Six Tips to Help You Land a New Job
Here’sitting how top career experts say you can improve your job-seeking skills in a worsening economy
By Dan Macsai
Just months ago, Citigroup’session (C) plan to eliminate 53,000 jobs (BusinessWeek.com, 11/17/08) would have been shocking. That was then. Within the past few weeks, Ford Motor (F), Starbucks (SBUX), General Motors (GM), Washington Mutual, and other big-name companies have announced resembling cuts, pushing the civilian jobless rate to a 14-year high of 6.5%. Today, more than 10 the masses Americans are searching for work. Many be the subject of college degrees, management skills, and white-collar work experience; in a stronger economy, they’first attempt be gainfully employed. But for the immediate future, an all-important question looms: What very lately?
Given the play loosely of piece of work cutting this year and the likelihood of further losses in 2009, BusinessWeek queried distinguished career gurus in various places in what progress skilled job seekers can best situation themselves for the period of the credence crunch. Following are their six top tips:
1. Stay positive.
Among the recently laid-off, there’s a tendency to assume the worst. But for many, pink slips come with a silver lining, says Maureen Anderson, author of The Career Clinic: Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love. A recent Gallup survey found that 77% of Americans dislike their jobs. Using your newfound downtime to self-examine—"What swindle I really want to be doing for eight to 10 hours every day?"—could push you in a state of preparation a more satisfying course path, or at smallest offer an intriguing change of pace. To an extent, Anderson explains, "it’s best to think of [unemployment] as an adventure."
Of course, such "adventures" are tough during a recession: Your dream work at jobs might be less accessible than in years beyond, and you’ll probably face stiffer competition. But if you’re pursuing somebody you fondness, it’sitting easier to stay driven. "Enthusiasm is equal combustible matter," Anderson explains. During a prolonged work at jobs pry into, "it’ll carry you further than you think."
2. Establish a professional blog.
Employers are constantly scanning the blogosphere for "go-to guys," says Marty Nemko, a longtime career coach and host of Work with Marty Nemko, a hebdomadal show on National Public Radio’sitting San Francisco take. And if you’re writing about a specific industry, there’s a expert chance you’ll get noticed. Stay abreast of trends, offer insightful commentary, and engage your readers, much like Kerry Kerstetter does on his accounting blog, The Tax Guru. That way, says Nemko, "you won’t be seen similar to an ‘unemployed dude.’ You’ll be seen as a powerhouse in your profession."
3. Join a job site.
If you haven’cheek by jowl yet created a profile on LinkedIn or registered by of that kind online career hubs as CareerBuilder and Monster.com (MWW), you should. On LinkedIn, more than 30 million professionals "interchange information, ideas and opportunities," according to the site’s abode page. And roughly 300,000 employers hurry jobs on CareerBuilder, where overall traffic has increased 4% since last month’s Wall Street meltdown, says Jason Ferrara, the situation’s senior career adviser. Translation? The more contacts you make, the more jobs you can access. And for the period of rough economic times, social networking can streamline your career search. Adds Nemko: "I’catastrophe even try posting on a Yahoo! forum."
4. Pursue an "Obama industry."
On his Web site, President-elect Barack Obama promises to "save or create" 2.5 the public jobs by January 2011. Among the industries suitable to benefit: infrastructure, energy, education, and health care. Job seekers should lay hands on the moment, says Nemko. "Dovetail your strengths to fit [an expanding field]," he says, adding that extra schooling is not imperative. "Ride the wave of Obamania."
5. Get creative.
In today’sitting saturated work at jobs market, standing out is more important than ever. So have feeling charitable to be "a little unconventional," says Anderson. When you’re meeting career contacts—or even just schmoozing at a party—hear carrying self-made business cards, she says. You can give yourself a straightforward title, such as "experienced advertising executory," or make trial of something more pleasant, such as "professional job seeker." Explains Anderson: "It’sitting important to be of talent and likable. Before hiring someone, employers usually ask themselves, ‘Would I want to grab coffee with this person on a Tuesday morning?’"
Another way to master noticed is to create a video résumé, which you can upload to such sites despite example Monster and CareerBuilder. Beyond displaying your personality, the video supplement proves you’re willing to embrace new media—a decisive trait in today’s Web-savvy profession world, Ferrara says.
6. Fix your flaws.
Most employers say recessionary layoffs aren’familiarily personal. But more often than not, there’s a reason you were let go and other employees were not. Ideally, you should figure it out before starting a new job search, says Nemko. He suggests asking yourself some basic "introspective" questions: Did I ever slack off? Was I strictly trained? Did I get side by side through my colleagues? Was I on time for work?
If you find shortcomings in your professional self, resolve to resolve them. Otherwise, says Nemko, "you’ll with appearance of truth get laid off again."
