Job-Search Tips for a Changed Economy

Job-Search Tips for a Changed Economy: How to Succeed in the "New Normal"

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Compiled by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

A year after the economy melted down in 2008, we asked job and career experts for tips that reflect the new realities of the job market.

We asked experts to complete this sentence: "If I could offer a piece of advice that reflects the NEW ECONOMY and is different from advice I would have given a year ago, it would be ________________________."

Here's what they said:

Network More Than Ever

Job seekers must be creative and proactive. In a strong economy you can get job offers from posting your resume and answering ads on the Internet. Not now. Instead you must find ways to get to hiring managers. Use Linkedin as well as your personal network to find insider company information. Work your connections, and when you still can't a referral, target hiring managers directly with a concise email that shows you know what they need and how you could be part of the solution. And follow up. That's the ticket in a tough economy.

Jean Baur

Click less; talk and walk more. A year ago, I might have counseled business people to get immersed in the emerging social-media tools to remain current, connected, and to have access to a broader group of people outside traditional corporate walls. But now, I'm constantly advising my clients and colleagues to click less, to get off the keyboard and on their feet, walking down the hall to visit a colleague, or making a phone call instead of sending an email, text, or instant message. In times of uncertainty, people want to really connect with others, and the best ways to do that are with your face, your eyes, your voice -- not your fingers.

Coach Darcy LLC

Start more conversations. Ask questions and listen. Everyone has access to the same information on the Internet, so you have to go beyond that. Be a detective. Speaking to folks in your network can help you gain additional insight to uncover hidden opportunities and understand how to position yourself for them effectively. Jobs are out there, companies still need help, and you have to do more these days to find all the clues and connect the dots yourself. But with every conversation you have, you will be one step closer to landing your next job.

Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online

Amp up the networking efforts to include six plus six degrees of separation. It's not the time or climate to be shy. Join any and all groups that could help: associations, job-hunter groups, and online job boards.

Sandra E. Lamb

How to Write It A Complete Guide to Everything You'll Ever Write

Pump Up Social Media and Your Online Presence

Get on Twitter. Incorporate the core keywords for your target position into your Twitter profile. You get only 140 characters, so make them count! You get one link, so link to your site, your online resume (such as on VisualCV, your blog, or your LinkedIn, or Facebook profile. Tweet about news and developments in your industry and your blog posts. Keep it professional, but show bits of your personality too. Use Twit4.com to find companies on Twitter. Tons of Twitter-related tools can help job-seekers find better jobs, faster. You can distribute your resume via TweetMyResume.com and find job postings through TweetMyJobs.com, TwitterJobs.com/, JobShouts.com, and TwitterJobSearch.com. Utilize LinkedIn to identify key people, hiring managers, and recruiters, then follow them on Twitter. Don't let yourself spend too much time on the online portion of your job search -- automate where practical to save time, and invest that time in what still works best -- good old-fashioned networking and connecting with people in real life.

Get A Job! Your Guide to Making Successful Career Moves

@getajob on Twitter

Creating and proactively maintaining a positive and distinctive online identity is a job search must do. Increasingly, employers are searching and screening potential candidates via social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. In fact, a study by Harris Interactive found that 45 percent of employers now screen social media, which is up from 22 percent the previous year. Unfortunately, 35 percent of those employers said they found information on social network profiles that led them not to hire certain individuals. While many Internet users, including jobseekers, are rightfully wary about privacy concerns, being lackadaisical about the quality of your online identity will definitely undermine your job search. With a stellar LinkedIn profile or relevant Twitter or blog content that establishes your thought leadership in your field, you will separate yourself from your unimaginative and lackluster competitors and catch the eye of search-savvy employers.

Career Assessment Goddess

Bump up your online presence and networking profile. Read relevant industry blogs, and post comments to them; consider blogging yourself if you're a good writer and want to be seen as a subject-matter expert; fill out your LinkedIn.com profile completely and get current recommendations from colleagues respected by potential hiring managers; participate in appropriate groups on LinkedIn.com; upload a PowerPoint to your LinkedIn profile that demonstrates the quality of your work; follow recruiters and potential hiring managers/influencers on Twitter.com; post industry-relevant content on Twitter; be acutely conscious of your digital trail (don't post anything to Facebook, Twitter, etc. that doesn't cast a favorable light on your candidacy); create a VisualCV.com profile and use the vanity URL in your email signature block, and more!

Job Search Magic

Interview Magic

Resume Magic

TheAcademies.com

Be Persistent in Finding a New Job

Job-seekers need to be more creative and persistent than ever before. Merely checking job boards and r esponding to posted positions is not sufficient. Job seekers need to utilize all job-search methods at their disposal, including social networking, since many recruiters are searching social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for candidates instead of posting positions on traditional job boards. Job-hunters also need to be prepared for lengthier job searches since the unemployment rate is now approximately double what it has historically been.

Call to Career

Follow Up All Job Leads

Now more than ever following up on a lead is the way to go. Don't stop until you get a definite "No." Employers are so bogged down with resumes, being the potential employee who really is on top of getting in touch shows what kind of worker you will be on the job.

Chiropractor for the Mind

Captain Your Own Ship

Own your search! In the olden days (last year), you might have had a greater chance of your circle of influence doing more things for you, on your behalf. Today, your circle of influence may well be looking for a new job, as well. Step No. 1, today, is know, appreciate, understand, and respect the fact that you and you alone are driving the cart. The decisions you make (or don't make) hour by hour, moment by moment, today, tomorrow, and the day after that, rest solely with you. There's no book, no coach, no Rx, and no magic that can do this labor of love for you. No matter how many people like you, care about you, support you, or network with you, you're it! You're at the helm! So, dump the training wheels and move forward with a happy heart, a glorious attitude, and an unwavering commitment and relentless passion in pursuit of the next opportunity. Straight ahead. You'll stand out!

Billie Sucher

Between Jobs: Recover, Rethink, Rebuild

Take responsibility for all aspects of your life and your career. When we are unsure we tend to react to situations in our life instead of responding to them. Think of the word "responsibility" as the ability to respond. Remember choosing that next job position is a life change, not just something that's going to get you out of the uncomfortability of be unemployed.

Chiropractor for the Mind

Mentally Prepare Yourself for Long Job Search

Don't overlook the "mindset" piece of the equation. If you're walking through a particularly difficult trial, ask yourself:

A year from now when I'm finished with this challenge, what do I want to be proud of as I look back on this time?
What am I truly gifted at, and how can I align that talent with market demands?
What "muscle" do I need to exercise in this process, for instance, the discipline of getting out and networking with people have influence with hiring managers?
What does looking 10 percent more courageous look like, and how can I take action on that?

Job Search Magic

Interview Magic

Resume Magic

TheAcademies.com

Get out of your own way. Frequently our habits and history get in the way of achieving the results we want. Stop focusing on the doom and gloom news as it will color your ability to be proactive. Ask yourself, "How can I think about this differenty?" If you are naturally pessimistic, enlist an optimist to help you generate opportunity options. One door closes, others open. Find the open doors, you know they are there.

Gladys Kartin

View your pursuit of meaningful work as a marathon rather than a quick gym workout. While we've all realized the necessity of having a career that energizes us, the best jobs are even harder to come by now. Expect to be in it for the long haul, and do things that will help you gradually over time, like building relationships with important contacts, researching and trying out interesting fields, and honing your own set of marketable skills.

Alexandra Levit

New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career

More than ever job-seekers and those fortunate enough to have good jobs need to always remember that they must do one of two things for their employer: increase revenues or decrease costs. Job-seekers need to market themselves by proving to a potential employer that they can do one or both of those better than any other candidate. The "I can't do that" excuse is just an excuse. The question those job-seekers must ask themselves is if they can't prove their worth, then how can they expect to have their worth accurately measured by someone else such as a potential employer? And those with jobs need to remember that they aren't immune to the requirements of the new economy. They need to ask themselves if their worth is known to their manager and their manager's manager? If not, make your worth known.

CollegeRecruiter.com

Be Entrepreneurial

If you are unemployed and thinking about starting a business, you would be wise to consider if your skills and strengths will support entrepreneurial success. Business owners are typically involved in many diverse tasks, including marketing and sales, financial management, operations and administration, human resources, and general management. Yet you may not be equally adept in all of these areas. To assess your entrepreneurial skills and potential weaknesses, have a qualified career counselor administer the Strong and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Entrepreneur Report (an online career assessment of your interests and personality type). With the resulting information, you can determine if your MBTI personality type and interests are similar to those of successful entrepreneurs. Make an informed decision about your future. Should you choose to move ahead and establish your new business, you will know which tasks you excel at and which ones you may have to outsource or delegate to others.

Career Assessment Goddess

Be a self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset. Seek contract-based project work online. With the tough economy, many small and mid-sized businesses are turning to outsourcing to keep progress afloat on limited resources. At the same time, many who have weathered a lay-off are also seeking work more independently through a growing phenomenon known as online or Internet freelancing.

Online freelance marketplaces offer a solution to both parties by applying an eBay auction-style website approach to services. Employers post short-term projects to sites like Guru.com, where freelance job candidates respond with competitive quotes on what they will do for the employer to solve his or her need; what reimbursement they are seeking in return; and other details.

For any job-seeker with an Internet connection and specialized skills, online freelancing can be a great way to keep cash flow positive while seeking full-time work. In some cases, project work can also segue-way into a regular assignment or even a full-time position with an employer. Projects also help to keep resumes looking current and recent; many candidates can use the approach to build up a profile of online work samples and other impressive credentials. How much and what kind of work you bid on is completely up to you while work schedule, work style and other preferences are usually flexible. Some users also set up an online profile for free just to consolidate their resumes, work samples, references, skill tests and other credentials for reference in other job search-related efforts.

Guru.com

One field in which entrepreneurs with the requisite skills are doing very well is in the field of "greening" the economy. In fact, we are increasingly being introduced to people taking the lead for greener technologies; i.e., one gifted laid-off automotive engineer has hit the ground running with his new business. He's retrofitting vehicles for hybrid operation for around $1,000. Despite the price tag, he has more clients than he can serve. Another booming business is in recycled building supplies. Such suppliers who scour demolition sites for older but usable wood, trim, pipes and even appliances are gaining in popularity, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where Portland's Rebuilding Center does a thriving trade while providing living-wage jobs for its workers.

Resume to Referral

And a Brief Word About Brief Resumes

Keep your resumes to 2 pages (not longer), make sure it is branded, and make it very succinct. Specifically: no more than a few bullets of achievements per job and no dense paragraphs of text. (Just a few lines for general responsibilities.)

Career Branches

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

This article is part of Job Action Day.

Katharine Hansen, PhD, QuintCareers.com Creative Director

Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling in the job search at A Storied Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press), as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her personal Website or reach her by e-mail at kathy(at)quintcareers.com.