Chris Wodke
The recession is easing, but few jobs are being
created. If you were laid off at the
beginning of the recession you may still be out of work. Your job search may
have stretched over many weeks or even years. In May 2009 there were 792,000
discouraged workers, meaning they had stopped looking for work because they
felt there were no jobs for them. Fifty percent of those unemployed were out of
work for 15 weeks and 28 percent or 3.9 million were unemployed for 27 weeks.
The longer you are out of work the tougher it may be to get
an interview or find work.
The HR
screener or hiring manager may wonder why you have been out so long. They may
be concerned you will be an unmotivated employee, lack organizational skills or
that your job skills have declined.
While it can be hard to be in an extended job search there
are some things you need to do.
- Prepare
Be prepared to discuss what you have been doing during your
unemployment. If you are going back
to school to help with a career transition, make sure you state that in
your cover letter. If you started a business or have been doing
consulting, clearly list this work in your experience section. This narrows the time you have been unemployed
and shows you have kept up your skills. Did you do volunteer work? Be
prepared to talk about the skills you used or the skills you learned that
you will apply to your new position.
- Network
Actively seek employment through your network. Tell friends, family and casual
acquaintances you are looking. If
someone tells you about a job, ask them to take your resume to the hiring
manager and put in a good word for you.
- Shake Things up
If you have been just looking in the newspaper, try some on line
searches. Try going to local
network events, contact a recruiter.
Do something different to keep your job search moving forward.
- Resume
Have a fresh set of eyes look at your resume. Many of the networking groups will do
this for free. If you have not been able to get work in your old industry,
have someone take a look at your skills and experience listed on your
resume and offers some advice about how to transition those skills to
another job.
- Interview Skills
Do a practice interview with someone you trust. Video tape it if
possible and play it back. Get
feedback on ways you can improve your interview style. In this market you may not get many
chances to interview and you have to be on your game when you do have an
interview.
- Attitude
Keep an upbeat positive attitude. Being desperate for any job is a
turn off for employers. Be upbeat
and confident. Shed any negativity
from your unemployment or job search.
Do take a break from job searching to do something fun or full
filling. This keeps the job hunt in perspective and can help you to remain
positive.
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Trainer-Delivery, Train the Trainer-Writing Presentations, Train the Trainer-On
the Job Training, Train the Trainer-Using Visual Aids, Project Management, Peer
to Peer Feedback, Surviving Unemployment, Interview Preparation
