How To Keep Your Job When Your Boss Gets Fired

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Luce Performance Group Recruiting Coordinator Jon Morse is away on a headhunting trip.  No, not in New Guinea with the canibals, an actual business trip - so the keyboard is turned over to Glen Halbrooks from About.Com who writes "Witnessing your boss being fired from your media company should trigger your best behavior. But it often brings out the worst in people, which leads to more problems. Even if you're happy to see your boss heading toward the exit, the decisions you make are critical in whether you get to keep your own job.

"Boss Gets Fired: Find Out the Reason Why

By knowing why your boss got the ax, you can figure out what you need to do to keep your job. If she was canned for bad personal behavior, like getting arrested for DUI, then you can take some comfort that is wasn't because of bad job performance.

If your boss was let go because the media sales budget was way off target, be mindful of your company's finances. If you work in the sales department, get ready to sell yourself and your skills to the incoming boss. If you're not in that department, know that money issues can lead to media layoffs. Now is the time to prove you're too valuable to lose.

Boss Gets Fired: Keep Calm and Carry On

One big mistake is to allow this firing to disrupt your own job performance. It's only natural to be anxious to find out what's about to happen at your company. But it's not wise to let fear keep you from completing your daily tasks.

In this time of turmoil and transition, you never know if your boss's bosses -- the ones who fired her -- are keeping watch over you. Maybe you're being considered for management. Or maybe they're wondering if you're also part of the problem.

If you look too rattled to do your job, they could decide that you'll never overcome this workplace trauma and it's not worth their time to save you. It'll be a job loss that you inflicted upon yourself.

Boss Gets Fired: Avoid Office Gossip

You can bet everyone will be talking about the boss who just traded her cushy office job for a spot in the unemployment line. Office gossip should send a warning to you to stay away, because there's nothing you can say that can't be used against you.

Think about all the usual reasons you could get fired from your media job. Being seen as a gossipy troublemaker should be on your list.

If you're seen saying, "I'm glad she's gone. I hated her anyway," and you could be slapped with a label of having a terrible attitude that will be tough for you to shed. On the flip side, saying, "Why did they get rid of her? That sure was a stupid decision," immediately puts you at odds with upper management. Keeping your mouth shut is the best strategy.

Boss Gets Fired: Boost Your Productivity

See this time as an opportunity to shine and you'll go a long way toward putting yourself in a secure position. With no boss around, countless of your co-workers will be slacking off. You'll set yourself apart by not joining the crowd.

Upper-level management may stop by to find out who's willing to take on some supervisory work while the search is on for a new boss. Take this offer, if you feel as though you can succeed at it. You're not only showing a positive attitude, you're positioning yourself as possible management material.

Ignore the backstabbers who may say you're kissing up to get ahead. If you ever hope to enter media management, you'll have to endure people talking behind your back. Don' t let that stop you from getting this chance at moving up.

Boss Gets Fired: Prepare Yourself to Be Next to Go

Even if you follow all the steps of job survival, there is a chance that a house-cleaning is underway and you're about to get kicked to the curb. While you shouldn't panic, you should be prepared.

That means keeping up with the best media industry websites, which feature the latest job openings. You don't necessarily have to apply now, but you could make a mental list of what jobs are available if you find yourself suddenly out of work.

Review the basics of applying for media jobs, especially if you've not been on the job market in awhile. Look at updating your media resume, just in case.

The best preparation is to get ready for a media job interview. That's because even if you stay with your current company, you'll eventually have to meet the new boss and sell yourself as if you were applying for a job.

Seeing media bosses get fired is never easy, no matter your personal feelings toward their job performance or how they treated you. Remember that your own conduct during this time can be key in what happens to you."