The holiday season may be over and your birthday may be months away, but it's still a good time to think about the gifts you have in your life.
 
Chances are you have a warm home, food to eat, and people who care about you. With an economic downturn throughout North America, if you are currently employed, your job is also a gift, although you may not usually think of it that way. 
 
Just as you would care for any other valued gift, there are steps you can take to care for your job. Here is a selection of career experts' best tips to help you keep your job:
 
Do a Fabulous Job

"If you want to stay at your current organization, your focus should be on proving your value to the organization. This is the time to over-deliver." - Andrea Rice, President of career mentoring company Gotta Mentor
 
"Become a company MVP: Be as dedicated as you were the day you started your job. Work hard. Be on time. Cross-train and learn new skills. Be flexible. Help whenever and wherever you can. When it's time to make hard decisions about who goes -- you'll be the one to stay." - Roxanne Ravenel, Job Search Consultant and author of The Savvy Jobseeker's Guide & Workbook

"To keep your job, you will have to become the go-to-person for a specific need within your company.  It will be necessary for you to fill an important business need in order to not be laid off and provide ongoing measurable results." - Dan Schawbel, Personal Branding Expert and author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success
 
Get Your Boss on Side

"Align priorities with your boss. Make a list of everything you are working on, starting with the most important projects for your boss and the company. Schedule 20 minutes to review it with your boss to make sure you are in alignment. Then focus on the top items." - Allan Bacon, author of Find Your Calling Without Quitting Your Day Job 

"Assess your net financial contribution to the organization. First, assess how much you are costing the organization, through salary and benefits. Second, figure up how much money you are either bringing into the organization or saving the organization. (Then) take the steps necessary to increase the amount of money brought in or saved. If you believe your net financial value is more than your co-workers, you may want to make sure your supervisor is aware of this." - Thea Lobell, Ph.D., leadership speaker and consultant

Kerry Patterson, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller, Crucial Conversations says: "One of the most important things anyone can do to secure their job in this economy is to hold crucial conversations with their boss regarding these issues:

• Past Practices – How have layoffs been handled in the past? Is advance notice given? Are cutbacks across the board or targeted? How are the decisions made? 
• Compensation Surprises – Can I expect my bonus or annual raise this year? 
• Risk levels – How likely is a layoff in my division? Department? Team? Job? 
• Boss Support – Where do I stand with my supervisor? What would make me more indispensable? 
• Conversation with self – What should I be doing now to prepare myself to survive a layoff?"

Go the Extra Mile 

"Show initiative. Work ethic won't be enough in '09. Don't wait to be told what to do. Make yourself dispensable. (Yep, you read that right.) Find ways to automate, delegate, and simplify, and then ask to be moved so you can work your magic elsewhere in the organization." - Jason Seiden, management consultant and author of How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career 
 
"Raise your visibility right now! Self promotion is not a bad thing. Volunteer for projects others turn down and follow up with the boss to make sure they see your good work. This makes you valuable and noticed, two things that will help save your job during tough times." - David Lewis, Regional Manager for Express Employment Professionals, and author of The Emerging Leader: Eight Lessons for Life in Leadership 

"Every Friday about 4 p.m., when you’re running out of steam, find 5 people to thank.  Who helped you this week? Gave you advice? Directed you to a valuable resource? Gave you a pat on the back?  Find a good way to thank each person -- a funny card, a phone call, tickets to an event." - Lynne Waymon, President of Contacts Count consulting and training firm and co-author of Make your Contacts Count
 
Get Proof of Your Performance

"Keep a running list of your accomplishments, updated weekly. This does two things: give you ammo when asking for a raise or defending against being laid-off, and makes putting your resume together so much easier." - Mandy Minor, Resume Specialist, J Allan Studios
 
"Collect testimonials from colleagues, customers, and vendors who have benefited from your work. You should have documentation of the value you bring to the company. In an iffy market, these testimonials can tilt the scales in your favor. Use them during performance reviews, raise salary discussions, or even severance negotiations if it comes to that." - Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founder of SixFigureStart, a career coaching firm that works with Gen Y young professionals
 
Be Prepared

"If you're concerned about possible job loss, consider starting a low risk part-time home business to build up your savings. (Just make sure your employer allows moonlighting!)" - Tag and Catherine Goulet, founders of FabJob.com

"The economic clouds will lift -- they always do -- so plan now for brighter days ahead. Start thinking about where you are and where you want to be -- and how to close the gap." - Bill Treasurer, CEO of Giant Leap Consulting and author of Courage Goes to Work

Click here for a list of career and business ideas

Sisters Tag and Catherine Goulet are the Dream Career Experts. In 1999 they founded FabJob.com, the leading publisher of guides on how to break into a dream career, which has been visited by 50 million people. They have been featured in media from ABC to Oprah.com and Woman's Day to the Wall Street Journal online, and their career advice appears on the career pages at AOL, CNN, and MSN. They are authors of Dream Careers and other career books. Visit www.FabJob.com to discover how to break into your dream career.