Recession Tips
In Transition
Stay Positive – It’s easy to get caught up in all the negative press. Fear and depression will not help you in your job search. Remember the law of attraction – negative thoughts attract negative outcomes.
Be realistic – This is one of the most difficult job markets in recent history. Finding the next job will take effort and hard work.
Treat your job search as if it were your full time job. Needless to say the environment is competitive, this is no time to coast or take half hearted measures.
Volunteer time to expand your network, industry knowledge and skill set.
Be open to widening the geography of your job search. With the limited number of positions that are available, you must be realistic and willing to make sacrifices that perhaps you wouldn’t normally consider.
Develop your job search plan and work it. After a determined amount of time, reassess your efforts and make the appropriate changes.
Be willing to accept a lower salary. Companies are using the recessionary environment as a way to lower their cost structure. Remember, it’s all about cash flow, including yours, a reduced cash flow is better than no cash flow at all.
Utilize down time to rekindle your relationships with family and friends.
Become familiar with the U.S. Government’s stimulus package. You need to know “where the puck is going” in order to score. The Stimulus Plan means more government jobs as well as in the private sector in industries such as, Construction, Retail, Hospitality, Energy, Information Technology and Services and Healthcare.
Consider further education to reset any new career aspirations.
Seek a trusted third party or career coach to gain perspective on your job search efforts. All too often, people try to tough it out on their own and aren’t objective enough to make the necessary changes in approach.
Currently Employed
Don’t wait to begin a job search. Read the book “Fire your Boss”. The main message here is that you should always be looking for your next job. This strategy puts you in control!
Make yourself indispensable – take on the jobs that nobody wants to do. When you find a problem area, quickly communicate it to management and offer a valued added solution.
Focus on quality, specifically high quality. Companies love employees who always are working on the “final” products and not anticipating iterations. The days for that’s good enough for now are gone.
Focus on the details in the macro picture. The good ones worry about the details, the great ones think of the details with the big picture in mind.
Expand your network. Join trade associations, attend meetings and utilize professional networking tools such as Linked In.
Hone your skills and work on areas of development. Proactively address these areas to avoid potential performance issues. Remember the performance bar is raised every day. Develop transferable skills.
Develop Best in Class interpersonal skills. Many bright people careers have languished as first level managers because of their inability to work well with people. Be the type of personal that is sought out because of your expertise and willingness to share.
Become a master communicator – remember when you’re communicating to communicate clearly and concisely. You must know your audience and their expectations.
Hire a Career Coach to assist you with strategies on your current job. Don’t expect your boss to fill this role since there will always be a natural basis here which will have the interest of many ahead of you (The Company, the boss the organization, etc.) A career coach can assist you in areas such as:
Development of Goals and Objectives
Development areas
Your marketing plan – internally and externally
Positioning yourself for the next level