There’s not a city or industry in the USA that isn’t going through some form of adjustment due to the economic instability. Private and corporate workforces are more competitive with companies cutting back on new hires. Job applications and candidates have more than tripled over the past two years. In these conditions, the best tip is to remain positive, while pursuing your next place of employment.

Go through the mourning process and get on with it. Acknowledge that it’s done; holding on to the past will cause you to miss an opportunity. Look to the future, the new possibilities and focus on today. Start with your resume ensuring the information is current, professionally formatted in MS Word and be prepared to go on interviews. Employers are well aware of what’s happening in the job market. They are looking for team members who can turn difficult times into positive outcomes and help with the bottom line.

Online Employment Resources

Online systems have made jobs applications more accessible, bringing in more competition at the same time. It’s the first place to start looking for a job, especially since most employers are using the internet as a means of finding several qualified candidates in a matter of hours. Some of the job boards where you should start your job search include indeed.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com and simplyhired.com. For the candidate, job searching in a poor economy takes more than just online searching and browsing. Job hunters need to get out and network with social groups, and associates. Job seekers should create a great a profile on linkedin.com to get the word out about your skills, followed with recommendations of your talents from former managers or coworkers. The interaction between social groups is an opportunity to share your talents, skills and expertise with the business community.

The Right Approach

Positive thinking and focus will lead candidates to the right job. In a poor economy, job hunters may need to make a compromise on location and pay rates. It’s difficult, try not to panic, take the time to know your living expenses and calculate according to the budget. Don’t settle for jobs or pay below the budget, it adds stress and interferes with job performance.

Candidates should be looking for jobs that fit their experience and expertise; these positions fulfill the applicant’s needs as well as the employer’s requirements. During slow economic periods employers are looking for stability and the best long term employees are qualified to contribute a valued service to the business’s growth. Have a plan for the day with a certain amount of hours set aside for job hunting. Take time to plan daily tasks, keeping a sense of order with a regular routine. The scheduling helps to manage the stress of job hunting and keeps your organizational skills intact.

Consideration

Some locations have an abundant of jobs and relocation or retraining may be considerations for these future employment opportunities. Depending on the area and industry, specific opportunities may be drastically reduced and in some cases out-sourced. Working through an employment agency may lead to temporary employment with a future potential of the employer offering a direct employment position as the economy improves. Recruiter’s have access to companies and insider information that job seekers to not have access to. By partnering with a recruiting firm job seekers can potentially find a job faster and with better compensation.

Retraining may be necessary for some, locating a new position in a booming industry during a slow economy is going to be time consuming but possible. Job hunters need to do the research on what markets are using new applications of current skills. Be able to take existing skills and apply them to a new industry’s will expedite the job transition. Today’s computer and information technology skill sets are crossing all industries and markets. Job seekers need to learn to diversify their talents in today’s ever evolving world.