In addition to doing daily tracking polls to see the state of the political race is between John McCain and Barack Obama, the Gallup polling organization also looks at how Americans feel about domestic employment issues.
The results? Eighty two percent (82%) of Americans think that now is a bad time to find a quality job. Per an article at Gallup, "Today's 82% of Americans rating now as a bad time to find a quality job far exceeds the 56% and 54% who felt this way in October 2007 and October 2006, respectively."
Although Americans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the job market, there are job seekers who are still getting interviews and getting offers.
Here are some quick tips for those seeking work in tough times:
1. Be positive. Nothing really happens without positive thinking.
2. Get connected and rejuvenate your contacts. Share information with other people and remember that in networking - "givers gain".
3. Think outside of the box about ways to sell yourself and stand out from the crowd.
4. Volunteer. This might be one of those "out-of-the-box' suggestions, but it works. This is a great month to get involved with "walking for the cure". Who knows who might be walking with you.
5. Be steady. An erratic job search strategy will have you running in many directions and not walking through the job search process in a focused way.
6. Flip the script or switch careers or fields. If you were a victim of the job losses on Wall Street then consider a financial career in a growing sector such as healthcare.
7. Work with recruiters and head hunters.
8. Take a "fill-the-gap" job with the right company, where movement will be possible at a later time.
9. Think about going back to an old company. Hopefully, you left with your good reputation in tact.
10.Ask for help and support. Too many people really try to conduct their job search in a vacuum. Ask people questions and be open to the feedback you receive. Consider using professional services of a resume writer or job interview coach. Remember that in the US, job search expenses are tax deductible.
11. Try to figure out exactly where the job search strategy is falling apart. Is it the resume, the job interview, the follow-up or the access?
If you just need to get funds, there is no shame in going around the corner to get a job if you must. This will at least get you a paycheck relatively quickly.
3 comments:
I feel it is always a good time to look if you need a job. Sometimes in difficult situations you have to take something available.
I had a "fill-the-gap" job which turned into a really good job and I stayed for four years.
Eugene and Miss Cotty,
No question that fill-the-gap jobs can be really valuable to tide you over, gain new skills or explore options.
Post a Comment