Fired twice in the past, as well as having once been a firing manager, Martin Elkort, author of the book Getting From Fired to Hired (IDG, 1997), knows all about the warning signs.

Elkort's lesson: You don't always see it coming. "A warning sign is when the environment changes," he says. "Sometimes the changes are subtle, and sometimes they are overt."

In his book, he addresses some of the symptoms of an upcoming firing:
* When a tough project comes up, you're not part of the team anymore.
* Your bosses change your job title, and it sounds like a step down, or at best, a lateral move.
* Your boss introduces you to a new employee, and he asks you to teach the new guy everything you know.
* You've been "written up" several times recently.
* When you're talking to your supervisor lately, she's always taking notes. "When they're building a file, that can only be bad news," Elkort says.
* Your company is talking about "getting hard-nosed, lean, and mean."
* You're not sleeping well, you're feeling depressed, or you have trouble getting out of bed to go work.

If you're not happy in your job, it can manifest in your health or attitude, and your performance often suffers at work. "[Health problems] could mean your psyche is digging something up," Elkort says. "Maybe you're in the wrong job."

If you think you're on the way out, but you're not dying to leave, talk to your boss. Tell her you're concerned about your future with the company, and ask what you can do to reverse your fortune. Go to your boss with a game plan on how to make yourself more valuable.