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Recession Job Search |Leila's House of Corrections

With unemployment at its highest in twenty years, it is one of the hardest times to be looking for a job. Leila suggests tuning out negativity, using your network carefully, and doing your research to raise your chances of success.

Speaker: Leila Bulling-Towne, Executive Coach, The Bulling-Towne Group

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Tags: Recession Job Search |Leila, Leila, Recruitment & Selection, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Leila's House of Corrections, recession, job, search, hunt, unemployed, interview, networking, research, resume

 

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Recession Job Search |Leila's House of Corrections

With unemployment at its highest in twenty years, it is one of the hardest times to be looking for a job. Leila suggests tuning out negativity, using your network carefully, and doing your research to raise your chances of success.

Suddenly, many of us are finding ourselves on the other side of the desk: we're the interviewees, not the interviewers! With unemployment higher than it's been for over 20 years, no doubt it's a difficult time to find a job.

When looking for work in a downturn, there are some key strategies to embrace, so come on managers, let's talk about looking for job during a recession.

 

Not so long ago, it was very difficult for employers to find talented employees. As a result, the job hunter, the person looking for opportunities, had quite a bit of power. Well, the power has shifted back to the employer.

Very few of us are truly prepared for unemployment and an extended job search, so to keep you focused, review these best practices.

 

#1: Tune out negativity.

To stay focused and positive, tune out. Stop reading about rising unemployment figures; stop immersing yourself in daily news of bankruptcies; stop focusing on the negative. Support groups can be useful, but spend more time with those you want to join: the ranks of the employed.

 

#2: Use your network-well.

The time to network is before you need your network, right? Well, very few of us had time to network regularly when we were employed. Now that you need help, how you go about it is crucial. Think about who knows you best, who has been an ally in the past. Contact these people first. Share the titles of the roles you're seeking, the industries, and the locations. Give them a few sentences about you and your skills, so they can easily pass on your information. Make it as effortless as possible for people to help you.

 

#3: Do your research. Be prepared.

When going to an interview, study the company. Read everything you can; it's probably much easier these days to learn about the company than the last time you were looking for a job. The last time I interviewed for a job, Google wasn't even around!

Ask the company's recruiting contact the names of the people you are meeting. Get the correct spellings of their names, ask what their titles are, and ask how long each interview will be. Collect as much data as possible.

 

If you learn after the interview that you didn't make the final cut, don't assume the people you met can't join your network. Reach out and say thank you, solicit feedback, and keep in touch with those with whom you established a professional connection. This world is too small to not build bridges wherever you can.