Learn to 'Recession-Proof' Your Career

"The way the work force has evolved as I've seen it with mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, whatever you want to call it, is that no one is really safe," she said.

"He knew about three months before that it looked like things were not going well, and that he might be laid off," Klaus explained. "And what he needed to do was really take the initiative and say, 'Look, I would really like to stay here. This is what I'm great at. Is there anything open?'"

Klaus said it's not enough that Kloefkorn possesses the technical skills and is a nice person.

"Oh, if only nice were enough," she said. "It's really a shame. I wish I could say nice is enough. I wish I could say doing your job is enough. But it's not."

The truth is, Kloefkorn's attitude is hurting him.

"If there is one thing I communicated, it's that I'm a cog in the wheel, and I'm working hard," he said.

Lesson Three: Don't Be a 'Paycheck Player'

Kloefkorn's lack of passion, energy and enthusiasm made him low-hanging fruit easily plucked from the work force.

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In the wise words of Jerry Maguire, you can't be a "paycheck player." Tom Cruise's sports agent character told his client, "Here's why you don't have your $10 million yet. You are a paycheck player. You play with your head. Not your heart."

Klaus says that if you're a paycheck player, you may eventually stop getting one.

"What did you enable [your company] to do?" Klaus asked Kloefkorn.

"You know, I kept the machine going," he replied.

"Do you see how -- I'm just going to say it -- how boring that is?" Klaus said.

Klaus decided to show Kloefkorn just how boring, by videotaping his answers in a mock job interview. When he watched the tape, Kloefkorn agreed that he didn't look enthusiastic about the interview.

Lesson Four: No Job Is Perfect

Perhaps the problem was the job, so he and Klaus investigated other positions that might be more gratifying, including nonprofit or consulting work. But the doors closed even before they'd opened.

"I don't want to go backward in salary," Kloefkorn said, ruling out one job listing.
"I don't like to travel," he said about another.
"Being away from my kids Monday through Friday is definitely a drawback," he said.

Klaus said it's important to recognize that even your so-called "dream job" won't be perfect.