Are You Job Hunting for the First Time in a Long Time?
Many baby boomers probably thought they would never have to job search again. You worked for the same company for 20 years; or maybe you’ve been enjoying your retirement. But now, you’ve been laid off or find yourself needing to work again to make extra money and you’re running into a problem: The process has changed.
If your job seeking skills are a little out of practice, follow these tips from the experts to find your footing in your next search:
1. Get focused
It’s a new world out there and you need to get organized. Start by conducting a personal career inventory, suggests Markell Steele, career counselor with Futures in Motion. Analyze your abilities and pay attention to transferable skills, current interests, personality traits, interests and key accomplishments.
2. Get organized
Information overload calls for you to get organized. You need to stay focused and pursue what works, says Steve Davies, president of PerfectJob Software. He suggests recording your job search: For each saved piece of information, record what job, person, company or task it is for and why it’s important. Additionally, you should track what works, checking which résumés, job sources and referrals result in interviews. Finally, set time limits, he says. Social sites are great for research but can absorb the day.
3. Be flexible
“Remain open to all possibilities, even if the job title, salary and benefits may not be exactly what you hoped for,” says Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of “Job Hunting for Dummies, 2nd Edition.” “Once you get your foot in the door, you will have a chance to prove yourself.”
4. Work with a professional
“Staffing professionals can be your eyes and ears in the job market,” Messmer says. “Recruiters also provide useful feedback on your résumé and interview skills, and help you locate full time and temporary jobs.”
5. Get connected
The Internet has changed the job search and created many opportunities for job seekers to showcase their expertise, Steele says. Employers also have easier access to qualified candidates.
“Increasingly, recruiters are using tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to indentify candidates. If you’re serious about your job search, you need to set up complete, professional profiles and get connected to opportunities.”
Click here to read more about job hunting after a long time.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Any recommendations for targeting staffing professionals? I’m at a senior exec level, and so far, the staffing folks I’ve contacted don’t know what to do with me or my experience. I’ve had mixed results with recruiters as well. I’m new to this. Any specific info you can post would be greatly appreciated.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:52 am
If you go to the library or maybe even on line or in a book store, there is a book on recruiters who target specific disciplines and levels. You may be better at a retained search firm vs. contingency firm as the retained firms are the ones usually looking for exec level talent.
Hope this helps