by Dale Kurow, M.S., MCDP, Executive Coach

Everyone's heard about the recent layoffs and downsizing in the financial industry due to the mortgage crisis and the fire sale of Bear Stearns. Some of the retrenchment is now flowing over into other sectors, as expected.

Are you worrying about how to stay valuable to your current employer and how to avoid the unemployment line?

This quiz will help you find out if you're doing everything you can to recession-proof your career.

Answer true or false to the following questions. With each true answer you become more indispensable to your company.

Take our Quiz >>

By Ed Orum for AOL Find a Job

It takes more than a good résumé to land a job in this market. You have to be savvy and a step ahead of other applicants. Cosmopolitan recently teamed up with the Society for Human Resource Management for a survey on what it takes to be a winner in these highly competitive times. Turns out the smart use of technology often tops the list.

Let's start with those social networking sites you're on when you're not scanning job sites. While you might share every detail of your life on Facebook or MySpace, it's a good idea to make sure hiring managers don't have access to your profile. A majority - 86% - said unprofessional behavior makes you less desirable as a candidate. Yes, this includes party pics and off-color comments. Not that recruiters are always looking - 70% of the organizations surveyed said they do not Google you or check out social networking sites while making a decision. Still, better safe than sorry.

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com

In the current state of our economy, there are more than 15 million unemployed people. That's 15 million people who are all looking for a little help, whether it's in the job search, writing a resume, interview advice, networking or even help finding a new career path.

Many times, people who need job-search help enlist a professional. Career coaches and counselors are usually certified professionals who focus on career exploration or choice, changing career paths or even helping you beef up your resume and perfect your interview skills.

By Anne Fisher

Dear Annie: I'm a week away from my 54th birthday and, man, am I getting discouraged. After being laid off from a fairly senior job in May, I've spent the past few months networking nonstop, and managed to get three interviews. One interviewer never got back to me at all, and the other two both said I am overqualified for the jobs they have to offer.

I suspect that "overqualified" is corporate code for "old and expensive," so I tried to explain that I am more than willing to take a step or two down in position and salary (both my kids are out of college now, and our mortgage is almost paid off), but I still hit a brick wall. How does one get around being seen as "overqualified"? --Highly Experienced

By Carol Tice

Leaves turning scarlet don't just herald the coming of fall – they signal the start of seasonal hiring for winter jobs. Recession or no, many businesses must staff up, either to maximize sales during the critical holiday selling season or to get their business off to a good start in 2010.

With unemployment high, it'll be a competitive hiring season this year, so start your search early. In a survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, only 58 percent said they planned to hire as many workers as last year.

On the bright side, those temp jobs stand a decent chance of turning into permanent hires if companies are pleased with workers' performance – in the survey, 51 percent said their temp hires could be asked to stay on, compared with 45 percent last year.