Finding work in hard times

[Gotum]

I thought it would help to motivate and lift some people who may not be doing quite as good as some of us, to get some advice form us all on staying up there in the down times.

Please add your ideas. You may be surprised how much it may help someone else.

SEVEN STEPS TO FINDING WORK IN HARD TIMES

I was watching a TV show recently and saw a commercial banker standing on the street in a suit and tie with a sandwich board which read 'Experienced MIT Grad for hire'. He had tried calling around and sending out resumes but with no luck. He finally decided to take to the street in a last ditch effort. He said he had planned to be there for a week and that it was very encouraging as people stopped and took his card and resume. Joshua Persky is now working in a Manhatten firm Weiser LLP.
(You can watch the video at the bottom of this post)

Now I'm not suggesting you do the same to get a job but it does demonstrate the rewards of making yourself visible and staying active even in the worst of times.

I have heard so many people complain about being out of work and I always ask them the same question. "What are you doing 'TODAY' to find your dream job?"

Finding a job starts with attitude, but you must do some very practical things if you want to find your dream job; even during these so called hard times.

The first thing you should do is get a real picture of the situation which will keep you motivated, there are more people working than not

1. LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Take a look at stats and look at the 93% employed and not the 7% unemployed. Even as it rises there will always be more people employed than unemployed. Always focus on the upside as it will keep you motivated.

2. LOOK WHAT'S NEW TODAY! NEW JOBS APPEAR EVERY DAY
Remember that the job market is a moving parade. New jobs open every day and people are on the move all the time. Don't give up! Every day the situation changes and being there may make the difference between you and someone else.

3. GET OUT THERE AND LOOK YOUR BEST
Always look your best as you never get a second chance to make a first impression. You will meet new people every day and you're a walking billboard. I meet people every day that ask me for jobs and (I must confess) I judge them; even though they may be having a 'casual day'.

4. CARRY A MINI RESUME AND CARD
I know times are tough but you can print up some cheap cards and create a mini resume that you can carry in your pocket or bag with you everywhere. You never know who you'll meet when you're out and about.

5. TALK TO PEOPLE
It's amazing how many people we meet on any given day who we never talk to. You may just drop by a few companies when you're out and if you chat to the receptionist (or the first person you bump into) they may just point you in the right directions.

6. STAY POSITIVE!!
Nobody likes a misery guts. If you are charged up people will naturally be on your side and attracted to you. Life has its own way of rewarding enthusiasm.

7. Create a daily pattern of activities just as if you had a job.
8:00 Send out Resume's /CV's
10:00 Call the job centers and job agencies
12:00 Network
2:00 Make list of new jobs (from newspapers, online job sites, job center etc
3:00 Revue your Resume / CV
5:00 Create new strategies for the next day
7:00 Relax you did a good days work

Do these things every day and I will be surprised if you don't have a job within a couple of weeks. And don't just settle for the first thing that comes along, if you do the above you won't have to.

One final comment, YOU DO HAVE A JOB. The job description is: 'Finding a job'.

Having a great plan to find a job and being active every day may be the best evidence an employer needs that you are able and worthy of the job; YOU'RE GOING TO GET!

Hope that helped

Here's the link to the youtube video I mentioned above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRM7DSEJ9GM

 

[Gotum]

Please post a response as this post is ment to help others who may be having a hard time.

 

[gogul2k]

Something I would suggest is be prepared to learn new skills while you are out of work, whether it's in the form of voluntary work, learning from books or taking a class.

 

[Write My Site]

That's a great post, Gotum. I'm not sure if there's anything I can add in terms of how to find work. However, I think losing a job could act as a positive motivator for some people to make long-overdue changes to their lives (particularly if they hated the job they've just lost). It's not going to be appropriate for everyone, particularly those with mortgages or family commitments, but some people may find the door has opened to new opportunities such as going (back) to university, starting a business or going travelling.

 

[Gotum]

Thanks for the comments Remember this is about helping those that need it the most when they need it the most. They may be your customers later

 

[dean_liu]

It is hard to find the business opportunities in hard times, anyone have good ideas?? Thanks.

 

[Fuzzy]

Great post Doing nothing is not an option

 

[Will-man Rodders]

It is not so easy to change 'business sector' when times are hard. i.e. to go from being say a 'Administration Manager' of a Bank to an 'Adminstration officer' of a doctors surgery. On the face of it the skills are the same but the technical knowledge required is different. When times are 'hard' there is a greater probability that you will end up in competition with someone who has relevant experience in the sector you are proposing to enter e.g. an Office manager who has doctor's surgery experience.

So my hints are:

1. identify your transferable skills;
2. work on how you can show you can learn quickly the technical skills for a new role; and
3. focus on, and work your old network, in your existing area of specialism.

 

[-Will101-]

Great Post! Agree with your points. Here's something I wrote recently that may compliment your existing good advice...


You would be very surprised at the level of recruitment activity that is going on in certain areas, despite the recession. Redundancies are very sector / company / geography specific and as a general rule, most companies are not loosing staff. In fact, I would say a good 50% of those we speak to are actually thinking about recruiting. I could go on for ages about which markets are affected and why but but instead you will be pleased to know I have just put together some brief tips to get you started if you are currently out of work and need some inspiration…


1.Get your mindset straight. We all know it is bad out there but the media are doing a very nice job of hyping things up. We all know bad news sells. So, any opportunity to reinforce how bad things are will be taken by the media and run with. Notice how much less publicity the recession is getting now there are signs of improvement?? From the point of view of a job seeker, this negative reinforcement of how bad things are is not going to help you believe you can find a job. As you all know from your training, belief is the first step. Unless you believe it can be done, you will never try in the first place so my first tip is to not listen to the media.


2.Get a decent CV put together. You would be amazed the number of CV’s we see with spelling mistakes, bad grammar and crap content (even from people looking for £60K!!). Make sure it is in Word, formatted nicely and actually says what you do and how that helped the company. If you are working with a recruitment company, a bad CV will not even make it to the client, regardless of how good you think you are.


3.References. If you can, include with your CV a reference letter or something similar from previous employers. This is brilliant ammo to make your CV stand out from the rest. Also recruiters will ofton try to take references before they have got you a job (this is a sales tactic) and your reference may get p*ssed off. Save them for when you really need them (you have an offer)


4.Get yourself out there. Register your CV with all the major job boards so it can be searched by recruiters and apply to everything that looks relevant. Recruiters will pick up your CV and add it to their database. Even if it is not right for that job, you might be suitable for something else they have on their books.


5.Get into a routine of applying to jobs first thing every morning. Most recruiters will start at 8.00 so make sure your CV is in their inbox by then. The busiest time for applications is from 12.00 onwards so get in there early to avoid being mixed in with everyone else.


6.Keep a record of anything you apply to that you think you are particularly suitable for. Follow up these applications with a telephone call to the recruiter to check they have your CV and make sure they are putting you forward. Best time to phone a recruiter is pre 9am, 12-2 and after 5pm as the rest of the time they will probably be speaking to clients. DO NOT EMAIL – this is easy to ignore. You can’t sell via email – pick up the phone! Polite persistency will get you a long way!


7.Contract will recover before permanent so consider taking on a contract job for a while until the permanent market picks up.


8.Keep your mobile on and answer the calls! They will probably only try once and often won’t leave a message if there are a lot of candidates applying.


9.DO NOT tell recruiters where else you are interviewing, despite what they might say. This is a widely used trick and the recruiter will phone up these companies to try and send in other candidates thus increasing your competition. If you have to tell them something, pick a massive company in the area and say you can’t remember the person’s name.


10.If you are in the trades, I know people who are run off their feet but all through referrals. Consider attending BNI or similar networking events as it really seems to work for the trades.


11.Make yourself available for interviews, nothing worse than a candidate that can’t interview for a few days. Drop everything and go.


12.Deliver a good interview. I can post some tips on this if people want but being late, dressing like rab c nezbit and talking jibberish will not help!


13.Consider offering to go in for a day’s trial to show how good you really are.


14.Get yourself onto Linked in and other business related networking sites.


15. Get smart with Google. Try searching for local companies that have jobs on their career pages. Local papers are also good for local companies but the vast majority now advertise online.


16.Looking for a job is in its self a full time job so try not to fall into bad habits. Get up, get dressed etc. and treat it as a day’s work.

 

[Wavecrest Ltd]

Good post Gotum.

All I would add is to make sure you persevere despite the knock backs and try and keep yourself busy at all times.

Our business is a bit quiet at the moment as we are unfortunately directly affected by the economic downturn. Less international trade = less freight moving backwards and forwards.

I am using the quiet time to revamp my blogs, get involved a bit more on this and other forums, have just joined linkedin etc. All these things cost little or no money and are cheap ways to try and promote the business.

Glen

 

[Gotum]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. There are a lot of people on here that simply get lost and need a little light to show them the way forward.

Keep shinning it for them.

 

[RLD Plastering and Tiling Services]

great post but I can't help feeling of de-ja-vou as I am sure I saw this post the other day - maybe physic telepathy should be my next business

 

[Gotum]

great post but I can't help feeling of de-ja-vou as I am sure I saw this post the other day - maybe physic telepathy should be my next business

I did answer someone elses question regarding getting a job in a similar way but I felt it may help other people also to expand on the answer in a post.

Nice to know you're looking around

It is however an important subject in such up and down times for some.

 

[thebigIAM]

I think there is something to be said for taking the first post that comes along.

 

Remember if you lost your job,its highly unlikely its to do with your performance.

More likely to be an economic decision by your employer.

So don't take it personally .

Earl

 

[James.Dunford]

Thanks for the tips I have just finished my A Levels, and bar my small online business am looking for a job (Even though no one wants me because of my experience ) posts like this really help :redface: