Several of my friends have e-mailed me asking for my advice on how to get a job in this recession. I hope these answers help you get the job you want, not just a job you need.
1) Ask yourself the big, tough question: What is your purpose on this planet? Now that you have a little (maybe a lot) of time to reflect, take the time to dig deep into your soul and find your deepest purpose and what you are most passionate about. This is especially important now as you may be asked to change careers. Hopefully you didn’t let yourself be identified by your position in the past. If you did, now is the time to let go and move forward.
2) What are the skills you have that you can apply to that purpose? No doubt you’ve learned a LOT over the last 5/10/20 years. Take a skills inventory of all the things you’ve learned. Include as many specific examples as you can. Folks will want specific proof that you’ve mastered these skills.
3) Do these skills readily translate to a new position? Look at the positions you’ve been applying to. Do your skills fit, or are they lacking? Perhaps you need to broaden your search, or perhaps you need to change the language you’re using.
Start to think like a human search engine: Use the words for the position you are applying for. If they say client service, and you would normally say customer service, change to client service.
3a) If not…do you need to take some time to learn new skills (and possible take an intermediate position)? Maybe now is the time to go back to school and learn some new skills? Or maybe now is the time to take a part-time position to fill the skill and income gap between what you had and unemployment? Maybe you could even do some freelance work, or find someone to study under for an unpaid internship? Be creative and think hard about what you need and what you already know.
4) Identify which companies you want to work for. Don’t worry as much about position, think about the companies that have the values you value, or the next jump may also be short term.
4a) Who in your network knows someone in the companies you want to work in? Use LinkedIn or Plaxo to search for folks who are directly connected to these folks. If you’re not using LinkedIn or Plaxo, I be writing more on how to use these tools soon.
4b) Ask for specific help on your search.
Example: “Phil, I see you know Yolanda at XYZ Company. Can you introduce her to me and let her know I am interested in ABC position?” if a position exists.
Or, ask for an introduction and explain WHY you are interested in the company (not just position, but think values and culture).
Other things to do as you are looking for work, to get you back on folks radar:
- Write endorsements for folks you’ve enjoyed working with, via LinkedIn or otherwise.
- Use LinkedIn to ask for endorsements from folks you know you’ve helped with.
- Create your own blog (http://wordpress.com is free and easy) and start writing about your values, purpose, mission. Make sure to put a link to your LinkedIn account in the sidebar. Create a nice about page with an informal picture of you, and make sure you have a nice professional email address (gmail.com is free and not full up yet) to send stuff out on behalf of.
Write…write…write…
Read…read…read…
Repeat above steps until you land the job.
What are YOUR best tips for landing a job in the recession?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Phil:
Thank you for the words of wisdom. Just after hitting my 40th birthday over the weekend, I got laid off for the 3rd time in 5 years. I really need to spend a couple days figuring out #1 because, really, that is what all of our hard work is all about. I also enjoyed your post about creating a mantra. Thanks for making it great!
Tim
You are VERY welcome Tim. Sorry to hear about your loss. Take the time to find yourself and let me know if I can help!
Phil –
A very timely post. There are a lot of job hunters right now and people need to find a way to distinguish themselves from the herd. I’m finding with my clients that if they’re not using social media sites as part of an overall job search strategy they’re at a serious disadvantage.
Thanks for your usual good insight and help.
Joan – you’re VERY welcome. I figured any question I’ve been asked more than twice is worth sharing with the folks who read Make It Great! Glad to hear you’re helping folks too! Thank YOU!
A wonderful article. Thank you Phil.
Fortunately I am employeed and hope to stay that way, yet one wonders. In the past when misfortune struck after 9/11 I found myself seeking new employment. What worked best for we was:
1. Stop worrying and fretting. It only wasted my time and depressed me to the point of “no action.”
2. Schedule job seeking time. This was something I hardwired into my daily calendar.
3. Research the employer who is offering you an opportunity. In some cases google worked wonders here.
4. Keep applying. I once heard a great piece of advice from a former high school football coach. Lou Tice said, “Run all the way through the goal.” This means don’t stop short of your target run past it at full speed.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice. This is a mantra my kids hate to here. If we want to be excellent at anything (job seeking and capturing) we need to practice daily for that opportunity and be ready when it arrives.
Those are the things I remember from my past job seeking days not so long ago. I hope today brings flowers and yet I am prepared for the rain again should it pour.
Nicely done Spencer! You definitely added some great stuff to my article! I’ll pull it out for it’s own deserved article soon!
Good stuff Phil! I am right in this boat. Out of work and looking. I am networking my butt off. I am writing an article for a professional association. While I am out interviewing people, I am getting a feel for and learning the street. I am hoping to make an impression of “the essence of dave.” I have been somewhat subtle about my out of work status, but am mentioning it. I follow up every meeting with a thank you card, along sometimes with a thank you e-mail.
Here is the main thing that I’ve learned: Unless you get out there and do something, you’ll never be aware of possibilities out there that can only unfold once you’ve been engaged on the path.
Wow Dave, powerful learning: “Unless you get out there and do something, you’ll never be aware of the possibilities out there.”
Thanks for sharing that!
Honestly, being laid off is often the best time someone can use to start their own services business, given that capital is not a big deal (unless that is on hand, too).
After getting let go on Feb 2nd, I started working for myself the next day to try to stay in the saddle. MY plan was to start a new business. My wife’s plan was to humor me and tell me to get a job when the money dried up. We had COBRA and had the savings to pay for it, so I figured this was my chance to NEVER get fired again. Ever.
Talking it over with her later, she said that there was no way she’d feel comfortable with me leaving a cushy job to do what I’m doing now. She also feels better seeing the work calendar for upcoming clients and clients waiting in the wings.
If you have any skills that you can put to use for yourself with your situation, I’d highly encourage it, especially if you’ve been fantasizing about being your own boss for years, as I had.
Wow Jesse, GREAT story! Thanks for sharing it with all of us. And glad to hear you are succeeding in the face of challenges! Rock on brother!