Employee finds job listing for current job, boss claims they're recruiting in another department: 'I asked them, "Is my job safe?"'

Few jobs are a sure thing in today's economy.

It is unwise to act as if any corporate role that you work in is going to hang around forever, because the reality is that this probably isn't true. Plenty of employees who are good at their jobs and believe they have a promising career ahead of them get unwelcome surprises when their company starts not doing so well, or decides to take a different business strategy. There are certain situations where no amount of goals achieved or fancy additions to the resume is going to keep the layoffs at bay.

Still, even employees who have the most cynical of approaches to the working world can be surprised when it turns out that they are more replaceable than they thought. Many workplaces are brutal when it comes to getting rid and starting anew, and offer little advance warning when it happens. 

It is usually a good idea to keep an eye on the job ads in your field. This is not just in case something better comes along, but also as there could be a chance that you find some information that could be crucial to whether you are still going to be employed in the near future. It's dog-eat-dog out there.