When the economy turns sour, it only makes sense to take steps to preserve or enhance your career prospects. Is it time to clean up your act? Have you noticed things that need to be improved? What should you do to avoid the unemployment line, if you actually want to keep your job?

We present our list of top ten ways to help keep yourself gainfully employed during the late unpleasantness.

The good news is that you can do it honorably. While there are no guarantees, it's better to make the effort than sit back and wait for the axe to fall.

It's really as simple as increasing value and ensuring that your company understands how you improve the bottom line.

There's no such thing as a perfect company - any enterprise consisting of more than one person is going to have issues (and to be sure, there are single-person enterprises that have major issues).

Frequently, the larger the organization, the more likely one or more of the following is going to be true. Note that there is a difference between an event or incident and an actual pattern. Incidents can sometimes be explained (everyone has bad days); patterns are worth noting.

Here, then, are the top ten patterns that could convince you to pack your bags:

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