Networking for no dues? Impossible! No, actually it's not. For the price of a decent meal and a drink you can hob-nob with the best of them tonight at Salerno's on Grand as part of the non-profit group called the Chicago Creative Coalition. This is a tremendous opportunity to talk with people in the know about who's working, who's in-the-know, and who can help. Just pass a business card and make a connection. RSVP is required. Check out more about CCC on their website.

Gratitude. It’s an attitude, a thank-you note out of the blue, it’s an ease of not bringing negativity to the workplace. It’s really as simple as that. Let the boss know that you appreciate the steady work, the assurance of a job, your desk—something as simple as a safe work environment. You can dig up anything to be thankful for and that itself is the start of a positive attitude that may not only affect your work place, but your entire life.

The company’s computer is not yours. It’s easy to cram your desktop full of photos, IM to your friends all day, or use your company’s inbox as your own personal Gmail account. But if the time comes that your gig is up, you’ll leave behind not only personal mementos, but a whole lot of private data.

Even if you freelance and are not working fulltime, take care not to cross the line with your company-issued computer. Especially with freelancing, every hour of your day is billable time. If you are in a lull during the day onsite with a client, find your hiring manager and propose something to do or at the very least browse the company’s style guide or internal database…at least that time could be considered “training.”

Twitter is search-able. Your updates can be privatized but if you’re ranting about your manager or workplace it’s not smart to do so in an online, social media forum. Back in junior high we freaked out if our Geology teacher grabbed a passed-note mid-pass, but now as adults we don’t seem to think twice about bashing bosses in online forums. There’s a good chance that anything you input into your computer can be noticed or read by someone in the company.

You may wonder: what good is it to go above and beyond when my manager who always worked all hours of the night just got canned? If you’re the last designer standing in your department you may look around at the empty cubes and just feel deflated. You may feel stuck and that you have nowhere to go. One way to distract yourself from a depressing office environment is to pick up a side project. If you have the time and mental capacities to add something to your plate, think about a project that you’ve always wanted to really get into and make some baby steps toward bringing it to fruition. When you go above and beyond for yourself—or better yet someone else who needs your talents—that feeling of good nature can bleed into the whole rest of the workday. That may even mean you snarl a lot less at your few remaining coworkers.

It is very difficult to write a resume. It's less difficult to keep adding information to a resume that's already written.

Keep your resume updated. It’s a good idea to document your current scope of responsibilities plus all of those new feathers you’re adding to your cap. You may just surprise yourself when you review your new resume and say, “Wow—I do all of this?” Plus when things get better financially for your current organization and the economy as a whole, your updated resume will arm you for a conversation for a raise. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once you have your resume updated and samples compiled, you may feel a sense of calm knowing that if the unfortunate did happen you’ll be that much more prepared to start your job search.

What's your brand? If your job search is brandless, the Chicago Print Production Club is hosting a cheap, highly recommended seminar on adding branding to your job search. The event is called, "You are your own agency" and you read about it and register here.

Every day I talk with people who were totally and completely caught off guard and let go from their organization. Many were unable to obtain samples or left important data behind on their work computers. If you’re lucky enough to have a fulltime job, ask yourself this question: are you too comfortable? It’s not a great feeling to sit at your desk and ponder all the butts that would be more than happy to take your place (steady paycheck, a reason to shave in the morning, etc.) but it’s a good idea to reflect on how prepared you are in case you find yourself in the worst case scenario.

Save your samples
Large corporations, design firms, and advertising agencies have stipulations on how and when you can show samples of the projects you’ve worked on. Familiarize yourself with these regulations before you upload your latest project to your website. Once you know the rules, be sure to have a copy of everything you worked on. Download free software (Snag-It for example) if you’re a writer and take pictures of all of your work online. If a layoff should happen you will be prepared with loads of samples of your current work.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve organized your work (guilty as charged), devote a few minutes each day or week to start compiling your samples. My desktop is crammed with misnamed files, folders of screen shots, and general unorganized chaos. Take the time now when the work and money is steady to get your house in order.

It may feel awkward to get your proverbial ducks in a row. But if the worst case scenario should happen, you will not waste precious days of unemployment eligibility gathering all of your samples or calling favors on art directors who are busy with an understaffed department and can’t find the samples on the server: take them now.

Out of Work Chicago is hosting a spectacular networking event where you can chat with hiring managers from major regional organizations. The whole point of Out of Work Chicago is to put Chicago to work. Hiring managers and representatives from major organizations including Allscripts, Leapfrog Online, and Icon will be on hand to receive your business card and do their best to make that happen. The room will be filled with other people going through exactly what you're going through...it may feel nice to commiserate for awhile with others looking for work. I will be there and would love to say hello so feel free to drop by my table. Artisan has 2 free tickets to the event--email me today if you'd like your name on the list. Registration is required and I hope to see you there!