Considering the economy is still in a shaky spot, it’s not too surprising when people around you get fired and laid off left and right. That doesn’t make it any less scary, though. How can you avoid being a casualty of the recession? While some firings and downsizing are pretty much inevitable, you can hedge your bets by being indispensable to your boss and indispensable to your company. Here’s how to do that!

1. Tackle the hard tasks.

You know the work everyone else hates or avoids because it’s time consuming and/or tough? If you learn to love it, you’re pretty much going to stay in everyone’s good graces forever, because you’ll be seen not only as a team player, but as a damn confident, competent employee. Bow down!

2. Be bilingual.
Trust us: It helps. Always. Even if it’s just polite, Rosetta Stone speech, it’ll come in handy one day when your boss needs to say, “No pants required” in Bulgarian.

3. Become the point person for clients.
If they like you, your boss will love you.

4. Get the hang of current and cutting edge technology…
Gadgets, devices and computers are changing every minute. If you know how to work with a variety of platforms, you’ll be invaluable to your company when they need to upgrade anything.

5. … But also know how to troubleshoot the stuff you’re working with now.
If you’re the only person who can get the fax machine to work (people do still use those) or the printer unjammed, your boss is going to love you.

6. Be a good communicator.
No matter what your actual job title is, if you’re a good writer and speaker, you’ll be noticed and an asset to your company.

7. Be reliable.
Keep your promises, show up on time and meet your deadlines. You’ll already have a leg up on that sloppy guy two cubes over.

8. Don’t be a doormat.
Set your boundaries early on. Just because you’re indispensable doesn’t mean you’re available 24/7/365 (unless that’s actually in your job description). If your boss thinks you’re always available, he or she will hit you up whenever they need something, which may drive you nuts if you get a call at 11PM on a Saturday . This will make you unhappy. 

9. Be positive!
If you’re always cranky on the job, no one is going to want to be around you–and they won’t miss you much if and when you’re gone.