The recession to-do list: 10 actions to help you find a job in a down economy
The recession to-do list: 10 actions to help you find a job in a down economy
So you’ve been laid off? It happens to the best of us. Heck, in this day and age, if you haven’t lost your job more than once, you should probably go buy a lottery ticket because luck is on your side.
Still, despite these lean economic times, jobs are out there.
10. Do a checkup from the neck up.
Take this opportunity to do a little soul-searching. What do you really want to do? You may never have a better time than now to evaluate what’s important to you. Can you reinvent yourself in a new industry? Can you excel in a new area of the same industry? Can you take a passion and turn it into a career or entrepreneurial venture?
Check out these free online assessments to help answer some of these questions:
• Keirsey Temperament Sorter: www.keirsey.com
• Skills Center: www.careeronestop.org/SKILLS/SkillCenterHome.asp
• Career Assessment Exercises www.lifeworktransitions.com/exercises/exercs.html
• University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
9. Identify your Unique Selling Points.
What are your key strengths that set you apart from other people? Don’t say things like, “I’m a good team player.” Everyone says things like that. Identify specific things that set you apart from others, and avoid clichés. Maybe it’s your ability to organize and manage multiple departments and employees simultaneously that makes you different. Or maybe it’s your ability to work cross-functionally and bring different opinions together to reach a consensus as a team that will add value to your next employer.
8. Determine your filters.
Are you willing to relocate? How much money do you need to make? What industries are you targeting? These are some of the filters you can use to narrow down your job search. Using filters will help bring your search into focus and show you what you can realistically attain. It will keep you from chasing jobs that you realistically can’t get or wouldn’t really anyway.
For example, if your filters are to stay in the Triad, work in sales for the transportation/logistics field and make a $50,000 base salary, then why would you look for a job anywhere in North Carolina, in any industry, making whatever salary is offered? Too many people use this “spray and pray” approach to a job search. They throw a bunch of things against the wall by applying for every job in sight and then pray someone will call back. Your chances of a call back are slim at best.
7. Research companies that meet your filters.
Have you been to the library lately? The research databases that you can access free of charge are very helpful. You can even use some of these databases from your home computer if you have a current library card. The Greensboro public libraries offer wonderful research databases such as Reference USA, Business Source Premier, and Mergent Online. Check them out at www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/Library/ .
6. Set up online job alerts.
It’s important to harness the power of the Internet, and you can do that by setting up job alerts. Most sites allow you to set up your own criteria for what you’re looking for in a job, so set up alerts on many different sites. Of course, always be careful when using the Internet for your job search. Don’t post your résumé online. It just opens you up to some potentially unpleasant things such as unwanted phone calls or possible scams. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
You also might want to create an e-mail account specifically for your job search. All job search correspondence can go to this one e-mail account so it does not clog up your personal e-mail. Plus it allows you to create a more business-like e-mail address for your job search, if you don’t already have one. 5. Find a recruiter.
It’s not a bad idea to find a recruiter or two to help you in your search. If you don’t know one, you can go to the library and review a copy of Kennedy Information’s “Directory of Executive & Professional Recruiters,” which lists recruiters by industry, functional area, geographic region and more. In a nutshell, you can find recruiters that meet your filters.
You also might want to contact your former employer’s human resources department to ask if the company uses recruiters and, if so, whether it would be willing to hook you up with one. This is can be a shortcut to finding a reputable recruiter in your career field.
4. Make realistic goals.
Times are tough, so act accordingly.While I applaud anyone with the willingness to hold out for the “perfect” job, a question I often ask when someone is considering turning down an OK-but-not-great job offer is, “If you turn down this job, will you be kicking yourself in six months because nothing else came along?”
Most people say “yes” or the say, “Six months? I’ll be panicked in three!” You need to open up to the possibilities that are out there, but be honest with yourself. Don’t settle for just any job that comes along, but the bottom line is to establish realistic goals that are based on your filters.
3. Develop your commercial.
Even if you’re jobless, if someone asks what you do, you should be ready to tell them with ease. It should be succinct and specific. It’s called your commercial. The next time you watch a TV commercial, notice how much some companies can pack into 30 seconds. Some play on emotion. Some make you laugh. That’s because the advertisers want you to remember them when it comes time to buy their products. The same applies to you. Develop your commercial and be prepared to deliver it in 30 seconds or less (see sidebar).
2. Organize.
It is important to know what you are doing and what you’ve done during your job search. Make yourself a record-keeping system to keep track of job leads, the names of companies that you’ve sent résumés to, dates you’ve followed up and any responses you’ve received from companies. You can download a record-keeping system at www.download.com. In the search box type “Job Application History 1.” A trial of it is free; it’s $9.95 to buy. Whether you use that or one you create for yourself, it is very important to keep track of all your job-search activity. You need to work smarter, not necessarily harder.
1. Network, network, network!
I teach a class where we discuss the top 10 human fears. Public speaking is at the top of the list. You could just as easily replace public speaking with networking because they are part of the same family. Just as with public speaking, many people loathe networking. But it is essential to an effective job search.
Many hate networking because they think that it means calling on all their friends and acquaintances to ask them if they know of any job openings. That could not be further from the truth.
You need to use the items we’ve discussed above to create a story that can be told to your friends, former co-workers and acquaintances. People genuinely want to help, but they can’t help if they don’t know a little about you and what you are looking for in an employer. Don’t ask for a job when you network. Ask for time — time to discuss your filters, your unique selling points, the industries you’ve researched and the functional areas you are interested in. Show people you’ve done your homework.
Tell people a story and plant some seeds. Water them through periodic follow-ups with those you entrust to help you in this search.
Remember, this is your job search, and no one else’s. Regardless of what you might hear out in the market, no one can actually get you a job but you. It’s difficult to find a job right now, but jobs are out there. You will be amazed to find that, if you put in an honest day’s work looking for an honest day’s work, good things can happen.
About our contributor
Tim Dix is a small business and career consultant and owner of Global Resources Ltd. in Greensboro, which provides career development and small-business services. He can be reached at 644-0937 or tdix@globalresourcesltd.net.
Career 101: The recession to do list
How to create your ‘commercial’
As part of your job search, you should develop a 30-second “commercial” that you can use to market yourself to possible job contacts. Practice it until it becomes natural so you can confidently use it in situations where you expect to need it such as networking events, or in a more off-the-cuff fashion such as at a grocery store. Include the following information in your commercial. Each is followed by an example.
1) Who you are and what you did. “My name is John Smith and I have vast experience as a sales manager.”
2) The field in which you have primarily worked. “Most recently I worked for a large consumer goods manufacturer, XYZ Inc. ...
3) Your most recent position and responsibilities. “... as a territory representative, where I was responsible for selling the company’s newest line of health and beauty products.”
4) A significant accomplishment in that time. “For two years I led the company in sales, ahead of 150 other sales managers nationwide.”
5) Two or three key strengths. “My greatest strengths are creating innovative marketing programs for customers and organizing key action plans to constantly improve and adapt to the changing market.”
6) Your future plans. “My goal is to find a growth opportunity with another strong consumer goods company or manufacturer.”
— Compiled by special sections writer Patrick Collins
Source: Tim Dix
