6 Tips to Career ReEntry in a Down Economy
No one seems capable of predicting what final unemployment numbers will be or when this global recession will end. We do know that more than an additional 600 000 more American jobs were lost in February 2009, and many have stopped looking.
More job seekers are competing for work in a job market where there are currently not enough available jobs for everyone. As the New York Times reports, "losing more than a half million jobs in each of the last three months, the country is trapped in a vortex of plunging consumer demand, rising joblessness and a deepening crisis in the banking system."
If you are an older worker getting back into the job market, here are 6 tips for career reentry.
1. Get your resume ready. You cannot execute a successful job search strategy without it - not in today's market. This is the time to revamp your resume. Do not believe the hype that you can't write a good resume yourself. As a professional resume writer for 10 years, I know that 85% of people can do an excellent job with their own resume with some help.
2. Tell everyone you know that you have been laid off, cut back, furloughed or downsized. There is no shame in it. People can sometimes offer tremendous support and you will benefit from people "looking out" for you. If they don't know, they can't help.
3. Network with people you don't know. Visit your local library, scour the internet and find groups to join, meet-ups and job clubs. You will be expanding your circle and hearing about new opportunities. Balance your online networking with your on-land network. Pound the pavement if you have to and visit companies.
4. Be willing to cast a wider net, in terms of work you are willing to do. Think about transferable job skills and what other jobs you could do. Remember the saying, "80% of the people who get hired, only have 50% of the skills desired." Sell your willingness to learn on the job.
5. Stay positive. This is super important. Someone I know who was laid off recently and had visited the unemployment office, talked about how positive people were to each other. I also wrote last week about the possible upsides of being laid off as shared by three mid career professionals who had lost their jobs. You need to know that there is life after layoff.
6. Brush up on your interview skills. If you have been with the same company for years and haven't done a job interview recently, check out all the Job Interview posts on my career blog.
Visit the BullsEye Career Blogs by Marcia Robinson to get career advice and information that will keep you pumped and ready to succeed.
More job seekers are competing for work in a job market where there are currently not enough available jobs for everyone. As the New York Times reports, "losing more than a half million jobs in each of the last three months, the country is trapped in a vortex of plunging consumer demand, rising joblessness and a deepening crisis in the banking system."
If you are an older worker getting back into the job market, here are 6 tips for career reentry.
1. Get your resume ready. You cannot execute a successful job search strategy without it - not in today's market. This is the time to revamp your resume. Do not believe the hype that you can't write a good resume yourself. As a professional resume writer for 10 years, I know that 85% of people can do an excellent job with their own resume with some help.
2. Tell everyone you know that you have been laid off, cut back, furloughed or downsized. There is no shame in it. People can sometimes offer tremendous support and you will benefit from people "looking out" for you. If they don't know, they can't help.
3. Network with people you don't know. Visit your local library, scour the internet and find groups to join, meet-ups and job clubs. You will be expanding your circle and hearing about new opportunities. Balance your online networking with your on-land network. Pound the pavement if you have to and visit companies.
4. Be willing to cast a wider net, in terms of work you are willing to do. Think about transferable job skills and what other jobs you could do. Remember the saying, "80% of the people who get hired, only have 50% of the skills desired." Sell your willingness to learn on the job.
5. Stay positive. This is super important. Someone I know who was laid off recently and had visited the unemployment office, talked about how positive people were to each other. I also wrote last week about the possible upsides of being laid off as shared by three mid career professionals who had lost their jobs. You need to know that there is life after layoff.
6. Brush up on your interview skills. If you have been with the same company for years and haven't done a job interview recently, check out all the Job Interview posts on my career blog.
Visit the BullsEye Career Blogs by Marcia Robinson to get career advice and information that will keep you pumped and ready to succeed.
