Attacking the Job Market Part 1
written by Credit-HQ ExpertPart of becoming resilient economically is not letting the prospect of looking for a new job scare you. Finding a new job is a project and in many ways it is like a battle. If you take it on with all of your energy and skills and throw yourself at it, you will win. There is no room for self pity or giving up. The jobs are out there and if you are aggressive, you will be the one who gets employed quickly when others labor for months with no luck. But there are some strategies you have to employee to be the winner at the job hunted game.
• Do the easy stuff first and get it done fast.
The afternoon after you get laid off, update your resume and get copies made so you can be ready to pump them into the job market the next day. Don’t lick your wounds or think about getting your old job back. Imagine that next job just outside your door and get out there to find it quickly. Start scanning the job ads in the newspaper and don’t speeds read them. Make phone calls to anyone who might know of a job. Call customers or vendors you had good relationships with at your old job and let them know you are available. If they don’t have a job for you, they may know someone who does. But never give up and never get discouraged. That job is out there and you just have to get through the false leads to find it.
• The virtual world is your friend.
Any job counselor will tell you that the job markets have changed because of the internet. In fact, you can’t count on the best jobs being listed in your local newspaper any more. You should learn to navigate the world of cyberspace job listings because many of the good jobs will be online and never show up in the old fashioned job advertising venues.
If you are not familiar with Craigslist or some of the big online employment agencies, now is the time to get familiar with them. Also, most medium to large size cities will have a number of localized job boards where jobs are listed every day. You can register on these sites, build an online profile and even have jobs that fit your skills sent to you every day by email. In this way, the internet can do your job searching for you and make life a lot easier.
• Use job aids that are already out there for you.
In times like these where lots of people are out of jobs, employers, colleges and even churches or fraternal organizations mobilize to help people get employed. Don’t turn your nose up at any resource that can help you find a new job or further your job search. If your former employer has some career counseling or placement help to offer, take it. Your local unemployment agency may have a job web site and job fairs they offer to get people back into jobs. Use everything that you can find to help with your search. You might even check with the college you attended or trade schools in the area that teach the skill you have. Even if you didn’t graduate from those schools, they may have career placement resources that are open to everyone to use. So take all the help you can get to get into your next job quickly.
• Think about a new career.
Sometimes losing a job can be a godsend. If you felt stuck in a career you didn’t like, maybe losing that job is the break you need to get out there and go for that dream job you always wanted. If you got some severance, this may be your golden opportunity to get some training in the job of your dreams. Then when you have a job you love, you might go back and thank your former employer for forcing you to change careers.
• Think about getting some professional help.
There are people who are experts in how to find that next big job. You might find them working at an online job agency, helping people who register with an employment company or even offering their services for hire. Think about spending a little time with a skilled professional who knows the ropes of working the job markets. That little investment may be well worth the time and money in the great new job you finally get.
Click here to see Part 2: Attacking the Job Market Part 2
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