), Royal Bank of Scotland (18), AIG (22), Morgan Stanley (23), Lehman Brothers (27) and Fortis (28), many of which are ranked in the list of the 50 largest companies in the world.