Last spring's job market rated a 10; today I'd give it an eight, maybe a nine. Still wonderful but here's what you should be thinking about if your job looks shaky.

Timing is Good.
If you have to go, be cheered that you're heading out now while companies are still hiring with vigor. Should the fledgling recession deepen, your search becomes more difficult. There's a caveat. Grabbing the first offer in a panic almost never works out. Stock options are nice, but life options are better.

Beware of Severance Seduction.
Launch a hard-hitting new job search even before you sign a severance agreement. Many people dawdle -- taking a little break, playing a little golf -- living on severance money. The more time that passes, the harder your search.

Revisit Your Self-esteem.
Therapists are quick to say your job is not who you are. That's true, but many people, especially men, don't get the word. The stress of real and anticipated unemployment can trip you up, even nibble into your physical health as a result of overeating, abusing drugs or alcohol, or smoking too much. Antidote: Write an action plan. With options, the thought of losing your current job will lose its sting. Exercise and sports really do diffuse stress. If you are let go, find safe ways to vent your anger -- bitterness defeats you at job interviews.

An online document, "Handling Your Job Loss," is posted on many state public employment Web sites, such as New York's Department of Labor.

Anticipate Your Bottom Line.
In the process of developing options, think about what you must have in a job and the basis for your decisions. An online worksheet designed for new college graduates, "Making the Decision," is useful for everyone. Find it free on CollegeHire.

Review Your Relationships.
Making sure your boss likes you is a no-brainer, but your boss could be "deselected," too. Mend broken fences with co-workers who may tell you about job openings where they land. Consciously attract people: Attend trade shows and professional meetings. Do favors for business friends. Take your computer contact database home in case you're given 30 minutes' notice and escorted out of the building.

Focus on Marketable Skills.
Do your skills need tuning up? Start immediately to take a skills-building course or get colleagues to teach you on the job.

Update Self-marketing Materials.
Your résumé should always be gassed up and ready to go, but now an update is essential. Get a performance review for your files; if your supervisor won't write one, do it yourself and ask him or her to sign it. Collect favorable memos and letters. Your guiding principal: Proving your work counts, that you can make a difference, that you will bring value to the potential employer. Consider putting up a password-protected Web site, which is a portfolio featuring your expanded résumé and its backup documents; note the URL on your essential résumé.

Refresh your memory on writing cover letters. Learn to compose the new cover notes used for online résumé submission. My book, "Cover Letters For Dummies," Second Edition, discusses cover notes.

Research Everything.
Look for leads everywhere -- personal networking, newspapers, trade magazines, online resources. Pick job boards carefully -- there are maybe 40,000 job boards and some are total losers. Don't post your résumé on a job board that doesn't guarantee confidentiality. Contact recruiters -- having a third party bring you to the attention of employers is almost always to your advantage. Recommended Internet directory of selected job boards: The 2001 edition of CareerXroads.

Fix Finances
Review all financial concerns, from savings to debt management (hoard cash, make minimum payments) and health benefits to retirement plans. File for unemployment benefits.

Get Going.
The day you sense you may be surplused is the day you say to yourself, "I've got plenty going for me and I am going to start thinking hard about the best ways to launch a discreet job campaign." Then do it. Looking does not commit you to a move, but if you must take sudden action, you'll have the advantage of momentum. Job-hunting from a standing start is doing it the hard way.

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.

© 2000, Los Angeles Times Syndicate