Four Signs Your Job Is In Jeopardy

Is your job on the chopping block? It's a very real possibility. Americans under the age of 30 stand a 90 percent chance of getting canned at least once during over the next 20 years, reports CareerBuilder.com, a Web site for job hunters.

But how do you know when your time has come? Robert Graber, founder of WallStJobs.com, a recruitment resource for financial professionals, says there are four signs that the ax is about to fall:

Your workload becomes much lighter:
If you just finished a large project and nothing else appears to be coming down the pike, it may be time to worry, says Graber, particularly if your bosses begin assigning you duties typically considered below your pay grade. "If you're being assigned to jobs that are administrative in nature," Graber warns, "a light bulb should go on in your head."

You're getting the cold shoulder from management:
Having trouble getting your boss on the phone? Did you get left out of the office football pool? Watch out, warns Graber — it's natural for people to distance themselves from employees who are on their way out the door.

Your professional memberships and subscriptions have lapsed:
If your boss fails to renew your subscription to a trade magazine or re-up your BlackBerry contract, there's a good chance your days are numbered, cautions Graber. You should also be wary if the company unexpectedly changes your passwords.

You're asked to train a new employee with duties similar to yours:
Keep an ear out for buzzwords like "knowledge transfer" if you're unexpectedly tasked with training a new recruit whose job description sounds suspiciously like your own, says Graber: You could be training your replacement.

Convinced that your job is in danger? Confront the problem, Graber says. Sit down with your superior and ask for a mini-review. Find out how you performed on your last project and pointedly ask what comes next. If your boss has trouble answering the question, it's time to update your resume.

By Marshall Loeb