You’re in the job market and you’ve got lots of company. Some of you burned out in your last job and you chose to leave because you couldn’t continue in a position or at a place that buried the best in you and brought out the worst. You need a job.

You may be lay- off casualties, caught in the convergence of economic conditions, world events, and outsourcing realities. No matter the cause the outcome’s the same. You need a job.

You may have been players in your current predicament: Too strong on opinion, too tough on others, too resistant to change, and too hard to convince that the problem was yours and not someone else’s. You need a job.

Some of you are looking because what appeared as insignificant to you became a big problem to your boss: your tardiness, unsuitable clothing, crude language, and inappropriate response to authority.

Some of you were let go because of a bad match. What they needed you could no longer do and what you did best they didn’t need.

Whatever may have happened in the past, you now have the choice of doing differently. It will be a challenge but you can re-invent yourself as someone a company will value and reward.

With that in mind, here’s some context, safeguards, and next step strategies:

Surviving layoff: Since the early ‘80’s, mergers and acquisitions and their ubiquitous “rightsizings” have added significantly to the ranks of the unemployed. Locally and all too frequently our bedrock industries have closed plants adding thousands more names to that roll-call. For many survivors, it’s no longer a question of “if”, it’s a concern of “when”.

Savvy survivors and their collegial casualties aren’t surprised; they’re ready. They’ve learned to keep their resumes current, networks humming, and channels of communication open. They’re informed. They read the trade papers and the business press. They get connected and stay connected to knowledgeable insiders who have contacts and a reliable sixth sense for what’s going on, with whom, where, and when.

Players who’ve created their own problems through excess and hubris continue a downward spiral if they spend too much time blaming others and not enough time taking responsibility for their own actions. They improve their chances of success if they can change behavior from what’s out of bounds to what’s acceptable. Because that’s easier said than done they’d be wise to interview with companies more likely to tolerate what prior companies would not. That will require the candidate’s candor in networking and interviews, honestly describing style as well as providing examples of how that style drives or otherwise impacts top or bottom line.

Employees who constantly test their company’s boundaries and employer’s patience in small ways can save themselves needless grief by acknowledging that little bad things do become big bad things, and there are negative consequences for the people whose behaviors violate policies, rules, and standards. Some bosses give warning, others won’t. Either way, the ticket’s stamped “out”. Employees who want a different outcome conduct themselves as successful employees do.

Know what you do best and be at your best before you target companies able to bring out the best in you. You may think you can’t afford to be particular; that when you’re unemployed any job is a good job. That’s true if you can keep the job you get. When you’re afraid you’ll fail because you can’t do the job you’re hired to do, can’t tolerate the tedium, comprehend the ambiguity, or manage the frustration of working with the people you’re assigned, your worst fears are likely to be realized.

Think before you take action. Make the right choice for the right reasons. You’ll be better off as a result.