With four unemployed people looking to fill each job opening, it's rough out there. Not only is the unemployment rate the highest it's been in 25 years, but the situation is deteriorating fast. This is not your run-of-the-mill recessionary job market.
If unemployment nationally hits 10% later this year, the country will have seen the fastest rise in joblessness since the 1930s. What's more, as you've no doubt noticed from talking to neighbors and friends, the phenomenon is hitting a broad swath of the population: The unemployment rate of college graduates, 4.1% is the highest on record.
At this pace, economists at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute estimate that in 2010 fully one-third of the U.S. population will at some point in the year be unemployed, or working part-time when they'd rather be full-time. It's enough to drive the average job seeker to distraction.
Getting noticed is a big accomplishment: Many companies have so many applicants that they're leery of advertising open positions. Meaning a job seeker must be part detective, part consultant, part salesperson.
A Just-in-Time Workforce
Employers are adjusting to changing markets by plugging in perfectly suited workers from the outside when they're needed, then dropping them when they're done.
In this environment, companies simply can't afford to hope you'll be able to do the job. You need to demonstrate it. Sometimes, though, even when you're not perfect on paper, you can make a great case for yourself by being prepared through working with a career coach.
Target Your Job Search
One of the worst mistakes job seekers make is sending out hundreds of resumes. In fact, it's a mistake to send out your resume, period.
When an executive is looking for another job, a huge mistake is to send his or her resume to prospective employers.
Why? Because prospective employers are not interested in your past responsibilities, education and experience. You will only turn their heads by being clear as to what you are looking for in a position with their company, what you have accomplished in your life and past work experiences, what your signature talents are and what other firms you may be considering in your j ob search. My career coaching clients include those four elements on a one page document that they get into the hands of prospective employers.
Smart Targeted Networking
Today, nobody has a free hour to read a resume or hear your story. You have to make a compelling case for busy people to clear time for you. Just meeting people to network in the industry broadly---no one has time for that. You're best off coming with a referral and having a very specfic request.
Typically an inside or outside recruiter will present four or five candidates to the hiring manager, so perfecting your "career strategy" one-page document is critcal. "The reality is we have a 'no' pile and a 'maybe' pile, and it takes four seconds to know where it winds up," says Glenn Fox, AOL's former head of recruiting and the CEO of BusinessElite, an invitation-only website for senior executives and those who hire them.
Here are five tips on how to begin to put together the solid accomplishments section of your one-page Career Strategy document:
1. Think of your list of accomplishments as sharing the results you have delivered for others in your professional and personal lives.
2. Ask yourself the following questions about each of your previous jobs:
*What was your impact on your team, business unit, division, company and enterprise?
*What would not have happened if you hadn't been there?
*What are you proudest of during your career with each previous employer?
3. Look over old performance reviews and note what your boss praised you for doing well. Are your accomplishments listed in the document? What do letters of recommendation or company newsletters say about the results you achieved in the organization?
4. If you have increased profitability and/or decreased costs, list these accomplishments by applying numbers where possible, using percentages, dollar signs and time qualifiers.
5. If your employer or industry association has recognized you with an award, cite it. But make sure any award you cite is based on you making something positive happen.
Sources: Career Journal, The Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2007 and FORTUNE, April 13, 2009
Resources for the Jobless Some websites for the jobless, such as http://www.vault.com/ and www.JobCoachTips.com , are providing career counseling and other new services. Vault.com has created a $999 service for job seekers to get two 45-minute career coaching sessions over the phone to help them land a new job. JobCoachTips.com offers a one-hour career coaching session with a certified executive & business coach for $275 and a year's subscription to weekly job coaching tips for only $9.95. JobCoachingTips.com offers 21 job seeking tips for $9.95 plus links to free and low-cost online career self assessments, free interview tips and a link to CareerBuilder.com: For a Year's Subscription to weekly Job Search/Career Transition Tips, click here: For 21 Career Transition Tips, click here. For Career Assessments, click here. Do Career Fairs work for you? For a free Interview Success Guide, click here.