Job interviews can certainly be nerve-racking. While they may open the door to potentially great opportunities and hopefully, to a long bright future, they can unquestionably make you nervous and feel uneasy for good reason. Job interviews are an opportunity to showcase your credentials, demonstrate credibility and make an impression (hopefully, a very positive one) that will resonate long after you leave the interview.

If you are working in a toxic work environment, it may be time to consider a new job. Perhaps you deal with owners or managers who always think they are right and if you offer anything to the contrary, they will berate you. Perhaps you deal with silos within your company where some get special treatment or are part of an inner circle which is almost always the exception to the rules even though their actions are contrary to company policy, best practices, set a poor example and may lead to low morale.

A layoff can occur unexpectedly, without warning and be a scary ordeal. You may be asking yourself, “Why me?” Getting laid off is never easy and it’s certainly never a good feeling. Beyond the initial shock, concerns over your short and long-term financial security and stability can make a difficult situation worse. It’s important to plan for worse-case scenarios and have an established reserve fund to fall back on and help mitigate some of the immediate impact.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you suddenly lost your job? Are you financially prepared to deal with a sudden loss of your income stream? Do you have a backup plan and reserve funds for a “rainy day” event?